Page 71 of False Start

“Thrilling.”

“The fun never stops.”

TWENTY-THREE

KIT

I squintedat the brochure in my hand, catching rays of light from an overhead streetlamp as Trent pulled me toward the bus. “Are you sure we’re on standby?”

He stopped his charge, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. “Alright, Imighthave made that up. The guy on the phone said to show up and see if anyone bailed.”

A line of people stood in line to board the bus, Team Hasbro, Barbie, and Sugar Babies among them.

“There’s got to be an empty seat.” Trent grabbed my hand, crumpling the brochure and pulling me toward the bus.

Truth be told, I wanted an early night in. If the first two nights days of the rally hadn’t drained my social battery, the kiss had pushed me over the edge. But Trent still wanted to win, even with no reservations and a mandatory extra stop in the morning.

“Hey, we forgot to book tickets. Can we pay here?” Trent asked the man standing at the entrance to the bus.

I tilted my head back. The threatening clouds overhead would present a problem if we didn’t get onboard. We’d parked at the hotel, a solid half-mile trudge that Trent turned into an all-out sprint to make the tour on time. My feet ached and sweat dotted my brow.

“We’re pretty full.” The man craned his head back into the bus.

“You can fit two more, though, right?” Trent asked hopefully. And in case that didn’t work, Trent already had his hand on his back pocket, fishing out his wallet.

“We’ve got the row in the back,” the driver said, eyes lighting up once he spotted the bills.

Thunder clapped overhead, and I winced. I should have grabbed an umbrella. A poncho. But my mind had been on dinner and the promise of some distance from Trent. Somewhere his scent wouldn’t linger in the air and his presence wouldn’t be around, reminding me of the kiss.

“A row in the back!” Trent exclaimed, green eyes and lopsided smile aimed at me. “See, I told you.”

The guy in front grimaced. “Only one side. They took out the seat on the left to make room for props.”

“We can fit in one seat.” Trent wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me in close. “We don’t mind.”

“He doesn’t mind.” This tour got worse by the minute. Not only would I not have a warm meal until almost midnight, but I’d be sardined beside Trent on a bench seat.

“It’s a little more than cozy.” The man frowned, sizing up Trent.

Trent slapped the bills into his hand. “We’ll be fine. Come on, Kitten.”

Trent dragged me onto the bus. He greeted each team, ignoring the annoyed looks, stalling at the back seat.

“Damn,” Trent frowned. “Definitely more than a little cozy.”

Before I could get a look, Trent sat down, taking up the entire bench. He patted his lap.

“No. Absolutely not.” I scanned the opposite side, but, sure enough, the bench opposite was gone, replaced with large black plastic containers stacked four high and strapped to the wall.

Trent patted his lap again with a grin. “Come on. It’s not so bad. Hell, we’re practically sitting this close in the car.”

My cheeks burned as I blew out a breath. “How about I go back to the hotel and you represent our team for this task?”

He shook his head, a sly grin on his face. “No can do. Didn’t you read the rules? The entire team has to participate to get points.”

Outside, the sky opened up, dumping water onto the city streets. The man standing outside hurried onto the bus, sliding into the only remaining empty seat.

“Is this even legal?” I hissed. “You just bribed that man into letting us on the tour.”

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