Chapter 3

On the set of Heartbeat Adventure.

I wore a full face of glam and a polished, professional smile, cursing Ethan a million times over in my head.

This show was the hottest outdoor competition reality series around, notorious for sadistic challenges and mercilessly pranking its celebrity cast.

And Ethan and I were assigned to the exact same team.

The producers claimed it was to ramp up dramatic tension and entertainment value.

If you asked me, it was just ramping up the ways I could die of embarrassment.

Ethan stood right across from me. He managed to make a basic athletic track jacket look like bespoke high fashion.

The moment the camera swung his way, he flashed an impeccably warm, charming smile, sending the fans in the crowd into shrieking fits.

"Fake. So ridiculously fake," I muttered under my breath.

He seemed to catch it. His gaze drifted lazily over, lingering on my face for a heartbeat.

A sudden chill ran down my spine. Why did I feel like a target locked in someone's crosshairs?

The first game was the Mystery Touch Box.

I had to be blindfolded and reach into mystery boxes to retrieve specific items while Ethan gave directions.

Bracing myself, I shoved my hand into the first container. A slimy, squishy, gelatinous texture brushed against my skin, and I screeched, instantly yanking my hand back.

"What—what is that?!"

A trace of suppressed laughter colored Ethan's voice. "Looks like... soaked sea cucumber."

I hated invertebrates more than anything on earth.

"Ethan Vance, you did that on purpose!" I hissed under my breath.

He put on an innocent face and spoke into his mic: "Summer seems a bit scared. Let me take this one."

With that, he stepped smoothly to my side, reached in, and pulled out the sea cucumber with crisp, effortless efficiency.

A chorus of swooning sighs—"So hot!" "Such a gentleman!"—rippled through the studio.

Only I knew that when he leaned in close, he whispered at a volume meant strictly for the two of us:

"Such a scaredy-cat, yet you dared to sign up for an adventure show?"

My teeth ached from grinding them, but I had to keep smiling. "Thank you, Mr. Vance."

For the second box, my fingers brushed against something fuzzy that actually wriggled, and I jumped back with another yelp.

Once again, Ethan stepped in as the hero, pulling out a giant fake tarantula with his bare hand.

"It's just plastic." He paused, glancing down at me. "Then again, some people are terrified of toys."

The live stream chat went ballistic:

[Aaaah, superstar Ethan is so sweet!]

[He totally did that on purpose! He knows she hates this stuff!]

[Enemies-to-lovers endgame! Lock them up and throw away the key!]

Sweet, my ass! I screamed internally. He was getting off on watching me make a fool of myself!

When it was his turn to reach into the boxes, he pulled out live loaches, dried cicada shells, and even a rubber snake without batting an eye.

He stayed completely unfazed the entire time, looking like he was casually petting a house cat.

Standing next to him, I looked like a hysterical, jumpy clown.

During the break between games, I hid in a quiet corner sipping water, trying to steady my racing pulse.

My phone buzzed. Hope flared in my chest and I whipped it out, only to find a piece of spam.

My gaming boyfriend's avatar remained stubbornly gray.

The wave of disappointment crashed over me all over again.

"Whose text are you waiting for?" A cool voice drifted from behind me.

Startled, I whipped around to see Ethan standing there. I hadn't even heard him approach.

"None of your business," I snapped defensively.

His eyes dropped to my screen, his gaze darkening slightly. "A boyfriend?"

"What if he is?" I shoved my phone behind my back on instinct.

He let out a soft scoff. "He's ignoring you? What, did you run into a player?"

"He's busy with work, away on a business trip!" I shot back immediately. "And he's ten thousand times better than you! He'd never intentionally try to scare me!"

Ethan's expression deepened. He took a single step toward me. "Summer Miller, you really think you know him that well?"

He was standing too close. The crisp, clean scent of cedar rolling off him made it hard to draw a full breath.

"Of course I know him," I held my ground, forcing myself to look him in the eye.

"He's gentle, attentive, he games with me, listens to me vent, and comforts me whenever I'm having a rough time."

"Unlike someone who does nothing but throw around sarcastic jabs."

He studied me quietly for a long moment before asking, "You like him a lot?"

"Obviously!" I nodded without hesitation. "If I don't like him, who am I supposed to like? You?"

He raised an eyebrow, a cryptic, unreadable smirk tugging at his lips.