“I love you,” he said, his voice filled with emotion.
“I love you too,” I replied.
The towel and his boxers were discarded, not out of haste or lust, but out of a need to be closer, to feel each other’s skin, toreconnect on a deeper level. We took our time, exploring each other’s bodies with gentle touches and soft kisses, rediscovering the familiar terrain that had been neglected for too long.
In that moment, we were not just two men in their mid-forties with a troubled past. We were lovers, rekindling a flame that had never truly gone out. The room filled with the soft sounds of our lovemaking, a symphony of whispered endearments and shared breaths.
As we moved together, the world outside faded away. There was only us, only this moment, only the love that had brought us together and kept us together for so many years.
Afterward, we lay entwined, our bodies slick with sweat, our hearts beating in sync. Ray’s arm was draped over my chest, his head resting on my shoulder. I could feel his breath, warm and steady, against my skin.
“Thank you,” he murmured, his voice filled with gratitude.
“For what?” I asked, my fingers tracing lazy patterns on his back.
“For giving us another chance,” he said, looking up at me with eyes filled with love and hope.
It was a little extra benefit to being the only married couple left in the race. The gay couple weren’t lovers, just friends. Adrienne and Fletcher were both Mormons, and they’d pledged not to have sex until after they were married.
I’d seen the sorority sisters eying the male models hungrily, but the models were more interested in themselves than they were in the sisters. Alex and Ross been focusing on the race, coming in within the top five on every leg, with Gemini and Blaine before or after them.
After Ray dozed off, I lay there for a few minutes. We'd been more physically affectionate during the race than we had in months back home—holding hands, quick kisses, supportive touches—but this felt like a real reconnection.
The next morning we were already awake when Zoe knocked on our door to remind us we were due on camera soon. The real world was reasserting itself, reminding us that we were still in a race, still being filmed, still performing our reconciliation for an audience we couldn’t see.
“Ready to show them what we’re made of?” Ray asked, shouldering his backpack.
I nodded, feeling a surge of the competitive spirit that had brought Ray and me together in the first place. “Let’s make them eat our dust.”
Chapter 24
Under Pressure
As we assembled in front of Julie, the sun had just risen over the jungle next to the hotel, and mist hovered over the mountains around us. We were lined up in the order we’d arrived at the Stop’n’Go the night before, with Adrienne and Fletcher in first. They stood at attention in their purple shirts, looking like they were preparing for a deployment rather than a race leg. Alex and Ross were doing synchronized stretches in their bright yellow gear, their movements coordinated from years of runway work.
Gemini and Blaine whispered strategy in their matching burgundy shirts. We were next, followed by George and Ernie, who looked relaxed in their orange shirts, sharing another energy bar. The gay friends, Tyler and Brandon, bounced nervously in their turquoise gear, while the influencers, Zara and Maddox, in navy blue, documented everything with their phones despite the early hour.
As each team ahead of us left, they were filmed reading their direction cards, but out of our hearing so we wouldn’t know what was coming. When it was our turn, I ripped open the envelope and read “Warning: Double Drop Ahead," and my heart jumped.That meant two teams would be eliminated at the conclusion of the leg.
“Take one of the waiting taxis to the airport and book yourselves to Nice, France.”
We ran to the next taxi. “Simon Bolivar airport,por favor,” Ray said to the driver. We both hopped into the back seat, while Cody slid in beside the driver. That way he could film the road ahead as well as look back at us when we spoke.
start here It was a relief to let someone else navigate those twisty, narrow mountain roads, and Ray leaned forward and asked if we could borrow the driver’s cell phone. He used it to access the internet, which got better as we got closer to Caracas. “We have two choices for flights,” Ray said. “Through Paris or through Madrid. The Madrid connection leaves an hour earlier and gets to Nice two hours earlier.”
“Then we want Madrid,” I said.
Unfortunately, a car ran a red light as we neared the airport, and crashed into a small bus loaded with people and animals. “We could be here all day,” Ray said as our driver had to stop. He peered out the window. “It’s only a half mile to the terminal. Let’s make a run for it.”
He looked at me. “If you’re OK with that.”
“Right behind you, lover,” I said. We shouldered our backpacks and took off along the side of the road, past squawking chickens and the women chasing them. Cody was right behind us.
By the time we reached the terminal, the Madrid flight was full and we had to book the Paris one. The Paris-Nice flight would put us two hours behind the teams on the Madrid flight.
"Damn," Ray muttered as the clerk booked our tickets. "We're going to be behind from the start."
Behind us, I saw the Tyler and Brandon looking equally frustrated as they realized they'd missed the early flight.Cherisse and Desiree were already at the Paris counter, apparently in the same situation.
