My skin prickled but I ignored it, heading directly for the shower. Maybe Jendan wouldn’t even stick around. I saw a teeny tiny bar of soap on the counter and grabbed it, unwrapping the paper and giving it a sniff. Oh wow, even soap smelled good. “Mmm.”
As I sniffed the soap, Jendan entered the bathroom behind me and leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Was he…going to watch me shower? “So where’s your room at, Jendan? I—oh God, is that shampoo? And toothpaste? This is heaven, isn’t it?” I clutched the bathing products to my chest with glee.
He laughed, watching me race around the room. “I’m a few doors down. I thought we could hang out for a bit, though, if that’s okay with you?” His gray gaze followed me as I went around, grabbing toiletries.
“Of course,” I said, glad he probably couldn’t see my blush under my grime. Neither one of us seemed ready to lay it out in the open.
“Great. I’ll just wait out here while you clean up, then.” He slid out of the bathroom and closed the door behind him.
Well, that made things slightly less awkward. I turned on the water and gave my reflection a quick glance…and then stopped in horror.
Lord have mercy, I looked awful. My face was a nice shade of brown, but bug bites and scratches covered almost every inch of my arms and legs. My hair looked like dirty straw, my eyebrows like caterpillars. My body was skinny, my boobs deflated, and my butt was non-existent. My fingernails had half-moons of grime under them. I gave a small moan of horror, leaning in close to look at my pores in the mirror. Clogged. Gross.
I looked like I’d been sleeping under a bridge. Why on earth had I thought Jendan would find this sexy? No wonder he was rushing me to the shower. I climbed in under the hot water and immediately began frantically scrubbing.
A half hour later, my hair was deep-conditioned and repeatedly shampooed, my nails were as clean as I could make them, and I’d shaved, soaped, and scrubbed every inch of my body. There was a killer ring at the bottom of the tub, but when I got out, I felt so much better.
Human, even.
Toweling my hair dry, I slathered on some lotion before wrapping a towel around my body. Next, teeth. I think I brushed them for a good twenty minutes before I decided to call it a day. They just felt so clean and delicious. That done, I stepped out into my room, and found Jendan stretched out on one side of my bed, remote in hand as he watched TV.
“Anything good on?” I teased, pulling out my bag and grabbing an old t-shirt and a pair of panties to sleep in.
“Nothing, actually,” he said with a smile at me. “The TVs aren’t hooked up to a satellite so we can’t see the news. All we have are DVDs. Old ones, at that.”
I eyed the TV. “Is that…”
“Ernest Goes to Camp? Yeah. Don’t ask. It was either this or Leprechaun II.”
I laughed, grabbing my clothes and heading back to the bathroom to dress. I don’t know why I felt weird about it, but I did. We were in that bizarre neutral zone where we weren’t quite friends, but weren’t quite anything else, either.
I quickly dressed and returned to my room, dragging my damp hair over my shoulder. It smelled so fresh and clean that I couldn’t help but touch it. Ditto my teeth. I ran my tongue along their surface again. “I don’t know how you kissed me earlier. I was gross.”
He tilted his head, watching me from my bed. “You’re never gross.” Jendan patted the side of the bed. “Want to join me?”
“Sure,” I said, feeling nervous. This was just Jendan. There was no reason to feel skittish. I climbed into the bed and snuggled up against him, like we had in our shelter so many times. It felt weird to have all the clothing separating us, and I remembered all the sessions of skin to skin, limbs wrapped around each other.
He tugged me closer, and my cheek rested against his pectoral. His scent enveloped me - soap and clean aftershave, and underneath that, the faint smell that was uniquely Jendan. He always smelled good to me, but tonight, he smelled heavenly. I buried my face against his shirt. “You smell incredible.”
“That would be deodorant,” he chuckled. “I hear it’s all the rage.”
“Mmm.” I sniffed again, and then closed my eyes, cuddling close. It was so nice to just lay in a soft bed here with him and not feel sand grit between my toes. “Can we just lie here for a minute and appreciate the finer things in life, like a real bed and air conditioning?”
“We can do that for as long as you like,” he said softly, tone amused. “I’m still in awe of food. Real food that’s not coconut.” His fingers played with a lock of my hair. “And water I can drink that hasn’t been boiled first.”
