Lost Without You by Heather Thurmeier Page B

from him, from his kisses, from his hands and got to her feet.
    Her heart pounded against her ribs as the realization of how close she’d come to giving in to Chip started to set in. She couldn’t. No, she wouldn’t. She wasn’t ready. Not now.
    Maybe not ever.
    â€œZoe, what’s wrong? What did I do?” Chip asked, climbing to his feet, reaching for her. “I’m sorry. I really thought you wanted this too. I wouldn’t have … if I’d known … ”
    She backed away, suddenly feeling like a cornered bear. “No. Don’t. I can’t. I have to go.” She quickly unzipped the tent and bolted out into the cool night air as he came up behind her.
    â€œZoe, please talk to me. Tell me what the hell just happened.”
    She heard the pleading in his voice but didn’t turn around. She couldn’t explain this to him without telling him the truth about her life and that wasn’t something she was willing to do.
    Especially not now that she had to admit to herself she had some kind of feelings for him.
    Once she told him the truth, he’d never look at her the same way.
    And she couldn’t bear to see a look of pity on his face.

Chapter Eight
    Chip’s chest burned as he sprinted the last quarter mile back to base camp. He welcomed the sensation. At least this was a feeling he recognized. A feeling he understood.
    Not like all those feelings he was still trying to deal with from having dinner with Zoe last night.
    What was it about her that got his blood boiling and his groin aching all at the same time? One minute she was kind and sweet — and willing — then the next she was closed up tight, insecure, and off limits. Damn.
    He came to a halt at his tent and slipped inside quickly to grab his bathroom supplies and a towel then headed straight for the shower. If he was lucky, he had time to rinse off, clean up, and still stop in for breakfast before the cooks closed up shop for the morning. Usually he didn’t have to rush, but after a sleepless night thinking about Zoe, he’d slept in and started his run late. All the more reason to hurry and make sure he got breakfast. Being tired and hungry would make filming today long and painful.
    Seeing Zoe again today would be torturous enough.
    If only he could figure out what was up with her. He knew she had a history of pushing guys away. The dating history she’d filled out on her application for
The One
had been all the evidence he’d needed to draw that conclusion. The question was why she pushed so hard.
    Sure, there was her past to consider, but there had to be more to it than that. Did one traumatic incident really scar a person so deeply for life? Not many people knew that Zoe had been in a terrible car accident at fourteen that had left her scarred and forced her to undergo many corrective surgeries. But he knew. He just didn’t understand why one event in her life seemed to have such a lasting impact. People got into car accidents all the time and didn’t let it still affect their lives years later. Had the accident really bothered her so much? Why?
    Chip strolled back toward the shower area, hoping that everyone else was already done for the day and that there was still some warm water left in one of the solar bladders. If not, he’d have to waste even more time filling it himself.
    A river of sweat dribbled down his forehead, narrowly missing his eye. He swiped at his forehead with the end of his towel, briefly covering his face. Good thing he already knew the route to the showers by heart.
    He eyed the solar-heated bags above them, trying to decipher which stood the best chance of having enough warm water left in it to get him clean in the least uncomfortable way. After a quick inspection, he concluded the second was his best shot.
    Walking past the first door, a mumbling came from inside as he passed. He paused, straining to hear if the person inside was okay and