“So, that's why you're out here,” I whisper, rubbing my thumb over the back of her hand.
She nods again.
“To prove to everyone you know that you are a strong person.”
Arabella looks up at me and shakes her head. “That's why I thought I came, but the longer I'm out here, the more I realize I needed to prove it to myself.”
I suddenly remember I'm still holding her hand, and I start to loosen my grip, only to have her flip her palm up and lace her fingers through mine. It's seemingly nothing, and yet it does something to me I can't comprehend. I'm overwhelmed by her—by who she is and what she’s been through—and I'm completely unable to do anything about it.
She smiles at me. “Your turn. Truth or dare.”
“Dare.” I say, grinning back at her.
“I dare you to tell me the truth about one thing.”
I laugh and shake my head. “You're a bit of a cheater.”
“I take offense to that. I've never cheated at anything in my life.”
“I find that hard to believe coming from Princess Pickpocket.”
Her eyes light up for a second, then she narrows them. “Don't distract me. I'm going to get the truth out of you.”
“Okay. What's your question?”
“What's your greatest fear?”
“Nothing.”
Pursing her lips, Arabella says, “It can't be nothing. You must be afraid of something.”
“No, seriously, I've been all over the globe and faced death numerous times and so far, nothing has scared me to the point where I wouldn’t do it again.”
“Okay, let me rephrase the question because clearly you're not capable of allowing yourself to be vulnerable enough to answer it honestly—which could be a clue as to what your true greatest fear is, by the way. But I’ll set that aside for the moment and ask what your version of hell would be.”
“I suppose my version of hell would be the famous one—you know, Satan and fire and brimstone and all that.”
“You’re impossible,” she says with an exasperated sigh. “Fine then, what type of life would kill you?”
“Yours,” I say without thinking about it.
She looks shocked and pulls her hand away, immediately filling me with regret. “Sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I just meant wearing a suit all day and having other people plan every hour of your life for you.” I give her a sheepish look. “I'm not making it better, am I?”
She chuckles a little, letting me off the hook. “Not really, but that's okay. You can't play the game unless you're willing to hear the answers.”
“I'm sure there are many amazing things about your life that I couldn't even comprehend,” I say, desperate to fix what I’ve done. “It must have a lot of perks—otherwise there wouldn’t be so many people wishing they were royals.”
She tilts her head. “It did get me to the front of the line to be your co-host.”
“Well, in that case, you really are privileged.” I steer the raft a little to the left to avoid a large rock. “Okay, your turn, if you still want to play, that is.”
“I do. I'll go truth again because I have a terrible feeling choosing dare would lead to me balancing in the middle of the river on top of a bamboo pole.”
“Oh, I’d think of something much worse than that,” I say. “All right, this is an easy one. What have you always wanted to do, but never have?”
She stares into my eyes, her cheeks turning pink. “It's silly, but the first thing that popped into my mind …” She shakes her head. “Nope. I can't.”
I laugh. “You have to, or you’ll have to do the dare, which would involve beetle larvae.”
She points to something on my side of the raft. “Oh, look, some river otters.”
I glance over to see sleek, black otters swimming next to us.
“We should really film them.”
I laugh, turning back to her. “Nice try. I think we got enough river otter footage yesterday. Now, answer the question or eat the larva?”
“Fine. Skinny dipping.”
“Really?” I ask with a wide grin spreading across my face.
“Any and all outdoor naked activities are most strictly forbidden for members of the royal family. There is never a moment where you're safe from the paparazzi.”
“Well, you're definitely safe out here …”
“Oh, marvelous. I'll just strip down right now and go for a dip with the crocodiles.”
“Not here on this river, but somewhere out here in the jungle, I’m sure we’ll find a picturesque lagoon where you can live out your greatest fantasy.”
Rolling her eyes, she slaps me on the chest with the back of her hand. “I never said it was my greatest fantasy. I only said it's something I've never tried that I would like to. But obviously, not with you.”
“Obviously not.” I make a ppfffttt sound to let her know I think she’s full of it.
“Maybe if I were here with Bear Grylls.” She starts out looking very serious, then busts out laughing at my shocked face. “I couldn't help it. It's just so obvious how much you can't stand him.”
“That’s not true. I don't even know him. I just can't understand why he feels the need to drink his own urine unnecessarily,” I say with a casual shrug.
“You're jealous!” she says, laughing.
“Am not. Anyone could have their own line of outdoor gear.”
Nodding, she says, “Absolutely. And yet, here we are carrying around Bear Grylls backpacks that you can’t seem to stop complaining about.”
I scowl a little, then say, “Do you know who I really would've liked as a princess co-host? Who's that one from England? Kate? Oh yeah, her.”
Arabella's eyes grow wide and she reaches over with both hands and starts to tickle me aggressively.
I bust out laughing and grab her hands, tugging her on top of me. “What's the matter, Your Highness? You can dish it out, but you can't take it?”
“Bastard,” she says with a grin. Her body is pressed against mine and our mouths are a mere two inches apart right now. I so badly want to close the gap and taste her lips, but my brain is screaming at me to back up and abort the mission. I don’t move. Instead, I stay as near to her as I can, hoping she doesn’t pull away.
Her eyes flick down to my lips and then back up. “What have you always wanted to do but never have?” she asks me in a breathy tone.
“You have no idea how tempted I am to say have sex on a moving raft.”
“Why don't you say it then?” she asks, giving me a sexy look. “I dare you.”
My pulse quickens as I stare at her. Do not say it. For God's sake, Will, do not say it. You cannot have sex with this woman. Not ever. She is not for you. “I can’t,” I say with a grin. “I haven't shaved my legs.”
She smiles back, but disappointment fills her eyes. Every muscle in my body grows furious with my stupid mouth and I know I will regret not seizing this moment for the rest of my life. She rolls off of me and lays back down, closing her eyes. “It's just as well. I doubt it would have been very good.”