Page 102 of The Protégé

Grinning, I imagined the image, and it made me feel a little better. “Sometimes you have to draw a clear line for the bully. I’m not dismissing her attack. Let’s stop talking about her. I need to release some tension.”

His eyes sparked, thinking about something entirely different. However, I wasn’t in the mood for anything sexual.

I needed to sweat off this irritation.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

ORION

We belongedto a group of twenty competitors, including Chantel and Sabrina. It was a five-mile course with obstacles like the Crazy Block Maze, Pyramid Net, Cage Crawl, and Cry Baby. The ten-mile course was on the other end of The Mudstacle Course. Thank God, Elena chose the smaller course.

“You think you can make it?” Elena looked up at me. The tight tank and shorts were like a second skin on her fabulous body.

I was grateful she’d gotten me shorts that kept the mud from attacking my dick.

“It’s a team effort. Everyone’s supposed to help each other finish the race. Water and snacks are available at various posts along the way. You good?”

“Never been better.” I glared at the mud. “What’s in the mud?”

Laughing, she shrugged. “Dirt and water? I don’t know.”

“Gross.” I winced.

“Just get dirty this once for me, okay, preppy boy? Think of mud as a luxury. Soil is crucial for life. Without it, plant life won’t exist. Think of it that way.”

I snorted. “I can’t see mud like that, Sunshine. Not gonna happen.”

As we approached the Crazy Block Maze, Chantel and Sabrina did too, but they stood on the opposite end.

I didn’t know how much Elena had to deal with until today. Not only was she carrying the weight of her father’s debt, she was also dealing with toxic people at work. Despite that, she didn’t stop researching a family friend’s death or helping me with The Condor’s investigation. She did all of this with a smile. However, underneath that smile were layers of anxiety. Unlike me, she wasn’t trapped by it. At least not in the same way.

Perhaps this was why I was attracted to her from the beginning. She wasn’t affected by the monster who had gripped me for so long. What was her secret?

“Mud race!” Elena cheered with everyone.

I flicked a glance at the bright sky, wondering if God was being sarcastic. I’d watched several videos on mud racing from around the country. Why would people want to get dirty like this? How long would it take me to clean myself? My dick would be covered with mud, reminding me of chocolate sauce hardening over ice cream. Why the fuck was I even comparing my dick to that?

Obviously, I was out of my element. I didn’t know how to act at this event. My initial reaction was staring at the pool of mud and trying to calm my nerves. My skin trembled from the impending grossness.

Over the years I’d taken all kinds of extracurricular activities that had gotten me dirty and sweaty, but none of them had gotten me this dirty.

Elena had lured me here. She wanted to do this withme, and even though I’d prefer any other physical activity like fencing, archery, or even the slingshot, I came here for her. To learn more about her.

I turned to look at her, and excitement and irritation splashed on her expression. Determination gleamed through her eyes.

James, the announcer, gave a brief speech about the rules. This race differed from others in that everybody won as long as they finished the race. There was no gold medal waiting for us at the finish line.

“You’ll earn the magnificent feeling of accomplishment—of working together,” James said. “To get through the muck is a victory worth celebrating.”

I wrapped an arm around her. “Ready for victory?”

“Always.” She smiled.

When the horn blew, we all ran into the pool of mud. I was right behind Elena as the mud engulfed us. It was fucking gross. The cool mud covered my legs as we tried our best to trudge to the next obstacle. When we finally emerged from the nasty pool, I slipped once, got up, and saw Elena had fallen on her ass.

I bent down to help her up and slipped again. She roared with laughter, pulling me up.

The guy in front of me also slipped, but when he got up, his mud-strewn shorts were halfway down his ass. Fuck, I didn’t need to see that horror of a butt crack.

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