“Why, you dirty slut, you!” Brad exclaims when Hayden is gone, shaking his head as if I’ve been caught with my hand in the cookie jar. “While we’ve been sleepin’, you’ve been creepin’!”

“Girl, he must’ve done a number on you,” McKayla says, coming forward to place her hands on my shoulders and shaking me like I stole something from her. “Is he as good as he looks—”

“I bet you rode him like you rode that horse the other day,” Brad cuts in over her, coming up to my side and causing McKayla to shoot him a deadly glare.

I break free of McKayla and smack my palm to my forehead, letting out a groan, my face burning. “Guys, please. It’s seriously not what you think.” They didn’t really see anything, but I’m still more than a little embarrassed at what I’d let him do. But fuck, it felt so good, and my head's still spinning from it. “We were just talking and then he kissed me.”

Brad makes a face. “Uh-huh, sure. We’ve all heard that before. Next time, you’ll say you just happened to walk in his room and tripped to fall right on his dick.”

“Actually, he followed me in here,” I say defensively. “It was only for a second.” I try to sound as convincing as possible, but I know I’m probably failing.

They exchange looks and become quiet, plunging the room into silence.

“I’m guessing you must really like Hayden,” McKayla says quietly after a minute. She sounds different, not as bombastic, almost as if she’s wistful.

I slowly nod my head. “He’s been nice so far. I like him more than I thought I would, actually.” Oh, God, and does he know just how to make me squirm.

I can tell Brad is just itching to crack another joke, but he shows restraint. “Does that mean you have already made up your mind?”

“No,” I say, and then I quickly add, “At least I don’t think so. Hell, I don’t know. I feel so confused right now. I think this is going to be a lot harder than I thought it would be.” I wrap my arms around my waist and squeeze, feeling a mix of emotions. “But yes, Hayden’s definitely in the lead.”

“Don’t you think it’s a bit early to decide?” McKayla asks. “Sure, Hayden’s hot as hell and all, but so are those other men out there. You could be missing out.”

“Exactly. I didn’t say my mind is already made up,” I say. “Besides Hayden and Lee, I haven’t really gotten to know anyone else yet. They could be totally awesome, maybe even the man of my dreams.” I sigh.

“Mmmhmm,” Brad mutters under his breath like he’s not buying it.

“Well, just continue to keep your options open then. For the show’s sake and for yours,” she says. “You don’t want your preference for Hayden to come out on tape or the viewers will pick up on it and kill the suspense. Not to mention, it might irritate Meredith.”

I nod, realizing that regardless of whether anyone knows what went on in here, there could be consequences if Meredith found out that Hayden and I were alone together. “Guys, please don’t say—”

“Our lips are sealed,” McKayla says, following my train of thought. “Aren’t they, Brad?” She gives him a look, practically telling him what to say.

Brad nods. “No one will hear a peep out of me! You’re just lucky he didn’t follow me in here instead. You’d be out a suitor.”

Despite my trepidation, I let out a laugh, feeling a sense of relief. “You two are the best.”

After getting me ready, we leave the room and head down for another Matchmaking ceremony. As we walk, I’m so trying to not get too hung up on the way Hayden made me come this morning, but damn if it’s not impossible to keep the satisfied grin off my face. I was about two seconds from getting on my knees for him before I remembered where I was.

Once on set, we start with another round of card matches to let four more guys go, Archie, Liam, Daryl, and Ron. I feel bad as I watch them walk off, muttering amongst themselves. I’m glad the numbers are starting to wean down, though. I’m making cuts faster than Freddy Krueger. With fewer suitors, I’ll have more time to get to know them and I won’t have to just go with my gut and cut guys I’ve barely spoken to.

Thankfully, Meredith agrees with me on my choices, saying they were boring. Of course, that’s all she cares about.

When we’re finally done with the ceremony, I’m left with six suitors. Now it’s time for today’s ‘game’, although I quickly learn that I’m not supposed to do much more than be eye candy, which isn’t as much fun as I’d hoped. I step up to spin the activity wheel and it stops on football. At Meredith’s direction, Nate divides the guys into two teams of three.

With a grin, Meredith says, “Cut! All right, bring them in.”

A group of young boys and girls comes in, and although I’m smiling warmly, I’m confused as to why they’re here.

Meredith points at the men while the children giggle in the background. “They’re here because they will help make up the two teams. They’ll be playing touch football, and the winning team gets a group date with you. Emily, you’re to be a cheerleader for both teams, but maybe one suitor more than the others?” She asks like she’s leading me, and I panic for a moment. Oh, God, please don’t tell me that Hayden and I were on camera.

I cast a guilty glance to the sidelines to where Brad and McKayla are watching, but McKayla simply shakes her head. Next, my eyes fall on Hayden, but he appears calm and collected, only giving me a soft nod of reassurance.

Meredith stares at me and makes me feel like she’s about to accuse me in front of everyone when she finally puts me out of my misery. “What, no favorites yet? Well, production definitely has favorites, so we’ll see how it plays out.”

I let out a big sigh of relief. She doesn’t know.

We head out to a big backyard area that’s been spray-painted to resemble a football field. It occurs to me that Meredith had to know the wheel would land on football to have the kids on set and field ready. And the same is true of the horseback riding yesterday, but I was too caught up in Hayden’s jeans-covered ass to give it much thought. Just how ‘random’ are these supposedly random computer-controlled choices, anyway?

