Surviving Demon Island Part 5

Face it, Gina. Every man is off-limits to you. Any man who makes you feel anything is off-limits. And G.o.d knows, in a couple days Derek Marks has sure as h.e.l.l made you feel something.

She got in line for her gear, ignoring her body and her argumentative mind. So what if he was hot and she was h.o.r.n.y? So what if she wanted him? There was no time for s.e.x and relations.h.i.+ps on this island or during this adventure, so she might as well get those thoughts out of her head.

She was safe from entanglements, from having to think.

From having to feel.

Derek stood by the table and handed out gear while Lou entered gun numbers of the partic.i.p.ants in the computer.

It was d.a.m.n hard to stand by and just watch when what he really wanted to do was partic.i.p.ate. Even if this was just a game, it was at least practice, a way to keep his skills sharp.

Ah, h.e.l.l, what he really wanted to do was burn off some excess energy, douse the fire Gina stoked inside him. When he'd come to her bungalow earlier, she'd been seemingly lost in thought, her hand absently trailing over her body. Watching a woman touch herself was the hottest G.o.dd.a.m.n thing he'd ever seen. And even though he shouldn't have been watching, the hounds of h.e.l.l themselves couldn't have torn him from that spot.

Her eyes closed, her lips parted, she'd been lost in some kind of fantasy, her fingertips trailing between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s on their way down her ribs and belly.

What had she been thinking about? He really wanted to know what she'd been thinking at that moment. And like an idiot, he'd had to stop her, just when her hand had been about to hit the sweet spot.

Dumba.s.s.

But when he'd caught her attention and she'd cast her gaze his way, the look she'd given him had rocked him back on his heels.

Her eyes had been filled with heat, l.u.s.t, and longing. He knew that feeling of hunger, and in that moment he'd felt it zing across the room like a strike of lightning between them. He wanted to grab her and pull her into his arms.

Somehow he doubted she would have objected.

So what had stopped him? The game? That he knew he shouldn't mingle with the partic.i.p.ants? Maybe it was the fear that he really didn't know if he took that step exactly what he'd be stepping into.

Or quite possibly, if he touched her he wouldn't be able to stop with just a touch. If he kissed her, he wouldn't be satisfied with just one kiss.

He wanted inside her in the worst way.

She was beautiful, no doubt. Gorgeous, in fact. s.p.u.n.ky and challenging and strong and capable. But there was also a vulnerability about her that intrigued him, that made him want to sit down and talk with her, find out more than what was in her bio. Dig beyond the surface of Gina Bliss and find out how what happened to her all those years ago had shaped her.

And Derek wasn't the kind of guy who wanted to spend time talking to women he was attracted to. But dammit, they all had demons in their past. He did, she did, they all did. Would be nice to just once sit down with someone and talk about it. Though there were other people around him who'd been through it. Why not talk to them? What made Gina so special?

Right. Like you're a big f.u.c.king talker. You want to strip her naked and lick her all over, not talk to her. Like you're a big f.u.c.king talker. You want to strip her naked and lick her all over, not talk to her.

'I want a big one.'

And suddenly, there she was, the last one in line and standing in front of him at the table. Yeah, he had a big one for her. A big one that was twitching in discomfort right now. He handed her a rifle. She arched a brow.

'I said a big one.'

At her dubious stare, he added, 'Every weapon is alike as far as number of rounds and max distance, Gina. No one will start this game at a disadvantage. Trust me.'

'Why should I?'

She tilted her head, making him want to dive across the table and bury his lips against the smooth column of her throat. 'Because I haven't given you a reason not to.'

'I've heard that one before.' She took the weapon and the rest of her gear and strolled away without a word, joining the other compet.i.tors.

He wondered what she meant by that comment. Another Gina mystery. He didn't want mysterious people on his team, which meant he was going to have to dig in and find out more about her!beyond just the file Lou had on her.

Oh, sure, he knew her background. He knew all their backgrounds. h.e.l.l, he knew more about these people than they knew about themselves. But it wasn't his job to psychoa.n.a.lyze what happened to them in the past and how they ended up at this place. It wasn't his job to give them the 'big revelation.' That was Lou's deal.

His job was to make fighters out of them.

Of course Gina was right!he was lying to her, to all of them. So she really did have a good reason not to trust him, at least on the surface.

In fact, he'd bet some of these people were going to be p.i.s.sed as h.e.l.l when they discovered what this game was really about.

Chapter Four.

