"I have to say…I'm not exactly unhappy to have Katy as a partner. She's a tough one, despite the pigtails. I think the others underestimate just how strong she is because she looks so small and cute. And she kisses like a fiend." — Liam Brogan, Paris Leg of The World Races
Everyone lingered in the lobby of the hotel. It wasn't that we particularly wanted to hang around. All the racers were exhausted from the constant flight-hopping and then heading straight to the challenges, not to mention the constant nerves when you thought you were in last place. I was wiped, Liam was wiped, everyone was wiped. And yet, we were all still in the lobby.
No one had the money for a hotel room.
Rooms were just a bit over two hundred a night, and we'd been given twenty dollars for the Greenland leg, and a hundred for the Ireland leg. Considering that we liked eating, we had to save some money for food and drink. Even two teams pooling their money together couldn't afford one room, as the price we'd been quoted was over two hundred and twenty a night. No one was quite willing - yet - to fork over most of their money to split one double room between six people. No one wanted to be that third couple that didn't get to sleep on a bed.
So we hung out in the lobby, our two bucket chairs scooted close together, and watched the others come in for the race. Brodie and Tesla had come in fourth, one spot ahead of us. They now sat in the bar of the hotel, eating dinner and flirting. It was like my brother hadn't even noticed I was there.
I glanced over at Liam to see if he was feeling the sting of Tesla's lack of attention, but he didn't seem to be bothered.
In fact, he was leaning in to my chair. He whispered, "Kissy and Rusty came in ninth, so they're out."
I couldn't say I was surprised to hear that, since the Rednecks hadn't proven themselves to be particularly good with the challenges. I was, however, surprised by the shiver that rocked through me at his breath against my ear. I squirmed in my chair and counted heads of the other contestants, loitering in the lobby. "Who does that leave?"
"Just Myrna and Fred, I think." Liam glanced around the room and nodded. "Yep. Just them."
"The two easiest teams," I mused. "It's going to get a lot harder after this. Who do you think will go next?"
He considered the others, then leaned in close to me again to whisper his response. "Depends on the kind of challenge. If it's a water challenge, I say Wendi and Rick, because Wendi's not athletic and Rick doesn't have the musculature."
The mother and son team. I could see that.
"If it's something athletic…maybe Steffi and Cristi. They don't run as fast as the others."
"And if it's an eating challenge?" I asked lightly.
"Then we'll win," he said. "If you do it, anyhow. If it's me, be prepared for the Loser Lodge."
"Sensitive stomach?"
He gave a small laugh. "Would you believe me if I said that my failure at that challenge had more to do with memories of a bad sushi experience than anything else?"
I chuckled. "I believe it. I don't think I can ever eat fish again after that challenge. And it wasn't even fish. It just smelled like it."
"It was a nightmare."
"I'm shocked – you're not a big fan of the raw, blubbery insides of marine wildlife?"
"Don't remind me," he said, clutching at his stomach as if in pain. "I'm still getting acid reflux flashbacks."
I laughed again, just as someone thumped into the chair next to me. It was Abby, with Dean hovering over her shoulder.
Liam immediately went quiet, glancing over at me.
Abby leaned in, a twinkle in her eye, and whispered, "How much money do you have?"
"Why?" I asked warily, glancing over at my partner. His face was a mask of indifference. Gone was the easy smile he'd worn, and I felt like our hard-won truce had just disappeared into smoke. Which kind of sucked.
"Because," Abby said, and then leaned in, glancing around at the crowded lobby. Her voice lowered. "Dean worked his magic and got us a discount on a room that was vacated."
I sucked in a breath, staring up in wonder at Dean. He winked at me, all cocky and pleased with himself. "I pulled a few strings, might have signed a few autographs, things like that."
Oh, that was right. Dean was a big shot Olympian swimmer. Five medals or something like that. I looked over at Liam in excitement. "You're famous too - maybe you can squeeze us a discount?"
His mouth twitched and he shook his head. "Tesla, maybe. Everyone recognizes her. Me, I'm just the guitarist. Without her at my side, I'm anonymous."
Abby waved a hand impatiently. "We don't need another discount. They're willing to give us the room for half price as long as we're out by seven am."
I glanced at my watch. We had a twelve hour rest break between the time we'd arrived and the time we received our next clue. "We got here at five," I told her.
"We got here at three thirty," Abby said. "So that's perfect."
"And that means we only have to pay about a hundred and ten or so…fifty five apiece if we split it between two teams."
I looked over at Liam.
He shrugged.
