Page 92 of Taking the Heat

Maxine smirked, pushing Clara away. ‘The rules are the rules. Everybody else has managed to obey them. You two are alone.’

‘No, they are not.’ Jen stepped forward, like a proud African queen, her face furious. ‘I have one strike left, and I choose to use it now.’

She walked over to Chris and me. She placed both hands on Chris’ cheeks, then kissed him on the forehead. ‘I support these two. If they are out of the competition, I am also.’

A moment of shocked silence hung in the air. Then Henry ran over to Jen. She kept her arm around Chris’ waist while Henry swept her up in a hug. ‘I support Chris and Tara!’ he cried. ‘We are all out!’

‘Me too, you crazy fuckers!’ Clara dashed across and jumped on Henry’s back, another link in our growing human chain. ‘Fuck you, Maxine!’

Toshi was next, taking the opportunity to kiss Clara deeply, while Megs reached for his hand. Nik and Callum flanked her on both sides as Pauline and Chase joined Chris and me. The twins and the threesome and the rest ran over as well, and all nineteen of us joined together in a circle of love, cuddling, kissing, holding and embracing.

The cameras zoomed around, capturing our act of connected defiance, while I sobbed, so proud to be a part of the moment.

Maxine stood with her arms crossed and her face pinched. ‘Right. Well played,’ she conceded. ‘As I’m sure you’ve worked out, I can’t disqualify you all, or there will be no show, and our viewers will be most disappointed. So, in order to keep them happy—and not you people—Chris and Tara will be reinstated in the competition.’

Everyone cheered, our whole group jumping up and down en masse. An impromptu version of ‘We are the Champions’ was sung, while Lars ran to Maxine, dragging her into our happy circle.

‘Oh, honestly,’ she said, crossly, but I swear there was a hint of a smile in her words as we danced around her. ‘Alright, that’s enough. It’s been quite a night. You can all have ten minutes before the touch restrictions are reinstated; enough time to settle down, not enough for any copulation.’

‘Wanna fucking bet?’ squealed Clara, grabbing Toshi by the wrist and dragging him down the beach.

Chris still had me safe in the circle of his arms. ‘I’m not leaving her tonight,’ he told Maxine, in a voice you wouldn’t want to argue with.

‘Do as you please. Just keep your hands to yourselves,’ she said, striding away.

With the crisis over, exhaustion snared me, dragging me towards unconsciousness. Chris walked us up the beach and towards my room, murmuring words of comfort in my ear and kissing my hair.

Back in my bathroom, Chris ran me a purifying bath, scenting the water with cleansing oils. I allowed him to strip me down and place me in the suds. He checked his watch. ‘You’ll have to climb out yourself. We’ve got about a minute left, and I don’t think Maxine will be as forgiving a second time.’

I reached for his hand. Chris kissed my fingers while I said sleepily, ‘You’re never allowed to leave my side again. Every time you do, bad things happen.’

‘I’ll be here all night, and with you tomorrow, and I’ll follow you home and trail around after you like a puppy dog for as long as you let me.’ I closed my eyes and let his soothing words wash over me. ‘But, right now, the only thing you need to know is that I will always keep you right here …’

He brought my hand to his chest and used my finger to draw a T over his heart.

***

Transcript of Tara M’s video diary: Day 21

This morning, I woke up and stretched, in that lazy, semi-sleep state where nothing seems real. Suddenly, a thousand images slammed through my brain:obese men, jet skis, being held underwater, the fantasy cabin …

I sat bolt upright. ‘Oh god! Today’s the last day!’

Movement from the other side of the bed made me shriek. ‘It’s okay! It’s just me!’ Chris looked like a sleep-rumpled, scrumptious mess, with his hair fluffy and his eyes blurry.

Amused by his appearance, I grinned at him. ‘You slept beside me and didn’t touch me?’

‘After tonight, that’s never going to happen again.’ He eyed me like a piece of sexy meat he wanted to devour. ‘You should know, I like to be the big spoon.’

‘That works for me,’ I said, licking my lips as the sheet slipped down and revealed his shirtless chest. Trying to drag my mind out of the gutter and away from all the naughty things I wanted to do to him, I addressed Chris seriously. ‘Do you think we can actually talk now?’

‘Do you feel up to it?’ Chris eyed me carefully. ‘How does your neck feel? Are you sore?’

Experimentally, I leaned my head from side to side. ‘It’s good.’

‘It’s pretty bruised,’ Chris said, dark clouds gathering in his expression. ‘What I wouldn’t give to hold that coward underwater for a while, see how he likes it.’

‘Let him go,’ I said. ‘Dante only wins now if we let him ruin our moods. I definitely don’t want him brought into my bed first thing in the morning.’

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