I stretched a hand over his stomach. He was so warm, my own personal furnace. The sleepiness I’d been fighting returned full-force. “You know what’s nice? A bed that isn’t infested with hermit crabs and sand fleas.”
“And I promise nothing at all will rain on you here,” he said, fingers tracing along my cheek. “You’re safe and sound.”
Safe with him. That was exactly how I felt. Like I could suddenly relax after six weeks of tension and scheming. My fingers curled in the soft, clean fabric of his t-shirt. “I like being safe with you,” I murmured sleepily. “You make me feel good.”
“The feeling’s mutual.” His fingers continued to skim and caress my cheekbones, the soft touch soothing me.
I really needed to wake up. This was my last night in Fiji, and Jendan was here and didn’t hate me. We were both clean, and I was pretty sure there were plenty of condoms in the bathroom. And I’d spent six weeks longing for this man.
But, warm and clean after six long weeks, my stomach full of something besides coconut, I couldn’t help it.
I fell asleep.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Any regrets? I’m not the kind of guy to focus on regret. Things play out how they’re meant to.” — Jendan Abercrombie, Juror Number 2, Endurance Island: Power Players
God, I’d slept so well.
I stretched an arm over my head, my eyes still firmly closed. Sunlight was streaming in through a nearby window, and I was so deliciously comfortable that I didn’t want to wake up and ruin the cocoon of bliss I was currently ensconced in. There was no need to wake up anytime soon. The game was over, after all. I rubbed my foot along the strong leg wedged between my own and burrowed deeper against the warm body. There’d be plenty of time in the morning to find Jendan…
Morning…
Sunlight…
Something tickled my mind as ‘not right’ and I cracked an eye open. There, sprawled against me on top of the blankets, was Jendan, fast asleep. My cheek was pressed to his chest, and there was a patch of drool where I’d been sleeping. My legs were tangled with his, and my hair was all over his chest. Bright early morning sunlight streamed in through the plantation blinds.
I gasped and sat upright. “Oh my God. What time is it?”
Jendan shook himself awake and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, blinking up at me. “Good morning to you, too.”
“We slept through the night?” I asked, dismayed. Here I’d had all kinds of plans for a sexy reunion and the moment I’d cuddled up to Jendan, I’d conked out.
“Yeah,” he said with a yawn. “You must have been exhausted.”
“But what about us? What about you and me?” I wiped my wet chin and then scrubbed at the wet mark I’d left on his shirt. Not sexy, Annabelle. Not sexy!
“What about us?” He was smiling up at me in a soft, sleepy way that made my heart do silly little flips.
“We missed out on us time.” God, I felt like crying. “My plane leaves today.”
“So does mine.”
“That doesn’t leave us much time together. I wanted to spend all night with you.”
“You did.” He grabbed me by the waist. With neat, effortless precision, he rolled until our bodies flipped. Then, we were on the bed, but our positions were reversed. He was looming over me and I was under him. Jendan grinned down at my expression. “I seem to recal
l someone dragging her cold feet against mine over and over again.”
“Yes, but…I didn’t want to sleep the entire time.” To my dismay, I felt tears pricking at my eyes. “I wanted us to spend it, you know, together. Seeing what it means to be us now that we’re no longer in the game.”
“I think it’s too early to predict how we’ll be post game. It’s barely been twelve hours since you left.” His mouth crooked slightly, in that way I loved. “Maybe you slow down a little and give yourself more time?”
“That’s just it. We don’t have more time.” My fingers slid along the rumpled collar of his shirt. He’d slept in his clothes right next to me all night. Funny how that made me feel all aroused and pleased at the same time. “They’re sending us home today.”
“And then what? We never see each other again? Is that what you’re thinking?”
I bit my lip. It was what had happened last time. Once I’d boarded my flight, the game was over, and so was that relationship. But Jendan wasn’t Kip.
He gave me another one of those heart-tugging grins. “You not going to call me when you get home?”
“Of course I will.”
“And there’s always the finale.”
Six months from now, yes. I made a face. “I’m trying not to think about the finale, or else I’ll worry about whose vote I got and whose I didn’t. Let’s concentrate on me and you right now.”