"Hot showers," Abby cajoled. "Pillows. Someplace to sleep that's not an airport floor."
It was so incredibly tempting. I bit my lip, and then stole a glance at Liam again. "What do you want to do?" It would be half of our money, but we'd also be well rested and well showered. It was worth it to me, but this was a partnership, and that partnership meant that we'd have to agree.
Something Brodie and I had sucked at.
Liam noticed my hesitation. "It'll mean watching our money for meals for a bit."
I nodded.
"I have half of the money from when Tesla and I got split," he told me. "Six dollars and fifty cents."
"I have nothing other than what they gave us for this leg of the race," I said cheerfully. "Brodie sucks with money." My brother and I had argued over some high priced protein bars at the general store in Kulusuk, but Brodie had insisted, and we'd spent every dime. Liam apparently had saved his cash better than we had.
"Looks like he's still determined to spend all of his team's money," Dean pointed out. "They're having a few beers in the bar. That's gonna cost them."
I was hungry too, but I'd gladly give up dinner for a nice bed and a hot shower. I looked at Liam again.
"I'm in if you are," he told me.
I could have kissed him - again - in that moment. "Totally in."
"Great," Abby said with excitement. "Dean's going to get the room." She glanced up at her partner, who leaned down and kissed her forehead, then headed off to the counter. She turned back to look at me and Liam. "We don't want the others to know we're sharing a room or they'll probably crash it and try to squeeze some pillows or floor space. I'll find out what room we have, and then I'll take the elevator to the top floor. Wait five minutes, and then meet me there, and we'll go to the room together."
"Sounds good," I told her, and when she stuck her pinky out, I linked mine through hers.
It was good to have friends on this race.
~~ * * * ~~
Fifteen minutes later, I flopped down on one of the queen beds in the hotel room and groaned with pleasure. "Oh my god, a mattress. I've died and gone to heaven."
Next to me, Liam sat on the edge of the bed and dropped his pack to the ground. He didn't flop backward like I had, just sat and looked at me.
Which made me feel weird and selfish, like I was hogging all of the bed. So I sat up and curled my legs under me.
On the other bed, Abby slid her shoes off and wiggled her feet as Dean sprawled onto the bed behind her. "This was the best use of money ever. I'm so glad we did this."
"I'm so glad you invited us," I told her. My stomach growled, and I winced. I had a protein bar in my bag, but it wasn't sounding super appetizing at the moment.
Liam glanced at me again, then turned to Dean and Abby. "I don't suppose you guys want to go halves on dinner? We can get a pizza for pretty cheap if we don't mind picking it up."
"Pizza sounds great to me," Abby said, rubbing her stomach. She glanced over at Dean. "Paper rock scissors for who has to go get it?"
He laughed and leaned in to kiss Abby. "Tell you what. I'll get it and you owe me."
"Mmm, deal," she told him with a teasing grin.
Dean got back to his feet and put some money in his pocket, then glanced at Liam. "You want to come with?"
"Sure, man. Give the girls a few minutes to relax without us." He looked over at me again, that hesitant almost-smile on his face, and then they disappeared. The door shut a moment later, and silence fell. It was just me and Abby in the room, basking in the fact that we didn't have to go anywhere for at least several more hours.
The silence didn't last long, though. Abby rolled onto her side on the bed and gazed over at me. "Sooooo, how's the new partner? What's it like being paired up with a rock god?"
I sat up, crossed my legs, and thought. I felt like I could trust Abby. It was like having one of my best friends here on the race with me. And I didn't think she'd dick us over. "He's…not what I expected."
"He seems different than your brother," Abby said bluntly. "And I mean that in a good way. I think you lucked out."
I gave her a wry look. "Brodie's my brother, but yeah, he tends to think of Brodie first and Katy second."
"Why do you let him get away with that? I'd have beat him with my backpack if he'd treated me the way he treated you."
I shrugged. "I don't know. I guess because he was honest about what he wanted out of this? He wants a career. Me, I just want the consolation prize money."
She snorted. "I told myself that until I made the merge on Endurance Island. Trust me, when you get closer to that big prize? You want that money."
She had a point. I had to admit that when I saw everyone racing, it made my blood get fired up and my competitive spirit kick in. Still, I didn't know if I could deliberately push ahead of Brodie, not when I'd be just as happy with the last place check. It seemed selfish somehow. Even though Brodie hadn't been awesome to me on the race, the race would end and he'd still be my brother long after these people were out of my life. So I said nothing.
"Well, at any rate, I'm glad we're allied with you and not Brodie. He doesn't seem the loyal type," she said with a yawn. "You want the first shower? I'll wait until Dean gets back and we can share ours."
