Page 58 of Slay Ride

“Yeah, but almost ten minutes in subzero temps is nothing to sniff at,” I say, piling on the lie.

“How about a rematch?” Eve says with a laugh. “The challenge today is similar.”

“How similar?” Bennett and I ask in unison. I surmise we both have the same fear, which is that we’re about to be outed for our fibs. Neither of us can stand the cold for more than a few seconds, let alone minutes at a time.

“It’s a twist on the polar bear plunge,” Maverick says as the waiters begin to remove our plates. I didn’t even realize he was seated at our table. “I came up with the idea, and Jim and Ezra ran with it. The storm wasn’t as severe as expected, so we’ll be headed to?—”

Ezra dabs his mouth with a napkin. “Don’t tell them everything. I want some of it to be a surprise, especially if we’re up against two people who suddenly have a penchant for cold weather.”

Bennett’s hand finds mine under the table and gives my fingers a reassuring squeeze. Or maybe it’s supposed to be a punishing squeeze, because he’s really bearing down.

“Sounds fun,” he says with the most forced smile I’ve ever seen. “Oh, look! Cream pie for dessert. Isn’t that your favorite, Cat?”

I snatch my hand from his and end up bumping it on the table. With tears brimming in my eyes as I swallow the pain, I manage to say, “How should we dress for this...event?”

“Dress however you’d like for the ride in, but wear a swimsuit underneath everything,” Maverick says.

A swimsuit. In this weather?

I should have let myself choke on the lamb.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Bennett

As I pull a pair of jeans over my swim trunks, I hear a gentle knock at my door. It’s too timid to be anyone other than Cat. Fastening the button, I walk to the door and open it to find her looking up at me like a wild animal caught in a trap. She glances down the hall, then pushes past me and hurries to close the door.

“This was a terrible idea,” she says as she begins pacing. “The whole time I was getting dressed, that’s all I could think. This is the worst thing we could do.”

“Then we’d better do it quickly before anyone comes looking for us.” I move closer to her, but her hands spring upward and land on my bare chest.

“No, not the fucking, though that’s horrible too. I mean partnering up.”

“I don’t think we have enough time to fuck, anyway.” I dip my head and run circles on her neck with my tongue.

“You only needed fifteen seconds last time,” she says on a breathy moan. “Do you really think this is a good idea?”

“Fucking you is always a bad idea, but I want to do it anyway.”

“No, not that!” She swats my chest and glares up at me. “You seriously have a one-track mind. Focus! I mean us partnering up on this activity. What if you slip up and call me kitten?”

I smirk against her skin. “Then you’d better cover for me and pretend to be angry instead of turned on.”

Her body relaxes for a split second before she stiffens and steps away from me. “I’m being serious, asshole. Stop trying to overpower my anxiety with yourcock.”

“Was it working?”

She huffs and looks down at her feet. “Yes.”

I chuckle and go to the closet to retrieve the rest of my ensemble. The Henley was too thin for whatever hell they’re about to put us through, so I pull a thick sweater from the depths. I also grab both coats I brought.

“Here, put this on,” I say as I toss the better of the two to her.

She catches it, then studies it like it’s a bomb. “Why? I have a coat.”

“A cheap coat that won’t do shit to bring up your body temp once you need to warm up again. Just wear the coat I offered and say thank you.”

“Not all of us can afford name brand, jerk.” She tears herself out of her fluffy pink coat and slides into the earth tones that will actually keep her comfortable. “This is pretty warm, though. Thanks.”

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