G ina, Trace, Jake, Shay, Ryder, and Olivia were designated Team A and ready to head into the jungle. The other compet.i.tors made up Team B. And just like in conditioning drills, the other group who didn't mingle with the rest of them had all been placed on one team, while Gina and her pals had been placed on another. ina, Trace, Jake, Shay, Ryder, and Olivia were designated Team A and ready to head into the jungle. The other compet.i.tors made up Team B. And just like in conditioning drills, the other group who didn't mingle with the rest of them had all been placed on one team, while Gina and her pals had been placed on another.

Not that Gina was suspicious or anything. Much.

But it didn't matter. She had competent teammates and she was tired of standing around hearing rules. Headset on, gun in hand, night-vision goggles placed on top of her head and ready, she was primed for some action, even if this was just a practice run.

'All right, teams,' Derek said. 'Pay attention to each other, to your surroundings. And don't forget to look out for demons at all times. You never know when one will spring up on you. Listen to my commands and when this exercise is over, report back immediately.'

Gina looked over at the other team who was poised at the line ready to head into their part of the jungle. Her team was going to smoke their a.s.ses.

'Ready and go!'

They charged off into the dark jungle with Trace at the lead. Since he was an experienced survivalist and tracker, they'd voted him group leader for tonight's event. The path was marked with a series of torches and fluorescent, glow-in-the-dark tape to guide their way and indicate boundaries, but the further they trekked into the jungle, the harder it was to see. The torches grew more spa.r.s.e, until she could see only one single light off in the far distance. As it was she could barely make out the other compet.i.tors, and in order to do so they had to stay right next to each other.

'I'd say it's time for goggles,' Ryder suggested, bringing up the rear of their group.

'I agree,' Gina said. 'I don't know about the rest of you, but I can't see a d.a.m.n thing. We can't hunt if we're standing on top of each other.'

'I've played this game before, or at least something similar. We gotta spread out or we're sitting ducks,' Jake said.

'Okay, then we all agree,' Trace said. 'Goggles on.'

Gina slipped the night-vision goggles in place. Much better. Green, but better. At least she could see something besides complete darkness now. Everything was three dimensional, so she could make out people from trees.

'Let's spread out a bit,' Ryder suggested. 'Keep your focus and your ears sharp for sounds of approaching demons. There are twigs and branches and fallen palms all over the jungle floor here, so we should be able to hear anyone approach.'

Gina couldn't wait to head out on her own. They all s.h.i.+fted and spread outward. She kept her gun at chest level, primed and ready to fire the instant she came upon a moving target.

It didn't take long. A shape moved out in front of a thick tree trunk in front of her. She aimed and fired a laser shot.

'Only ten points for that one, Gina, which means you didn't hit a decent spot on that demon. Calm down, sharpen your focus, and aim higher.'

Derek's voice piping in her ear. The laser must send the data to their computers instantly. 'Got it.'

Pretty cool stuff, actually. Excited now, she headed out after the demon she'd shot at, tracking him east of their location. Her headset was filled with chatter from the other partic.i.p.ants, Derek's feedback on whether they'd hit or missed, and location information. Gina tuned it all out, focusing only on the demon she was tracking.

's.h.i.+t, he marked me. Sonofab.i.t.c.h came out of nowhere.'

Trace's voice. Gina winced, knowing it could have easily been her. She started moving in circles, looking from side to side and turning around to make sure no one was behind her. The white s.h.i.+rts the compet.i.tors wore were easy to spot with the night-vision goggles, so she didn't confuse them with demons.

d.a.m.n, these guys playing demons were good. But not that good, because there he was! She took off on a fast run and fired at his back, hitting him square on. He kept running, but she wasn't about to let him get away this time. Despite the night and the goggles, she could see just fine, leaping over the obstacles in her path. She circled around a copse of trees directly ahead, figuring he was going to have to go either right or left around them, and hoping he'd go left.

He did, and ran straight into her. She hit him square in the chest.

'Kill points, Gina,' Derek said.

Resisting the urge to whoop for joy, she took off and headed back, on the hunt for more. She found one on Olivia's tail, snuck up on him, and got him, too.

By the time the event was over and Derek called them back to camp, Gina had killed four demons. She was ecstatic and ready to burst with energy.

'How'd you do?' she asked Shay.

'One kill. One d.a.m.n near got me, too, but I skirted away just in time.'

'I had two kills,' Olivia said. 'And then one marked me after that, dammit. Didn't even see him coming.'

'Two kills,' Ryder said, tossing his gun on the table.

'None,' Jake said, frowning.

So Gina had scored high points on the practice run. She resisted the urge to grin, but d.a.m.n, it had felt good out there.

Derek clapped Ryder on the back as he walked by, and told Jake he'd do better tomorrow. He nodded to Olivia and Shay who were huddled together and said, 'Nice job.'