A shower sounded incredible. I pulled myself up from the bed and grabbed my backpack. "I promise not to use all the hot water."
"Good." She waved me away, yawning and laying back on her bed.
By the time the guys got back with pizza, I had showered and changed into new clothes, and was combing out my wet hair. We tore into the pizza, divvying it up four ways. I only ate two of my slices, being the smallest of the group, and nudged my extra slice over to Liam. He was a tall guy and would probably need the fuel.
He took it with a wink at me, and then devoured it.
Dean patted his stomach and glanced at the bathroom. "Shower free?"
"All yours," I told him, uncapping my bottle of water and taking another drink.
"Wait for me," Abby said, getting to her feet. "I thought we'd share."
"Just like old times," Dean said with a grin, and smacked Abby on the butt as she sauntered past him. They disappeared into the bathroom and I was left alone with Liam.
I glanced over at him as he wiped his hands with the napkin, and then looked over at me.
"So," he said, then paused.
"So," I said back.
He seemed more at ease now that it was just the two of us, and now that I wasn't glowering at him every moment. Instead, he simply studied my face, as if considering me. After a moment, he stuck his hand out. "I think we got off on the wrong foot on this race. Hi, I'm Liam."
I laughed and took his hand. "Hi, I'm Katy."
"And what brings you on The World Races, Katy?"
"Well," I said, crossing my legs and getting comfortable on the bed. "I actually didn't want to be on the show. I got talked into it because Brodie needed a partner. And I want the money to invest in my business."
"Business?" He looked impressed. "What kind of business?"
"I have a custom cakes and cupcakes business," I said proudly. "Katy's Short Cakes."
He nodded, as if it somehow fit me, and then he crossed his legs on the bed until he was sitting, facing me. "So you're a baker?"
"I am." It felt weirdly intimate to be facing each other on the bed like this. It was…direct. And personal. There was no hiding or averting eyes with this. We were one on one, face to face.
"And the pigtails? Are you a children's baker or something?" There was a hint of a smile on his mouth.
I groaned and ruffled a hand through my loose, wet blonde hair. "The pigtails were decided by casting, not by me. I think they picked it because I'm short."
"And because you're cute," he agreed. "It makes you look perky."
For some reason, I blushed at that. So he thought I was cute? Or just perky? Perky didn't necessarily mean attractive. Squirrels were perky. "So, what about you?"
"What about me?" His dark eyes studied my face.
"What made you come on The World Races?"
His mouth twisted a bit. "The label."
I frowned at him. "The label?"
"Yeah. Tesla wanted to go on the show. Thought it'd be a good opportunity since our next record drops in the fall, when this airs. We had a large lead time." He shrugged. "The label wanted one of the band members to go with her. I was picked."
"So you and Tesla aren't," I gestured with my hand. "You know."
His eyes widened. "Oh, god no. She's just a bandmate. You know, the whole Finding Threnody thing." And he looked at me like I should know exactly what he was talking about.
I winced. "Is it bad if this is the part that I say that I've never heard of you?"
He stared.
"I listen to country music," I said lamely. "Sorry. I'm sure your band is good."
He continued to stare.
"I'll buy your CD when I get home," I told him. "I promise."
He shook his head a little, as if to clear it, then laughed. "So you really don't know who we are?"
"Well," I told him. I thought for a moment, trying to determine the best way to say it without hurting his feelings, and then gave up. "Not a clue. Brodie's a fan, though."
Liam chuckled and shook his head. "Well, that explains why you weren't very friendly to me."
"Are a lot of girls friendly to you because you're in a rock band?"
"Yes," he said simply.
I snorted. "They might be until you push them down reaching for their football."
He scowled. "It was an accident."
"How do I know that?" I asked innocently, putting a teasing lilt in my voice. "Maybe you thought it was a mosh pit."
That slow, almost reluctant smile spread across his lean face again. "Now I know you're fucking with me."
"Just a little."
He laughed. "I suppose I deserved that."
I studied him as he smiled. I'd initially thought Liam tall, grungy, and a little scary. The piercings were new territory for me, as were the tattoos. He even had them on his neck. But the smile he extended my way was genuine, and for a moment, he looked like any other guy my age that just happened to be covered in black tattoos, multiple facial piercings, and was the lead guitarist in a supposedly big deal rock band.
"So…" he rubbed his chin. "I suppose there's a special irony in this considering that neither you nor I wanted to be on the race."
