Page 9 of Hating the Book Boyfriend

She clasps her bag, and her eyes find mine, her expression bemused when she asks, "Are you feeling okay?"

"What?" I throw back exasperatedly, still stuck on the fact that she's even considering this.

"You must have lost your mind if you think you can tell me what to do. You're not my brother. Hell, you're not even a friend." That last line stings more than it should, but I've earned that from her. Then, swiping up the key card, she flashes it at me and adds, "Plus, I have a key now, so you can't blackmail me out of it." She tosses her bag over her shoulder. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a polar plunge to win."

I quickly flip open my wallet and hand the waiter my card. "Close my tab. I'll be back for my card," I say before rounding the table to catch up to her. "Josephine, wait up." I don't know why I even bothered to call after her. I knew she wouldn't wait. She continues down the hallway, but I've caught up. "Slow down, track star. I could have rephrased what I said back there, but I haven't lost my mind. If anyone's sanity is to be questioned, it's yours. You're the one who wants to jump into ice water in twenty-degree weather."

She stops dead in her tracks, catching me off guard, and I bump into her before reaching out to grab her arm, ensuring I don't take her out. "If this is supposed to be an apology, you're doing a crap job at it, and I don't need it." She shrugs my arm off hers with a scowl. "Just go back to the room, Colton. You don't have to watch. I have a key, and I can let myself in. This is actually perfect. You didn't want me in your space to begin with. For the next hour or so, I won't be." Before I have a chance to respond, she's turning on her heel.

"That's not happening," I say, following after her. "I can't, in good conscience, go back to the room knowing you're down here being completely reckless. Your brother would kill me if he knew I were here and let you get hurt, and I'd never forgive myself."

She pushes through the double doors to the courtyard, and the cold air immediately chills my entire body. It's cold as fuck out here. I forgot how cold Colorado can get, and it's not evenwinter yet. "Better watch it, Callahan. You're starting to sound like you give a fuck, and we both know that's not true."

I should let it go, but I can't. I snag the sleeve of her coat. Her face snaps to mine, annoyance written all over it. "Hate is a feeling, too. Just because we don't talk doesn't mean I don't care."

Her eyes hold mine for seconds, long enough to make my stomach subtly twist with the thinly veiled truth I just laid at her feet. For the short moments, it feels like she sees things that I can't even articulate, for they are things I've never felt, and she is the last person I should feel them from. However, knowing I shouldn't want them doesn't change that I think I do. If anything, it makes me want it more, especially if it means those pretty eyes stay on mine a little longer.

"You sound like you need a therapist." A loud voice can be heard in the distance, and she turns toward the sound. "I don't have time for whatever this is. It feels like a distraction." Once again, she starts to walk. "If you want to care, be my guest, but you can do it as an onlooker because you can't stop me."

I don't say anymore as I follow her to the event location. It's already taking every ounce of restraint I have not to haul her over my shoulder and carry her back to the room, and all the words I want to give her would only garner more hate or unravel all that I've built. Neither are doors I'm interested in opening.

When I see the spot everyone is gathered around, all I can think is, this has to be one big lawsuit waiting to happen. People are congregating around the water feature in the center of the courtyard. It runs the length of the west wing. It can't be more than three or four feet deep, but it is part of the hotel's property. I can't believe management hasn't shut it down. The majority of the crowd is made up of women, most of whom have their phones pulled out. That's when I see who they're aimed at. Aman is standing on the stone ledge above the water dressed in a dark velvet blue cloak.

"Can you believe it's really him?" I hear someone say.

"I'd let Sandman do more than put me to sleep," another girl quips. I can't help but look on, completely mystified. You can't even see the guy's face. How could she possibly know that she wants that?

"Josephine, have you heard of this guy?" I ask, only to look to my left and see she's gone. Shit.

CHAPTER 6

JoJo

I'm just getting ready to sign the liability waiver when it's suddenly snatched from under my pen. I don't even need to look to know who the thief is. "Colton, give it back," I grind out, annoyed.

"I need to ensure you're not signing your life away."

I steal it back. "It doesn't matter what it says. I'm signing it regardless. Besides, I wouldn't sue someone for an activity I willingly subjected myself to. I know the risks."

I quickly sign it before he can take it back or argue it further. Nothing he can say can change my mind. Three grand would definitely help me pay a lot of bills, and I feel confident this is one competition I can win. Most of the people here are from the book convention. It's not like I'm surrounded by athletes who have trained for this type of competition. I just have to stay in the water the longest.

"Okay, that's it. Contestants line up," Sandman yells over the crowd, and I head to where he's standing beside the sunken water feature that snakes through the back courtyard. It can't be more than four feet deep, winding through the patio and thegardens. An assistant is setting out ten towels along a section of the shallow moat-like feature. "The challenge is simple: whoever remains in the water the longest walks away with three thousand dollars in cash. All contestants must strip down to their clothes. No coats or jackets. When you signed the waiver, you also agreed to be filmed. This entire contest will be shared across all my social media pages."

A few of the contestants start stripping down to more than just their clothes, and I can't help but roll my eyes. Romance readers go crazy for Sandman. Freddie Krueger haunted our nightmares for decades, killing you in your dreams and reality. Sandman haunts your fantasies, bringing them to life in your dreamscape and reality. I'll admit the premise is alluring. It's similar to what the girls and I are attempting to do with the BBB: bring our book boyfriends to life. That being said, I'm not into the mask thing. Sure, Sandman clearly works out. He sports the cloak with no t-shirt, just ripped abs, but I need more. What if he has terrible teeth or beady eyes? Those would be deal breakers for me. Once I've removed my coat and piled my things next to my spot, I look up to wait for more instruction only to find Colton standing beside Sandman, clearly in some type of heated conversation. Colton is gesturing with his hand toward the water and Sandman is rubbing his jaw. I swear he better not fuck this up for me. I'll be pissed if this thing gets called off, and I don't have a shot at winning that money. It's just like Colton Callahan to turn my plans to shit.

I close my eyes and try to start prepping for what's coming. One of the most complex parts of plunging is the mental piece. You have to accept that you will be uncomfortable for a minute, but it will be short-lived. The benefits afterward will outweigh the temporary discomfort that your body can handle. Considering some of these women are de-robing to their underwear tells me at least four of them are in this for anotherreason: to gain Sandman's eye. They will be in and out before I even settle into the water.

Hands grip my shoulders from behind. "Are you ready?" Colton asks.

"Why can't you just leave me alone? Yesterday, you wouldn't even share a room with me. Now you're like a gnat I can't squash. I really don't need any support from you, moral or otherwise, if you haven't noticed."

"Last call. If you don't think you can handle the challenge, you may step away from the edge. Otherwise, the countdown and filming will begin in ten seconds."

I start slipping my shoes off, knowing I'll want them dry when I get out when Colton's coat lands atop my pile of belongings.

"Why are you…" I slightly turn and catch him slipping off his shoes. "No, no, no, you are not ruining this for me, Callahan."

"You're right. I'm not," he says, stepping close to my back. "I'm helping."

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