Page 30 of Love Unscripted

“Huh?” She scans the boat, and her eyes shoot wide. “I don’t know how to do any of that.” She moves beside me and shoves my shoulder. “I’ll steer. You do it.”

“Do you know how to steer?”

She shrugs. “Can’t be that hard if you know how to do it.”

“Har har.” I let her swap places with me and move to man the sails. “We’ll need to shoot straight for the beach.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Her brows pinch together as she concentrates. She pulls on the rudder and the cat spins. “Whoa.” She lets go and lifts her hands. “This thing is crazy sensitive.”

“Yep.” I gather the lines. “Want me to do it?”

“Let me try again.”

Seconds later, we’re going nowhere. Trina pinches the bridge of her nose. “This is ridiculous. How are we supposed to win when everything is rigged to make us fail?”

“Switch back. I’ll help you.” I point while nudging her out of the way. “Pull that line tight.”

Trina grabs the rope and hauls it back. It’s too much too quick. The cat swings sideways as the wind grabs the sail and drags us around.

I shout a warning too late. Trina is in the air, arms and legs flailing. Then she’s in the water, splashing straight down and sending water cascading over me.

Seconds later, she breaks the surface, swims back to the cat, and climbs aboard. We’re not wearing microphones because of the water, but I can’t be sure there aren’t any on the cat.

Why is Trina holding back?

“Great. Flipping fantastic. I’m sure to look like a drowned rat on national TV. And that’safterI slip and almost fall into the hot tub.” She squeezes water from her hair and flips it over her shoulder. “This one is all yours, hot shot. I’m done.”

She’s giving up? “You don’t want to win?”

She waves a hand toward the beach. “We lost. Timer went off about the same time I hit the water. I saw it flashing as I hit.”

I follow her pointing finger to the big red zeroes flashing on the beach. Great. Guess we’re camping.

We limp onto the beach and slide out of our lifejackets. The cameramen swoop in on us, and I squeeze Trina to my side as a warning not to react. Her bathing suit flexes with her deep inhale, and she caves toward me. Uh oh. A delighted smile breaks free. “You’re ticklish.”

“Am not.” She inches away from my probing fingers. “Stop it.”

“Nuh-uh.” I dig my fingers into her ribs.

She breaks away from me with a squeal and runs up the beach.

I follow, my hands stretched out like claws. “You better run faster. You’re sleeping in a tent with me all night.” I pause for dramatic effect. “After I’ve eaten beans.”

Her laughter bursts out in that amazing sound that reaches all the way to my bones. I put on a burst of speed and snap both arms around her waist.

With a sliding stop and a twist, I pull her off her feet. She kicks and screams while laughing and slaps at my hands when I tickle her again.

“Don’t.” She kicks my knee with her heel. “Stop.”

“Don’t stop?” I breathe in the scent of sun-warmed skin and a unique scent that is all Trina. Intoxicating. “Okay. I won’t stop.”

She screams louder and flails. “I’m going to get you for this,” she says between spurts of laughter.

I lower her to the ground. “Oh, I hope you do.”

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