"We could always sabotage the next leg of the race and win ourselves an extended stay in Acapulco," I told him, keeping my voice innocent.
"Is that what you want to do?"
I considered it. I really, really did. But we were still in the race, and we were doing rather well, if I admitted it to myself. And Liam wasn't a bad partner, as long as we didn't run into any more mukluk or eating challenges on the race. "Part of me wants to bail out on the race, but a bigger part of me wants to see how far we can go."
He nodded. "Me too." That dark, intense gaze focused on me again. "So why did you kiss me at the Blarney Stone?"
Oh. Wow, okay, that was super direct. I thought about my answer for a moment, then shrugged. "I wanted to?"
"You did?"
"Well." I ran a finger across the blanket. "Abby told me that if we made good TV, we stood a better chance of staying in the race. That the producers would rig things to ensure that we'd do better. So, I kissed you." I gave another shrug, trying to make it seem casual even though I was feeling rather nervous. "Good TV."
Liam watched me for so long without saying anything that I began to wonder if it was a mistake to tell him. After a long moment, he said, "So it was just for TV?"
I couldn't tell if that was a good thing or a bad thing. "Maybe?"
He considered this. Then, he leaned in. "You want to keep making good TV, then?"
"What do you mean?"
Liam gave me a wicked smile. "I mean we make sure that they keep us around as long as possible by making some really good TV."
And just like that, heat flushed through my body.
~~ * * * ~~
That night, in the hotel room, Abby and Dean took one bed, and Liam and I took the other. We slept clothed, of course, but the bed was small enough that I couldn't move without bumping into his arm, or leg. At one point, I woke up to find his arm around my waist, and a tingle of anticipation moved through me.
But then he shifted and his arm moved away again. I bit my lip, thinking. Just a fluke, then? Of course it was. So why had I been so thrilled at the simple touch?
~~ * * * ~~
Paris, France
"There's the Palais Garnier," I told my partner, pointing at the majestic building in the distance. "We're in the right place."
"Come on, then," he said, and grabbed my hand in his, pulling me down the busy streets of Paris.
That weird feeling fluttered in my stomach when his hand grasped mine. That goofy flutter had pretty much been my constant companion on this leg of the race. The Liam that had been my silent companion at the beginning of the team-up? Gone.
Instead, I found myself with a Liam that I didn't quite know what to do with. A Liam that was attentive, asked for my opinion on directions and flights, and liked to lean in and whisper into my ear when we were sitting close together. Unlike Brodie, Liam was proving to be a partner that stuck by my side, bought me drinks when he thought I might be thirsty, and generally made me feel valued.
He'd also taken to holding my hand.
It had thrown me off at first; we'd been at the airport, waiting for our flight into Paris when he'd simply reached over and taken my hand in his. I hadn't missed the fact that Abby's eyebrows had shot up to her hairline, or the fact that the cameras had zoomed in and then proceeded to hover for the next hour in the hopes that we'd do something exciting or flirty.
We were just making good TV. Sort of. Our flirting had definitely escalated to a different level, and it was a level I hadn't quite been prepared for. Not that I was complaining. I'd started it, after all, with my impulsive kiss.
Except now that I'd started it? I was having a hard time distinguishing real from fake. The hand holding mine felt real. It was for the camera, I kept telling myself. But I couldn't quite relax and accept that. Maybe I wasn't as good as pretending as I thought I was.
Maybe I'd really wanted to kiss Liam. Which was weird. He wasn't my type. He was silent, and tatted, and pierced, and famous. I was just small town Katy, who went to culinary school and wanted nothing more out of life than to make fancy cupcakes. We weren't in the same league. We weren't the same type. I normally went for big, muscular cowboys with boots and a tan. Liam was tall, lean, with dark hair and not much of a tan at all. But his eyes were dark and intense, and I found my gaze constantly going back to those fascinating piercings.
As if he could hear my thoughts, Liam stopped and dragged me close, his mouth hovering near my ear. I immediately froze, my breath catching in my throat. "To your left," he whispered. "Standing by the corner. It's the Olympians. Do you see the flag anywhere?"
I glanced around and pretended to be studying the Paris streets. My gaze focused on a green and blue blurb at the far end of the Palais. The World Races logo. "I see it."
"Summer and Polly don't see us yet," he murmured, tugging me close. "Good thing we're in black and not a bright color."
