Page 10 of A Chance at Love

Jess and I both jump into the pool. The water feels wonderful—cool and relaxing. I swim around a little, then hang out by the edge, laughing as Jess attempts to do a handstand underwater.

“Shit!” she yells, coming to the surface again. “I almost had it.”

But then our attention is diverted to yelling coming from across the yard. One of the girls is yelling at her partner about not taking the game seriously. I look over just in time to see her throw her drink in his face.

“Draaaaama,” says Jess, swimming up to join me at the edge of the pool. “I bet you a million bucks they’ll be up for elimination this week.”

“Yeah, I’m not taking that bet,” I say. I look around the yard at all the other contestants. Everybody’s watching the fighting couple, too. Everyone except for Leo and Noah, Jess’s partner, that is. They’re just sitting over there laughing about something else.

Jess catches me looking over at them.

“Come on,” she says, pulling herself up out of the pool. “Let’s go say hi to our boys.”

I follow her over, looking down to make sure my swimsuit is still covering everything up. When Leo and Noah see us approaching, they both give us smiles.

“Hey, cuties,” says Noah. As it turns out, Noah is actually the perfect match for Jess. I can totally see them together after the show. And Jess is nuts about him. She’s even gone so far as to sneak off with him in the middle of the night to have sex.

Jess takes a seat on Noah’s lap, giggling and giving him a kiss as she does. I look around for an empty lounge chair, but there’s none. My eyes meet Leo’s.

He gives me a little shrug to say, Go ahead, it’s fine.

So, trying to act as casual as possible, I sit down on Leo’s lap. I lean in and give him a quick peck on the cheek.

“Really? That’s all he gets?” says Jess.

I give her a warning look.

But then Noah pipes up. “Yeah, you two can do better than that,” he says. “Come to think of it, I haven’t seen you two kiss on the lips at all.”

And that’s because we haven’t. Leo and I have stuck to hugs and cheek pecks—and it’s worked well for us so far.

“That’s true, Noah,” says Jess, slinging her arms around his neck. “Maybe they’re faking their relationship.”

A cameraman approaches, suddenly more interested in our little conversation than the fighting still going on across the yard.

I could strangle Jess right now.

I turn to Leo, lean forward, and quickly press my lips to his. It’s a brief kiss, the kind of kiss you’d give a family member. But it’s all I can allow myself. It happens so fast that Leo looks shocked when I pull away.

“There,” I say, turning back to Jess and Noah. “Now you’ve seen us kiss on the lips.”

“That was hardly a kiss,” says Jess.

“Yeah, I think I blinked and missed it,” says Noah.

I grit my teeth. I consider all the ways to get myself out of this moment.

But then I feel Leo’s hand on my chin, turning my face back to him. And then both of his hands pulling me toward him. Before I realize what’s happening, our lips are pressed together, and then our lips are open, his tongue sweeping into my mouth.

And all the feelings I’ve ever felt for him crash together inside my chest.

Both Jess and Noah are cheering when Leo and I finally pull apart. As I stare, dazed, at Leo, I hear Jess say, “Now that was a kiss.”

My whole body is on fire. Oh my God. Even my nipples are hard. And I’m pretty sure I can feel Leo’s erection press against my hip. Leo grins at me, his face both apologetic and not sorry in the least.

And the worst part is, I want him to do it again.

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