Page 57 of Hot SEAL, Under Pressure

Stefan broke into a wide smile, drawing her attention back to him.

“What?” she asked at his strange glee over her comment.

“I like when you cuss.” He leaned closer and added softly against her ear, “And I love that you’re starting to hate this fucking show as much as I do.”

She didn’t confirm his last statement, but she didn’t deny it either.

And she really wasn’t ready to admit, not to herself or to him, that his whisper had sent an electric current through her body. That the shock of it had awakened certain parts of her that had gone from dormant to demanding.

When her gaze dropped to his lips, so close to her as they sat, the image of her kissing them flew into her brain.

Sometime between meeting him and now, annoyance had turned to attraction. Hate had turned to heat.

If they were alone, if they were anywhere other than here and now, she’d be kissing those lips. She’d let him peel off her wetsuit. Let him do things to her body for days.

And, as movement in her peripheral vision brought her attention to the camera zoomed in on her and Stephan to catch every little nuance between them, she realized she was in big trouble.

ChapterTwenty-Two

Land navigation took advance preparation, training and precision.

It was not just getting dropped off in the middle of nowhere and finding your way home, as Shelly had guessed it was yesterday after the challenge was revealed.

After the trauma of the swim, Stefan had let her hold on to her delusions. He figured he could burst her bubble in the morning after letting her get as peaceful of a night’s rest as she could with the wind and rain battering their tents.

Well, morning had come and with it a sunny new day, and now was the time.

He kicked dirt over the fire he’d built to boil the morning’s water and ducked into the flap of her tent.

She was hiding out of sight inside the tent to enjoy the instant coffee and instant oatmeal he’d procured for them, while the other contestants were still suffering with whatever weird shit the show had provided for breakfast.

He knew she wasn’t wearing even a drop of makeup since they weren’t allowed to bring any personal items, yet she somehow managed to look amazing, even given the crude living conditions.

Yesterday’s swim had meant her tresses dried into soft sexy waves. Being in the sun so much had added highlights to her already blonde hair and had given her skin a healthy golden glow.

She’d been pretty before. She was distractingly more so now.

He dragged his eyes and mind off her, staring at the floor of the tent as he said, “We need to get started on the land nav training as soon as you’re finished eating.”

“What can you teach me?” she asked. “The sun rises in the east and sets in the west? I already know that.”

“That vast knowledge is not gonna be all that helpful to you,” he said, sliding the strap of the canvas bag off his shoulder.

“What’s that?” she asked, eying the new addition to their meager belongings. Eyes widening, she hissed, “Did you rob the base again?”

“No. This is courtesy of your assistant, Jonas. Who asked how you were feeling, by the way.”

She let out a snort. “No doubt. The show’s lawyers are probably worried.”

“Now, now. That’s awfully cynical of you.”

“Just call me Cynical Barbie.”

He grinned before sitting down and getting to the lesson. “We have here a compass, which is why you don’t need to watch the sun, a topographical map, and a protractor and a pencil, both for drawing lines on the map.”

Glancing up he saw her staring at the items skeptically.

“Questions?” he asked.

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