He looped his arm around my shoulders and we pretended to be a couple, loitering with the crowd as we headed toward the Palais Garnier. The streets of Paris were incredibly busy, and buses whizzed past on a regular basis. The buildings around us were tall, adding to the vague feel of claustrophobia that I felt, sandwiched in between them. The Olympians wandered past, ultra-noticeable in their bright green, and appeared to be looking for the flag. They hadn't spotted it yet. As soon as they headed in the wrong direction, I squeezed Liam's hand and signaled that the coast was clear. We sprinted for the mat.
A man in a tuxedo, red cape, and white mask stood under The World Races flag, and held the customary disk out to us. We grabbed it with a quick thank you and then dashed away a good distance, making sure we weren't nearby if Summer and Polly spotted us.
We huddled together and I flipped the disc, reading the back. "Welcome to the Palais Garnier, the site that inspired Gaston Leroux's famous work, The Phantom of the Opera. Today, you will choose between two tasks inspired by the novel - 'Chandeliers' or 'Performance.'"
I looked up at Liam, and shrugged, then kept reading. "If you choose 'Chandeliers,' you must work on one of the famous chandeliers in the interior of the Grand Foyer. Each chandelier has multiple lights that are burnt out. You must insert the correct light bulbs into the appropriate slots. Each time you do so, this will also cause another light to turn off. You must figure out the puzzle and determine how to turn on all lights. Once you do, you will receive your next task. If you choose 'Performance,' you must learn a simple pas de deux from the famous ballet, Sleeping Beauty. You must perform the pas de deux to the approval of a preschool ballet teacher. If you do so, you will receive your next task."
"Interesting choices. Dancing or electrician work."
I looked up at Liam, considering. "The chandelier might be easier to do. It's just replacing bulbs and figuring out which ones turn off what."
"Yes, but we're here to make good TV, remember?" And he smiled at me, his lips stretching around those fascinating piercings. "And what makes better TV?"
I felt my mouth move into a grin. "Performance, of course. You any good at dancing?"
"Shitty."
I laughed. "Me too."
"Then this should definitely be interesting." He took my hand again and tugged me towards the Palais entrance. "Come on. Performance it is."
We headed in, and my breath locked in my throat. The building was beautiful, all delicate Corinthian columns and straight lines leading up to the flat roof that was topped by golden angel statues. Once inside, it was equally breathtaking. The ceiling was ornately decorated, the stairs winding through the main foyer. I held my breath – I didn't think I'd ever been in a place so elegant.
We descended the staircase and entered the auditorium of the opera house. The place was massive, our footsteps echoing in the room. The stage was lit, and several dancers stood in a line, waiting for us. Off to one side, I could see a couple - Hal and Stefan - practicing moves in front of a frowning tutor. They were both wearing black leotards.
One of the ballet dancers stepped forward as we took the stairs to the stage, her stiff tutu bobbing with every exaggerated move. "Please pick a tutor to show you the steps to the pas de deux." She gestured at the row of dancers behind her.
I glanced at Liam, but he shrugged. "Just pick someone."
I did, and the woman stepped forward with tiny, precise steps, her feet arching with every mincing motion. Her mouth was tucked into a tight line, as if she weren't thrilled to be chosen. She gestured to the far end of the stage, and we followed her.
She gave a little sniff at our clothing. "You both must change into the proper attire."
I glanced over at the other team and noticed their clothing again. "Oh. Um, where do we get the clothing?"
She rolled her eyes as if that was the most ridiculous question ever. "The dressing room, of course."
"Of course," Liam murmured.
At our teacher's huffy instructions, we headed to the back of the opera house and followed colored flags to the dressing rooms. There were two - one for men and one for women - so we separated. I found a small room full of dark tights, leotards, and pink ballet slippers that were made of soft leather. I checked the inside of the shoe - no wooden block for going en pointe. Thank god for that. We'd hurt ourselves if we tried to do that, and we still had a race to run.
I dressed quickly and slid the shoes on, then raced back out.
I ran into Liam in the hall…and was unable to smother my giggle. He was scowling, the piercings flashing as he caught sight of me. He tugged at the stretchy material of his ballet outfit, the legs and leotard skin tight and outlining his, uh, equipment.
"Before you say anything about my junk," he growled, "It's sticking out because it's an athletic belt."
"It's not all a belt," I said in a delicate voice, trying not to laugh at his expression.
He snorted. "Come on, let's just get this over with."
We returned to the dancer and she began to show us the series of moves that had been designed for the competition. This would not be a traditional pas de deux, she informed us in an icy voice, as we were not talented enough and novices. A traditional pas de deux would be far too hard for us. So they had coordinated several easier moves for us to learn for our dance. There were five parts - the entree, in which we would enter the stage. The grand adage, in which Liam would partner me. Then we would each have a small solo, and then the coda, which would bring the dance to a close. There was one lift in which Liam would have to grab me and hoist me into the air.
