Page 23 of Not You Again
He gives me a smile that says he knows. He never forgot my competitive streak. This really is unfair.
“Let’s do this thing!” Patrick whoops, sending Kendra into a fit of giggles. I already have them pegged for the losers; we haven’t even started and they’re already unfocused.
Jamie steps up to the tower to go first, testing the blocks by tapping. Kit asks him, “Is Leslie going to join us?”
Jamie presses his lips together in a grimace and shakes his head. He pulls an easy block from the middle, only a few rows down from the top. “He says he’s not feeling well. Something he ate.” Jamie places the block on top of the tower with a look that says he doesn’t think Leslie is actually sick.
My heart lurches against my rib cage. Jamie and Leslie had been full of heart eyes since the wedding day. If they’re having trouble already, Kit and I don’t stand a chance.
Which is a good thing. Right.
We all take our turns for the first rounds without incident. By round three, Kit leans over and whispers, “Find an easy block on the right, then place it on the left up top. And push, don’t pull.”
I walk toward the tower, ignoring the shiver at how filthy push, don’t pull sounds coming out of Kit’s mouth when he’s focused. With his instructions, my next few turns go smoothly. On one of his, he pulls a move I’ve never seen before: bracing the tower with his forearm as he shimmies a block free. It gives me too long to look at the map of veins under his skin, to admire the sun filtering through the hair on his arm. It’s downright erotic, and we’re in public. On camera, for fuck’s sake.
On Kendra’s next turn, the tower almost tumbles. We all wait for it to settle with bated breath. Who knew a game of Jenga could be so intense?
Kit. Kit clearly did. While Jamie works another block loose, Kit murmurs in my ear, “Hinge one of the side blocks out. Find a smaller one.”
His warm breath unfurls over the skin of my neck, falling down my collarbone. It’s a surprisingly intimate gesture. When I look over my shoulder to see if he’s trying to be so sensual, his eyes are locked on the tower and a frown pulls at his mouth. Strategy for the game, that’s all his whispers are.
I shake it off as I approach the tower, testing blocks. It takes a while to find a good one, poolside. Okay. Go time.
I bite my lip and move ever so slowly to tug the block from the tower. I sew thousands of minuscule beads onto delicate fabrics, my hands are as steady as they come. Call me Captain Fine Motor Skills.
The group holds their breaths along with me, including Kit. I’ve absorbed his quiet guidance the entire game, and this time it’s definitely going to pay off.
The block catches and I let it go. The tower sways as Kendra squeals, clasping her hands in front of her chest. Kit doesn’t say anything, but I can feel him behind me, watching intensely. His gaze makes my skin vibrate with electricity, and I shake out my hands to rid them of the sensation before I try again.
The wood is rough against the pads of my fingers, and I use the friction to gently pull. One deep breath at a time.
The block is stubborn, so I give it a small shimmy back and forth. The tower sways over my head again, and I redouble my focus. It’s just a little physics problem, that’s all. Slow and steady wins the race.
I let out a breath when I manage to free enough of the block to regrip. As I give it a gentle tug, the whole tower quivers, leaning further over me.
Fuck. No.
The blocks reach their tipping point, and I cover my head to keep from getting clobbered.
Before I can catch my breath, an arm wraps around my waist and pulls me backward. I gasp at the collision of my back into Kit’s warm, naked chest. He grunts as our legs tangle from the momentum.
Suddenly we’ve reached our tipping point, and his grip on me gets tighter as we fall backward. My stomach plummets with the give into gravity, and I brace for a landing on the warm pool deck, gritting my teeth.
But it never comes. Instead, it’s a tidal wave of chlorinated water as Kit breaks our fall into the pool. For a moment I can’t breathe and the world is upside down. A block tumbles through the water and smacks me on the shoulder. It’s not enough to hurt, but definitely enough to shock me into swallowing a mouthful of water.
Kit’s hands are rough on my waist, pushing me to the surface. I burst out of the water and gasp for air. I’m sputtering and choking out what I swallowed when Kit pops up next to me.
Cassidy is swearing in the background, barking at a junior producer. “Fuck, the mics!”
But that all fades into the background as Kit hooks an arm around my waist and pulls me into him, using his other hand to push my water-laden hair out of my face. Fingers lingering on my cheek, he asks, “You okay?”
“No.” I shake my head. “That tower shouldn’t have fallen over. I chose the right bock to—”
Kit throws his head back and laughs. His skin glides along mine underwater and the vibrations of his guffaws hit me square between the legs.
Frustrated with the betrayal of my body, I splash him. “Dammit, Kit, this isn’t funny; we should have won!”
He wipes the water from his face and gives me an ear-splitting grin. “I told you to push.”