Of course, I knew there’d be some element of set-up to the show, but that seems pretty planned out and gives me a moment’s pause. If they’re orchestrating the dates, what else are they pulling the strings on? Before I can dwell too much, the game starts. The team quickly named Fire has Hayden, Matt, and Dean, while Diamonds has Lee, Cody, and Carlos, each with a gaggle of boys and girls ready to play. “Hey, why Diamonds?” I ask.

Lee grins and calls back. “Because we’re a girl’s best friend!”

I turn to the other team. “And you guys?”

“Because our hearts burn for you!” the three guys all call back in unison, making me blush as Meredith grins from the side.

The teams run back and forth, the guys trying to protect the children as they run for touchdown after touchdown. It starts off pretty casual, and as the score goes back and forth, everyone is still giggling well into the third quarter. As the fourth quarter starts, the score is Fire-49 / Diamonds-42. I can tell that the suitors are a little more serious now, especially with such a close score and a small group date on the line.

Their smiles get a little dimmer as tension forms in their faces, and I see Lee saying something to Hayden that obviously makes him angry.

On the next play, a little girl on Lee’s team has an opening, and Lee scoops her up, dashing for the touchdown. Once they’re safely in the end zone, he spins her around, smacking her hand with a high-five. It’s perfect and adorable, making me smile as the girl runs back for the huddle.

My smile falters when I see the look on Hayden’s face. Even if they are competitors, whose heart wouldn’t melt at the sight of that? I can’t help but wonder what has him so upset. With a check of the clock, there’s only a couple of minutes left.

Both teams line up, and when the play starts, the smallest boy on Lee’s team intercepts a pass by Dean. He’s off to the races, running as fast as his little legs can go while Lee does what he can to block for him. With unexpected speed, he makes it all the way to the end zone.

“Diamonds win!” someone yells from the production area near the scoreboards.

All the kids explode with excitement and I find myself cheering just as loudly as I rush into the crowd, caught up in the excitement. The tiny boy is up on Lee’s shoulder, taking a victory lap like the MVP that he is.

The two teams line up, walking past each other for high-fives and handshakes. It looks like Lee and Hayden smack each other’s hands just a little harder than necessary. I try not to let the image bother me as I follow down the lines, high-fiving all the players, suitors and kids alike, with a smile plastered on my face.

From the sides, Meredith waves her arms, yelling, “Cut! Great job, everyone. Emily and the Diamonds team . . . hang back, and I’ll let you know where you’re going for the group date. Everyone else, off set.”

Almost immediately, the mood dims as everyone realizes this is a competition. The kids seem a little confused at being hustled away, but Hayden seems to catch it. “Hey, guys, I know our fridge has a ton of hotdogs and ice cream. Who wants to have a little post-game barbecue?”

The mention of ice cream has a few of them screaming, the mood back up, and even a few of the production crew smile. Everyone walks off, leaving me with Lee, Cody, and Carlos. The look Hayden flashes me as he walks off, one of resigned defeat, nearly makes me want to chase after him and join him for the barbecue.

But Meredith walks up, looking between all of us, ready to give orders. “All right, this is going to be exciting. You’ll be going bungee jumping. The car leaves in one hour, so get ready!”

Suddenly nervous, I look at the guys, who all look back at me. They don’t look quite as scared as I am.

“Have any of you bungee jumped before?” I ask. “I’m kinda freaking out . . . not sure if that’s good or bad.”

Cody, a tall blond who looks like he’s been imported from Scandinavia, chuckles. “Not sure if they’ve got a rope that’ll hold me. I went with some buddies once and I was too tall and too heavy for them to let me jump. Life of a linebacker, I guess.”

“I haven’t,” Carlos and Lee both say.

“Ugh, so we’re all newbies,” I groan. “No one to assure me that everything’s going to be okay.”

I try to keep my smile on my face and pretend like I’m having a good time as we walk back toward the house. I’m nervous. I’m not exactly the risk-loving adrenaline junkie type. Just thinking about having to bungee jump has my stomach queasy.

I’m so preoccupied with my thoughts that I don’t notice Lee slithering up next to me, putting his arm around my shoulder. “New experience for both of us, huh?” he asks.

I jump, causing him to chuckle.

“Don’t worry, I got you.” He grins, pulling me a little tighter.

I flash him my fake smile. “I’ll be okay, but yeah, I’m a little nervous.”

“They say intense situations like this make you get close to people faster,” he says softly. “I’m sure that’s exactly why they have us doing this. And I have to say” —he leans in closer to whisper conspiratorially— “I bet you’re not as nervous as those two girls over there,” he says, pointing at Cody and Carlos.

I feign a laugh and lightly swat at his arm “You’re so bad. They’re your teammates and helped you win.”

Lee shakes his head. “Nah, I’m pretty sure that ringer of a kid got us that win today. One of the other kids said he was an All-Star PeeWee player. I couldn’t quite picture it with his size, but it seems to have worked out in my favor.”

Lee’s being sweet, and I love how he let the kids play out there. It could’ve easily turned into a macho fest, and I smile genuinely at him.

We reach the porch steps, and the guys say their goodbyes, all promising to see me in the car.

Lee stops, coming in close. “Emily, I had a great time today, and I think it’s just beginning.” Before I can react, he quickly leans in and presses his lips to my cheek. I’m a little surprised at the boldness out in the open, but the kiss is over almost before it began.

With a wolfish smile at the look on my face, Lee turns to head in, leaving me feeling more than a little bit confused.