The teacher showed us the moves, and I caught a few of the other dancers tittering as we clumsily tried each step. Still, after several minutes, we had figured out the basic steps and the order they went in. I wasn't the best with rhythm, but I was good at memorizing. I stole a few peeks at Hal and Stefan. Surely we had to be better than them. The dancers were giggling at the other team's attempts to practice non-stop. We could do this.
Just then, Liam put his hands on my waist.
I shrieked and squirmed out of his grasp, much to the surprise of my partner, and the dismay of the teacher.
"What are you doing?" The teacher looked as if I'd just insulted her.
"Ticklish," I gasped, putting my hands on my sides.
Liam chuckled and wiggled his fingers at me. "Can you hold it in for this challenge?"
"I'll try." I exhaled, trying to compose myself, and then assumed the dance position I'd been shown.
When his hands went on my waist again, I laughed once more, but held, my lips twitching. I could do this. I could. I—
Liam's fingers brushed over my sides in what had to be a deliberate tickle.
I squealed and darted away again.
The dancer rolled her eyes, but Liam actually laughed. Laughed aloud. Like I'd just done the funniest thing ever. And that warm, hearty laugh? Made my insides go all gooey with warmth. Liam had an aloof sort of attractiveness to him normally, but when he laughed? I quivered. All over.
It was going to be really hard to concentrate now.
"He's going to have to put his hands on you," the dancer said in a displeased voice. "You need to concentrate."
I nodded and forced myself to loosen up, giving Liam a mock-warning look. This time, when he put his hands on my waist, I felt his thumbs caress my sides, as if he couldn't help but give me little additional touches.
And instead of getting ticklish, I was instantly aroused.
Oh, damn. I blinked rapidly, forcing myself to pay attention to the dance moves and the cameraman that hovered nearby, taping everything. I could feel my nipples getting hard and prayed they weren't sticking out against my leotard enough that the camera would catch it. Our ballet dancer made us go over the waist move, over and over again, until we could do it without me breaking down in a fit of giggles or getting all flustered.
This challenge was taking a long time, but I didn't care. We were making good TV like Liam had said…and he was touching me. And I couldn't quite bring myself to suggest that we go and screw some light bulbs instead.
"Now to practice the lift," the dancer informed us. "The female partner must get into the modified arabesque I showed you."
I grimaced and raised my arm into the air, raising my leg as high as I could. I ignored the amused snorts of the other ballet dancers, knowing my form was terrible.
"Now," the teacher said. "The man should place his hand on her thigh to begin the lift."
I felt Liam's hand curve along the inside of my thigh, and I jerked in surprise at how his fingers had felt, skimming along my flesh. A hot pulse of desire raced through me, and I felt my face flush.
"Keep form," the dancer snapped.
"Sorry." I pressed my lips together and lifted my leg in the air again, wobbly.
"Ready?" Liam asked. At my nod, his hands slid to the inside of my thighs again and I shuddered, feeling the heat rock through me again. Okay, I shouldn't have been turned on during a challenge, but I was.
Because Liam's hands were strong, and they were between my thighs. How could I not get all hot and bothered from that?
"Keep your body stiff," the dancer snapped at me as Liam lifted me with a little grunt, about a foot into the air, and then dropped me back down again. Our goal was to have him lift me from his right side and move me to his left in an extended hop while I held my form. Judging from the ballet dancer's near-sneer, it wasn't a real move at all, but we'd probably pull something if we tried a real pas de deux. Heck, we weren't exactly good with this one.
She made us practice the lift. Over and over, I'd hold form as Liam's hands slid against my inner thighs. And I quivered each time.
"Close enough," our teacher told us. "You can perform once the stage is free."
~~ * * * ~~
It took us three tries to get through the dance. On the first try, the ballerina judging us stopped me halfway through and informed me that my posture was horrendous. We had to go to the back of the stage and wait as Hal and Stefan attempted to dance their routine again. They were stopped by the ballerina as soon as the music started, since Stefan's timing was off.
On our second try, Liam flubbed the lift and I didn't help by giggling when he touched me.
The third time, though? We nailed it. As we finished the Coda, we held our positions, waiting for the ballerina's verdict. She scrutinized us, then gave a sharp nod and held out the disk for our clue.
I gave a happy cry of delight, and turned and leapt into Liam's arms. He grabbed me and twirled me around, and my legs automatically went around his waist as I clung to him, cheering. When we slowed, I was reminded of the fact that we were both wearing skimpy ballet leotards that allowed you to feel every curve of your partner's body, and he was wearing a belt that gave him a massive bulge.
