A Date for the Hunt (The Dating 4) - Page 24

“This feels so good.”

“It does. I can’t believe how hot it was out there today.”

“I can’t believe we couldn’t swim in the ocean,” she says. “Don’t get me wrong, the natural pool was awesome. At least we got to cool off there, but it would’ve been nice to swim during our stops in the park. They better give us a snorkeling trip.”

“Give your sister a list of places we want to visit and things we want to.”

“That’s a great idea,” she says through laughter. “I should get preferential treatment, especially since—” her eyes drop from mine.

“Since you were stuck with me?”

“No, I wasn’t going to say that.” But she was. I can see it in her eyes. I should laugh it off and act like it doesn’t bother me, but it does. Clearly, I’m not doing enough to show her how sorry I am for what a jerk I was in high school. Thing is, I never meant to be a jerk. It was just anytime I was around her, I was a dumb jock and didn’t know how to act or stand on my own two feet.

“I’ll meet you at dinner,” I tell her as I walk away. Instead of heading toward the elevators I veer off toward the bar. The thought of staying in there until dinner is appealing, but I want to take a cold shower and try and put some negative thoughts behind me. I find the stairs and take them two at a time until I reach my floor. Thankfully, the door is close to my room and I don’t have to sneak by Allison’s room to reach mine. I’d like to think she’s standing at her door, staring out the peep hole and waiting for me to walk by.

Back in my room, I go right into the bathroom and strip down. I don’t bother looking in the mirror to see my temporary tattoo as turn the shower on and step in. The cold is a shock to my system but a welcome one. I stand there, letting the water rain down on me, numbing my thoughts. By the time I shut the shower off, my teeth are chattering. Of course, it doesn’t help that the air conditioner has kept my room at a cool sixty-five degrees. Instead of dressing, I crawl into bed, set an alarm and doze off. I need some sleep and a fresh mind if I’m going to make it through dinner.

When my alarm goes off, I’m in a foul mood. I didn’t sleep well and could never fully fall asleep. Each time I closed my eyes, visions of Allison filled my mind. I hate the way I left things and I should’ve played the whole thing off. But I didn’t and now I’m paying for it.

Once I’m dressed, I make my way to the dining hall. This is the only time the cameras are off, which I’m thankful for. Allison is already sitting, and I make my way to her. She’s wearing a white dress, her hair is curled and pinned off to the side. I officially hate her make-up team because they’re making her look irresistible. I suppose that means they’re doing their job.

“Once again, you look beautiful,” I tell her as I sit down.

“Thank you. Is everything okay?” she asks in a hushed tone.

“Yeah, I needed a nap. I get cranky when I’m tired.”

She laughs. “Me too, although I couldn’t sleep. I kept thinking about what I said . . . well, almost said. I didn’t mean it, Hudson. I’m really enjoying our time together.”

“Me too.” I reach for the box in front of me and shake it. “What’s this?”

“I’m not sure. Each couple has one.”

When the servers arrive with our dinner, I put the box down and dig in. Allie and I make small talk until Ryan enters the room. He stands at edge of the room and taps a fork against his glass.

“Gentlemen, nothing is as it seems. Each of you have a box. Inside the box is an opportunity, a chance to switch things up. The question before you is this—do you want to stay with your match or swap? If you want to swap, open your box now.”

What the actual fuck?

The room is quiet.

The women look pissed.

And the men are confused.

8

Allison

There’s a box on the table that has me nervous, but I try to ignore it. Each couple has one on their table, but nobody else opens theirs. From what I can see, everyone is curious about it. Hudson and I talk about our Jeep tour and how much fun we had. I’m starting to really enjoy being around him, but I can’t help but feel like something’s about to happen. We’re on a reality TV show. Everyone knows there’s going to be some kind of drama mixed in at some point.

Tags: Heidi McLaughlin The Dating Romance
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