Page 35 of Impossible Rapids
“Julie?” Brylee questioned. “Did I forget anything? You’re the expert here.”
Shawn glanced down at her. She was the expert. At many things. Her talents, hard work ethic, loyalty, and organizational abilities never ceased to amaze him.
“I think you covered everything, but …” Julie bit her lip and looked at Shawn from under her long, dark lashes. His heart raced out of control. What was she doing to him and why was she pausing? She could run this show blindfolded and gagged. “We’d talked about the river rafting guides interviewing the participants each night about their day and their … feelings for each other.”
Oh, wow. His heart slammed against his rib cage. He could not reveal his feelings about Julie to Cash or Brylee while they interviewed him. The only positive he could see about this week being recorded was he would be able to go in and delete anything he needed to. Still, it was much better to hold his tongue. Luckily, he was an expert at that. He’d learned the skill as a young child and perfected it over the years.
“Oh, yay! I did forget that part, and that’s my favorite. Cash gets to interview Shawn alone and I get to interview you. Get the … insights.” She winked as if they were madly in love. Shawn was, but he wouldn’t tell Cash that. He did relax a bit. Cash was a stoic military stud. He wouldn’t be prying Shawn’s ‘feelings’ out of him.
“All right,” Cash said. “Let’s gear up and head out. Brylee has all your clothes and supplies in the dry bag or waiting with the tents at each camp. Do either of you need to put anything in the dry bag?”
“Just my phone.” Shawn handed it over. It wasn’t traditional to the other shows, but he was going to check in on Franz, Wallace, and Franz’s assistant Nadine each night, make certain everything was good with his father-in-law and on the legal and business fronts.
“Julie?” Brylee questioned. “Is your one personal item waterproof?”
Julie nodded and covered her wrist with her other hand. That was odd. What was her one personal item? He’d forgotten that Julie and Mercedes had schemed that detail for the ladies. They kept gushing about how each item had played into the show and the couple’s love story so beautifully.
They walked together down to the rafts where the wetsuits, boots, and other gear were waiting. Their four guards—Hays, Paul, Brett, and Theo—followed and angled for the second raft, set back out of the camera’s view.
“What’s your personal item?” he whispered to Julie as they walked side by side.
She glanced up at him as if debating if she would tell him, then lifted her wrist.
WOMAN UP, BABY!
Shawn gave a short laugh of surprise. What a great memory and how like Julie to make him laugh and feel like he was a thoughtful guy. He forgot the world around them and touched the skin of her wrist next to the brightly colored woven bracelet. She sucked in a breath and met his gaze.
“This is what you wanted with you above anything else in the world?” he asked, his voice so low and husky he hardly recognized it.
Her eyes flickered with a warmth and desire that he imagined was directed at him. What if he was what she wanted?
“I wanted to remind myself why I’m doing this.”
Shawn’s heart beat out of control. He’d bought her that bracelet. Could she be doing this week for him?
He almost reached for her.
“For Mercedes,” she said. Then her gaze grew cooler. “Which is why you’re here, right? Everything you’ve done the past four years has been for Mercedes.”
“And Franz and Grayson,” he said, his hopes disappearing. He wished he could counteract what she’d said, but how could he? He had lived for Mercedes, but not as a lover like she and the rest of the world assumed.
The burden of being a billionaire, protecting Franz, Grayson, and Mercedes’s family legacy wasn’t something he’d ever asked for. It was heavy, but he’d bear it. Even having a target on his back and knowing he might die young didn’t give him much stress. Not being able to tell Julie the truth about his and Mercedes’s relationship, hold her close, and beg her to stand by his side, support and love each other, bothered him. It bothered him immensely.
“We need to get ready,” Julie said.
He’d forgotten they weren’t alone. He followed her down to the rafts where they stripped down to their swimsuits. He tried diligently not to look as Julie shimmied into the full-length wetsuit, but seeing her in a one-piece blue swimsuit that outlined her curves made his mouth dry. He’d seen her in swimsuits often, as he and Mercedes had always tried to get her to come along on their trips or adventures. The times she’d agreed had been some of the highlights of his life. Like the day they’d done the paragliding in Yelapa and he’d bought them the ‘Woman Up, Baby’ bracelets.
He struggled into the full-length wetsuit and wetsuit boots, noticing Julie checking out his chest and shoulders a few times. He had to resist preening, but it was impossible for his arm muscles not to flex as he worked the wetsuit up his legs and into place.
It was a beautiful sunny day, so he opted for no outer jacket. Cash stored it in the bag for him.
They clipped on their life jackets, turned on their GoPro cameras strapped on their heads, and then climbed into the raft—Shawn in the back as the guide with the double paddles, Cash on the right, and the ladies doubled up on the left side. Shawn had a seat, his feet firmly planted in the back of the rubber raft. Cash was opposite Brylee and Julie up front, one seat empty as it was a five-man raft. The weight was balanced with Brylee and Julie’s combined weight barely equaling Cash’s.
They eased out into the current, and Shawn immediately felt the pressure in his chest ease and a heady sensation go through him. He was on the water. In or on rivers, oceans, and lakes, he truly felt the media’s title for him of Viking Warrior fit. This was his element.
He worked with the ladies on rowing, explaining the different commands he’d call out, and how to ride through the rapids. The first few days would be pretty relaxed, but days four and five they’d see class four and class five rapids that were intense, sometimes causing injury or death. He didn’t want Julie in danger. Which only reaffirmed he’d have to keep his distance around the media or anyone who might report back to Lucas and Arianna about him.
As the current increased and their first section of rapids appeared, he called, “Paddle forward, all.”