A bulge that I slid down as my feet landed on the floor.
We stared at each other for an electric moment longer, and then Liam recovered his senses and took the disk the ballerina held out to us.
Everyone stared and waited for us to leave the stage, so I grabbed Liam's hand and dragged him off to the side. "Come on. Let's go."
He gave himself a little mental shake. "We need to change clothes and get out of here."
"We could stay in the ballet clothes," I told him thoughtfully. "Buy ourselves a few minutes and just head straight to the next task."
"Hell no," Liam told me, and grabbed his bulge.
I laughed at that. "Point taken."
He held the clue disk out, flipped it over, and then smiled at me.
Damn, that smile. I gave myself a little shake, then started to read the instructions in a low whisper.
Time to concentrate on the game once more.
~~ * * * ~~
As we left the Palais Garnier behind, we passed by two teams working on the chandeliers, and had left Hal and Stefan still at the dance challenge. That meant we had a decent lead on the others, though we were pretty sure we weren't in first place.
The disk instructed us to head to a French patisserie, and we ran into Abby and Dean there. Liam and Abby decided to take the first challenge, since it involved bicycling through the streets of France. Unless I had a map? I was bad with directions, so we'd elected to have Liam participate for our team.
He and Abby worked together to deliver baskets of fresh baguettes to six different locations in Paris while on bicycles. Dean and I sat at the corner of the bakery and split a hot, fresh loaf of bread ourselves, speculating as to what the next challenge would be. We agreed to run it together, since we knew we were ahead of at least three other teams.
The next challenge sent us into l'Ossuaire Municipal - the French catacombs. We headed down the dank steps into the shadowy cavern, and a chill raced through me. Inside, the walls were covered with hundreds of years of graffiti, and some of the rooms seemed to be nothing but skulls.
Our task was to find the hidden message that would give us our next clue. Dean took one portion of a wall while I took the next, and we worked our way through wall after wall, looking for a message.
My heart nearly stopped when I saw along the bottom of one wall, written in English, "Make your way to the Italian ruin of Pompeii at the base of Vesuvius and look for the Games flag."
Yes! Hiding my excitement, I quickly read the phrase over again, memorizing it so I could repeat it back.
Summer from the Olympian team moved to my side, scanning the wall. "Find anything yet?"
I blinked in the low light, considered, and then shook my head. "Nope." I headed further down the wall and pretended to keep scanning. I sucked in a breath when Summer crouched at the base of the wall I was standing in front of, gave it a cursory look, then sighed and flounced over to a row of lined up skulls, peering at them as if they'd have the clue.
She hadn't seen the phrase.
Biting my lip, I pretended to keep looking, and moved closer to Dean. I tapped him on the shoulder when I passed by and gave him a meaningful look. When Summer headed further into the tunnels, I leaned over to Dean. "I found it."
"Really?" His eyes widened and he jerked around. "Where?"
"Base of the wall nearby," I whispered. I gestured at it furtively, making sure that Summer didn't see my hand motions. "We need to fly to Pompeii."
Dean left my side and pretended to continue searching the wall, knelt, read the clue, and then wandered away, still pretending to look for the answer. He circled back to me a moment later, an excited look on his face. "That's it," he breathed, grinning. "Flying straight through to the next leg without a rest? Damn."
"I know. We need to tell the others."
He leaned past me and gazed to where Summer was. "She find it yet?"
I shook my head. "She'll suspect something's up if we leave together, though."
"I'll leave," he told me. "After a few minutes, come up and we'll all head to the airport together."
I nodded and pretended to examine the wall he'd been staring at while he sneaked out. Slowly, I counted to sixty as Summer moved past again, then shook her head and headed further into the long, dark tunnels.
I pretended to keep searching the walls until she disappeared down a tunnel curve and was no longer in sight. As soon as she was gone, I raced up the stairs and headed back out to where Liam was waiting. Abby and Dean were still there, practically bouncing with excitement.
"So should we head straight to the airport? Or do you think there's another part of the clue that we missed? That almost seems too easy," Dean commented, shrugging on his backpack.
"I didn't see anything else on the wall," I told him, then glanced at Liam. "I guess we'll know for sure if we head to the airport and the other teams are there."
"Good point," Liam told me. He leaned and whispered so only I could hear him. "And good eyes."
