Lost Without You by Heather Thurmeier Read Free Book Online

mind.”
    But her threat must have fallen on deaf ears since he held her hand the entire way. When he finally let go so she could get a coffee, her head started to clear. Thank God she had to spend the better part of the day playing host. She would have her mind on other things, like the game and Rick.
    Chip would be forced to stay on the sidelines. It would be even better if Chip would stay at camp, but she knew he’d never do that. He oversaw every aspect of the show, including filming.
    Hopefully his overseeing didn’t include more handholding or she could end up being completely incoherent on camera.

Chapter Five
    Zoe waited while the teams filtered into the clearing from various trails. The cameras were already rolling to catch which team would find the clearing first and which one would be last. Another way to determine the strongest of the pack.
    The first team to arrive was no surprise. A big grin spread across Rick’s face when he saw her. But it was the cocked eyebrow and the suggestive expression that really caught her off guard. This was a guy who knew what he wanted and went after it. And apparently he wanted her.
    Of course, there was the small matter of staff and contestants getting together being against the rules. She wasn’t very good at following the rules, but she’d try.
    A coughing fit from off to the side of the clearing pulled her attention away from Rick and his obvious invitation. Chip pounded on his chest when she looked at him then took a big gulp out of his water bottle, an expression of guilt on his face.
    Sure, coughing. That’s believable.
    Chip might be able to see through her sarcasm, but the transparency between them went both ways. He wasn’t fooling her. She’d noticed how Chip’s expression had changed last night when Rick flirted with her at his camp. She’d have to be blind not to see through his little charade now.
    If Chip didn’t want to watch her interact with Rick, then it was just too bad for him. She had to host and Rick had to be a contestant. They’d be working together until Rick’s team either got booted off the show or until it ended. Either way, Chip was going to have to get used to seeing them flirt because she didn’t plan on stopping any time soon. Not when it was such a fun distraction from everything else, including Chip.
    She turned away from Chip as the last team wandered into the clearing. “Welcome to your first team challenge here on
Wild Expedition
,” she said without wasting any time. The guy with the cue cards stood far enough behind the teams that he couldn’t be seen on camera, but thankfully, the writing on the cards was huge so she could still read it. “And good news, you all passed the first part of the challenge just by finding your way here.”
    The teams cheered, obviously ready to do something more exciting than survive around camp for a change. These challenges were their only source of entertainment.
    â€œToday is your first challenge and you need to do your best because the team who comes in first will win the best prize.” Zoe motioned to a row of boxes off to one side, ranging in size. “The team who comes in first will get the biggest box. The team who comes in second will get the second biggest box. And so on and so forth until all the teams have been rewarded.”
    The teams nodded and cheered again. Excitement about what was actually in the boxes built. Zoe hadn’t a clue what was in them. She’d have to wait and see like everyone else. Even as the host, she felt a little shiver of excitement shoot up her spine. There was just something so fun about being on these reality shows. It almost made her regret not being a contestant this time.
    Almost, but not quite.
    â€œNow,” she said, reading the next cue card, “on to the challenge itself. Each team will have to prove they have what it takes to live in the wild.”
    Not my idea of