Even as the cool air brought relief to my skin, I couldn’t imaginerunning,or hiding, while wearing the uncomfortable trash bag. “I need to go change. This is making my skin crawl.”
“No,” he snapped.
I whipped around, glaring at him. “Max, come on. Don’t be an ass.”
He leaned forward, a wolfish grin curving his lips.
My temper flared even as my core tightened. No matter how my feelings for him had grown, no matter how much I wanted him, I’dalwayswant to smack that look off his face.
“We all make choices, Quinn. And we have to live with them. You don’t want the consequences of yours?” He stared me down, punctuating each word as he said it. “Make. Better. Choices. Be smart, instead of reckless.”
“I’m sorry, but this coming from the guy who recently declared his longtime love for Vivian?”
I snorted, although a part of me had to admit he was right about my rash behavior. The part that wanted to rip the jumpsuit off my body and dive into the lake.
“Forgive me if I don’t rush to take your advice, Max.”
He remained impassive, his eyes flicking down to his watch. “You have two minutes.”
I didn’t budge.
“Oh, and if you lose, you wear that again tomorrow.”
My jaw dropped. Indignation rising, I glared at him and stomped toward the tree line. My outfit squeaked and rustled with every step I took, so it was useless in more ways than one. And I couldn’t get rid of the sensation making my skin burn, no matter how much air I forced inside it.
When I reached the trees, I glanced back at Max.
He had his eyes trained on me, and even though he tried to act surly about it, he couldn’t fool me as he tapped his wrist and feigned indifference. “Sixty seconds.”
I stared at the woods and reluctantly trudged into them.
While broadcasting my every move, my discomfort peaked. I ducked behind a fallen log, the first place he’d look, before pushing to my feet to search for a better place to hide.
I tried to think.
Max had to suspect that we’d go straight in and do what I just did, so I needed to do something he wouldn’t expect.
I needed to outsmart him.
Replaying his instructions, I searched for a loophole.
He’d said I had to run into the forest wearing the outfit. He hadn’t said I needed to stay in the forest.
Orthe outfit.
When I heard him call out, announcing hishunthad begun, I ran at a diagonal for where the trees met the lake.
As soon as I reached the edge of the forest, his footsteps trudged through the brush, alerting me he grew closer, but unless my ears were deceiving me, he was still in the center.
That changed the second I took another step, and the trash bag I had on crinkled.
“Fuck this.”
I ripped the damn thing off, leaving it in a crumpled ball at my feet as I stepped out of it.
Then I walked straight into the lake.
The itchy sensation on my skin eased, and I tried to wade slowly, hoping to splash as little as possible.