"Thanks," I said as he handed me my backpack, and wondered why that small bit of praise made me so freaking flustered. It wasn't like he'd told me that I looked hot, or he'd been as aroused as I'd been when he'd grabbed my inner thighs.
He'd simply told me I had good eyes. Good lord, I needed to get over this crush I was forming.
~~ * * * ~~
When we arrived at the airport, we purchased tickets to Naples, the closest airport to Pompeii, and I purchased a travel guidebook. There was a three-hour wait on the flight, which meant the other teams might have time to catch up to us.
Sure enough, we arrived at our gate, and there was Joel and Derron, the war heroes, and Brodie and Tesla. Brodie and Tesla were cuddled by the gate, wrapped around each other like they'd been a couple for years. As I watched, my brother leaned over and gave Tesla a long, tongue-filled kiss.
Ew.
I shot a look at my partner, and he was eying Tesla and Brodie with the same mixture of disbelief and disgust. Abby and Dean went to go find something to eat, and Liam and I found a quiet corner of the terminal and sat down with our travel guide. There were plenty of chairs, but I wanted to stretch out my legs, and I was getting used to sprawling on the airport floor to get comfortable, so I sat down against a nearby wall and stretched my legs out in front of me. Liam sat next to me on the ground, his shoulder pressing against mine.
"They're kind of ridiculous, aren't they?" I told him, and nodded at Tesla and Brodie, who were still making out and hadn't acknowledged our presence.
That's Tesla for you," Liam said, his voice wry. He glanced at me. "I can't believe you thought I was with her."
I shrugged, and thought of his hands on my inner thighs again, then shivered.
"Cold?" He looped an arm over my shoulder and pulled me close.
I'd been about to protest that I wasn't all that cold, but his arm against me felt really, really good. Comforting. Warm. Heavy and delicious. So I snuggled a bit closer and pulled out the travel guide so we could review it while we waited for the flight.
And put it away again when a cameraman was suddenly in our faces. "Katy, why don't you tell us what place you think you're at right now?"
I mentally groaned. We were sometimes dive-bombed by the cameramen who wanted us to do insta-interviews. The more footage they had, the more they could create a compelling story, I supposed. And an insta-interview usually meant that you had to get away from your partner and go quietly speak one-on-one with the camera. I'd never had one shove into my face and start interviewing me like this. Maybe it was because I was cuddled against Liam.
Good TV and all.
Damn, Liam was really good at this pretending stuff. Might as well make good TV myself. I put my hand on Liam's thigh and glanced at him, appearing to consider things. My nails scratched at his leg through his jeans, idly rubbing. "Well, there are three other teams here besides us, so we're definitely in the middle of the pack. I think that's a good thing." I squinted up at the camera. "Though I wouldn't mind if the other teams missed the flight. It sounds mean to say that, but I have to keep reminding myself that this is a race."
Liam's arm over my shoulder tightened, and I felt the muscles in his leg tense as I continued to scratch him. Then, I felt his fingers play along the edge of my shirt sleeve, brushing against my exposed skin. It sent tingles through my body.
"How do you feel about Brodie and Tesla's partnership? They seem to be dominating."
I glanced over at my brother, who was still sucking face with his partner, oblivious to the cameraman that filmed them a few short feet away. "Um, Brodie and Tesla are interesting, I guess. I was really hurt when he abandoned me, at first. But I think Liam and I are making a pretty good team." I looked up at my tall partner, whose shaggy hair was halfway in his face, covering one of his eyebrow piercings.
Liam smiled at me, that finger still teasing along my arm. "I think so."
"You two seem to be getting friendly," the cameraman prompted.
To my horror, my face turned bright red. I could feel the flush moving up my cheeks, heating them. Liam chuckled and tugged me against him, tucking my head onto his shoulder. "She's not going to answer that right now. She's too tired."
I gave the camera a yawn and snuggled closer to Liam, who made a surprisingly delicious person to rest against, and closed my eyes. I felt his fingers begin to play with one of my blonde pigtails, and I smiled to myself. Eventually, the cameraman moved on and we were left alone again.
"The coast is clear," Liam murmured. "You can wake up now."
I could. But I was suddenly exhausted and Liam was so good to lean against. I yawned again and turned my face into his neck. "Do I have to?"
I felt his laugh more than I heard it. "Nah," he said. "Take a nap. We can plot our race domination on the plane." His fingers continued to play with my ponytail, almost idly. "I'll stay awake."
And even though it wasn't fair and I should have stayed up to keep him company, he was warm and snuggly and I was so incredibly tired. Liam smelled wonderful, his neck barely brushing against my nose. I drifted off to sleep.