Not a d.a.m.n word to her. Nothing. What the h.e.l.l? She'd scored the highest points out there and he hadn't even looked in her direction.

'Okay, everyone,' Louis said. 'Some of you did well, some of you need a little more practice. Get ready, because the real game begins tomorrow night. Think about your mistakes and make any adjustments necessary, because tomorrow they could result in your elimination. Have a good night.'

Gina turned in her gear and started to head to her bungalow, but this thing with Derek bothered her. She walked over to Derek, who stood alone repacking the gear.

'Well?' she asked.

Derek looked up, knowing exactly why Gina was there. The last thing he wanted was for her to get c.o.c.ky and overconfident.

She was good. d.a.m.n good, in fact. But was it beginner's luck, or did she really have the natural skills? Pus.h.i.+ng her a little harder would tell. Rewarding her with lots of attagirls wouldn't.

Firelight danced in the highlights of her hair, making it look alive, like golden snakes s.h.i.+mmered through it. Not that he noticed stuff like that or anything. 'Well what?'

'What do you think?'

'About?'

She rolled her eyes. 'I want your opinion about tonight.'

He knew what she was fis.h.i.+ng for. 'It was okay.'

'I scored high points.'

'Uh-huh. You got in some lucky shots. You still have a lot to work on.' He stepped around her and headed for his bungalow. He was tired, needed a shower and a drink.

After spending some time reviewing the schedule for tomorrow, he stripped and turned on the shower, groaning as the warm spray hit his sore muscles. The years were starting to take a toll on his body. He never used to ache like this, but after several days of pounding the sand and skirmis.h.i.+ng with Gina and the rest of them, he felt every muscle and creaky joint screaming at him. He'd been pus.h.i.+ng them, and himself, harder than he'd ever pushed before.

Despite the desire to linger for about an hour under the hot water, he washed, rinsed, and with a reluctant sigh, turned off the shower. Grabbing a towel, he wrapped it around his waist and decided a gla.s.s of whiskey was in order. Nothing like a good, old-fas.h.i.+oned painkiller.

When he stepped into the bedroom, he sucked in a breath of shock.

Gina was there, leaning casually against the partially open front door. Now this this he didn't need. He was wet, naked under his towel, and his c.o.c.k lurched to life at the sight of her. Obviously he didn't need. He was wet, naked under his towel, and his c.o.c.k lurched to life at the sight of her. Obviously that that part of his body wasn't aging as rapidly as the rest of him. part of his body wasn't aging as rapidly as the rest of him.

Her hair was unbound, still damp from her own shower and hugging her shoulders and b.r.e.a.s.t.s. She wore a skimpy little orange-flowered sundress that clung to her curves and did achy things to his b.a.l.l.s. Not good. He really could use that drink about now.

'I didn't hear you knock.'

'That's because I didn't.' She shut the door behind her and advanced into the room.

'Unless you're here to throw me down on the bed and have your way with me, get out.'

She paused for a second and looked at his bed. Was she considering it? And what would he do if she was?

'Believe me, that's the last thing I'd want to do with you.'

'Too bad. And here I am all clean and almost naked.'

She took a quick glance at his crotch before returning to his face. Okay, maybe not such a quick glance. More of a lingering one. One that made his d.i.c.k notice how she was noticing.

'Derek, I've worked my b.u.t.t off since the day I got here, but for some reason you've made it a point to dismiss everything I've accomplished. I'm sensing some lurking animosity here. Do you hate women in general or is it just me? Never mind. I already know the answer. What I want to know is why.'

If she had any idea what was going on under his towel she wouldn't be asking that question. Thinking complex math calculations, he crossed to the nightstand and poured himself a half gla.s.s of whiskey, determined to ignore her. Downing the contents in one gulp, he turned and said, 'I don't hate women and I don't hate you. Conversation over. Good night.'

Ignoring his dismissal, she pressed on. 'I've decided you have some kind of Gina-hating chip on your shoulder that prevents you from telling me I did a good job, because you sure as h.e.l.l don't seem to have that problem with anyone else around here.'

What part of his good night didn't she hear? He perched on the edge of the bed and poured another half gla.s.s. Anger dissipated erections, right? 'You're one of those feminists, aren't you?'

'What?'

'One of those all men hate women' kind of women.'

'That's ridiculous. And thanks. I'd love a drink. How kind of you to offer.' She walked over, took the gla.s.s from his hand, and downed it in one gulp, handing it back to him and resuming her pacing. 'It's clear that a capable woman threatens your masculinity.'