Page 71 of The Cuffing Game
This guy can’t keep his shirt on.She swallowed but crossed her arms and did her best to look indifferent as shedeadpanned, “Wow, did you quit my show so you could use the hot tub? You know you could’ve just asked to use it anytime, right?”
Noah smiled. “Nah,” he said. “I wanted to enjoy it for a bit before I left. Do you want to join me?”
For a brief moment, his grin faltered, like he couldn’t believe he’d actually asked the question out loud.
Every inch of Mia froze except her racing heart. She definitely couldn’t get in the hot tub with Noah if he were still on the show. But what were the rules now that he wasn’t? Mia thought about texting Damien, but she couldn’t figure out how to word the message without being super awkward.
Hey, can I get into the hot tub with Noah?was definitely not a text she ever wanted to send. To anyone.
Damien and Kallie had gone ahead to set up the beach house and double-check shooting locations, so the only other person she knew for sure was still at the lodge was Alex. She wasn’t sure if all thecontestantshad left yet, but for now, no one was in sight.
Even so, Mia hesitated. Some part of her knew that if she took Noah up on his offer, there’d be no going back. Having a fireside chat was one thing. Getting into a hot tub with her crush was a whole other level of intimacy.
“You don’t have to join me if you don’t want to,” Noah said when Mia didn’t respond. “And I can come out from the tub, too. If that’s what you prefer.”
Her body moved before she’d fully made the decision, taking off her shoes and rolling up her pant legs before her logical side caught up. As she dipped her feet into the water, Noah’s warm brown eyes steadily met hers. Suddenly all she could hear was the beating of her own heart.
From where she sat on the edge of the hot tub, she had the perfect view of his high cheekbones. He was beautiful, and it was both amazing and infuriating how hot he was.
Mia’s face burned.
Noah’s lips parted ever so slightly. And that was all it took for Mia to imagine what it’d be like to sink down into the water and kiss him. It could have been her imagination, but Noah seemed to shift closer, ever so slightly.
Immediately, Mia pulled back, gripping the hot tub’s edge with both her hands to avoid toppling over. Noah raised his eyebrows in surprise.
“So, why did you drop out of the show?” she blurted out before Noah could remark on what had just happened.
Noah also leaned back, placing his arms around the edge of the tub. This unfortunately gave Mia a clearer view of his broad chest.
“Well, I knew Tiana would much rather cuff with Shirin,” he said. “And I wanted Violet and Carlos to have the chance to be an official cuffle together.”
Mia frowned. “You didn’t care that you’d be sacrificing your chance to win the game?”
“Nah,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “Inever really cared if I won or lost. I came here to find love.” The second the words landed, Noah winced. “Wow, that sounded cheesy. It’s a good thing I’m not being recorded right now.”
Mia snorted, and he gave her a lopsided grin that took her breath away. Yup, his real smile was much cuter than his fake one.
She held her elbow up to hide her face and coughed.
Noah’s grin widened, and he slowly looked up at her as he said, “If I’m being honest, I don’t feel that strongly about any of theCuffing Gamegirls. They’re not who I have a crush on.”
Mia let her arm drop and widened her eyes ever so slightly, barely managing to catch herself from having a bigger reaction. For all she knew, Noah could have been about to say he secretly had a crush on Kyle.
Carefully, she replied, “I thought you didn’t have a crush.”
Noah stared down at the swirling water below before meeting her gaze again, deliberately this time. “I didn’t. But I’m starting to realize that I do like someone now. And I think it’d have made everyone’s lives easier if I figured it out sooner.”
What is happening?Goose bumps prickled her arms in a tingling wave. Mia had a feeling she knew where this conversation was going. But she asked anyway, “What do you mean? Who’s your crush?”
At some point during their conversation, it’d startedto snow, and now it was just her and him in the hot tub together, surrounded by the wintry quiet as the white flakes fell around them.
She should have never gotten into the hot tub with Noah. They’d crossed into a whole new territory, past a point of no return. She’d thought being stuck in the cabin with him last night was bad, but this was ten times worse.
Noah’s lips parted ever so slightly as he leaned forward. Before she could stop herself, Mia dropped down to the water and leaned in as well. Her clothes got wet, but she was beyond the point of caring, not stopping until her and Noah’s faces were just a few inches apart. He gently placed a hand on her cheek, and the sudden warmth of his skin made her let go of a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
I don’t dislike touching you,Noah had said. Mia swallowed.
With a shaky breath, Noah said something, so quietly that it was more of a whispered prayer than an actual statement.