“Fair enough.” He leaned in and brushed his lips against mine. The weight of his body pressed mine into the mattress in a rather glorious feeling. “You’re here. I’m here. We have hours and hours before our planes leave.” His tongue slicked against my upper lip, tracing it.
I sucked in a breath, all my frantic thoughts immediately turning to desire.
He nibbled on my upper lip. “And…”
“Mmm?” My mind was already distracted, lost in kisses and the knee he pressed between my thighs.
Jendan’s lips grazed mine again. “Your morning breath is atrocious.”
I gave an outraged squeal and pulled away, smacking his shoulder. There was a mischievous look on his face that he couldn’t hide, and I giggled. “If it’s so awful, quit kissing me!”
“I’m not going to stop kissing you until it’s time to go to the airport,” he told me with a grin, brushing his lips over my nose. “Just maybe not your mouth.”
I snorted and pushed at his chest. “Let me up and I’ll brush my teeth, Prince Charming.”
We got up from the bed and brushed our teeth together, laughing and teasing each other. Jendan flicked water on me as I brushed, and then we both flossed - he was a flosser, yay! Just another thing I liked about him. When my teeth were clean, I pointed at my mouth. “Would you like to inspect the goods?”
“I would,” he agreed, and wrapped his arms around my waist, dragging me against him. He pulled me in for a long, slow kiss that left me breathless. When his mouth finally lifted from mine, I gave him a dazed look as he considered me, thinking. “I think I need to give it another checkup, just to be sure.” And he leaned in and began to kiss me again.
I flung my arms around his neck and kissed him back, all the pent-up need in me rising and overpowering the playfulness. Six weeks of endless waiting and teasing had led to this moment, and I was going to enjoy it.
Jendan’s mouth was firm against my own, his lips parted as his tongue brushed against mine. I gave a whimper at the touch, and he licked at my mouth in response. With a soft moan in my throat, I pressed my breasts against him, continuing the kiss with eagerness. I loved kissing this man. He seemed to instinctively know how to hold me, how to move his lips against mine, how to flick his tongue in ways that would drive me utterly mad with desire.
All the touching, the playing, the flirting - it all came down to this. This kiss. This press of bodies against each other. This undeniable lust. He was finally mine.
His hands slid down from my waist to my ass, giving it a quick squeeze just as his mouth pulled from mine. “I think those teeth are acceptably clean.”
“I’m so glad you agree,” I murmured, then leaned in and bit at his chin. He just looked so biteable with a bit of scruff on him.
Jendan gave a soft groan and his hands clenched on my ass harder. “Want to take this to the bedroom? Or did you want to stay in here?”
The marble counter in the bathroom was cutting into my side, and it was cold. And that bed was so darn nice. “Bedroom, please.”
“Your wish is my command.” He hefted me by the ass and carried me out of the bathroom while I clung to his neck and laughed. Now that the game was over, I felt so light and free. I’d gotten to the final two, given a good argument for my actions, and the guy I liked still liked me. I’d stuck to my guns and still came out feeling like a winner, even if I didn’t know how the votes fell.
Sometimes, that was all you needed.
Jendan sat me on the edge of the bed and brushed my tangled hair aside, then began to kiss my neck. I moaned.
Okay, sometimes you needed that stuff, and then you needed a sexy, gorgeous man to make love to you. That, too.
I clung to Jendan as he pressed his mouth to my neck, wrapping my legs around his strong thighs. His big body practically enveloped mine, something that I found incredibly arousing. My hands went to his butt and I grabbed it, kneading. Oh heavens, he had such a tight ass. I could bounce quarters - or heck, golf balls - off of it. I gave it another pleased squeeze, and he took the hint and pushed me back on the bed, body looming over mine.
“Condoms?” I asked as my mouth went to his ear, and I ran my tongue along his earlobe.
He groaned and tore his mouth away from my throat, then looked over at the bathroom, then back at me. “Don’t go anywhere.”
“I’ll be right here,” I teased, feeling breathless and giddy with happiness.
Jendan disentangled himself from my limbs and headed to the bathroom while I stretched out on the bed and waited. I heard him rummaging through the drawers, pulling them out and slamming them shut again. “Aha!” He reappeared a moment later with a strip of condoms. “Thank God for that. I’d have hated to run next door for condoms sporting wood.”
I eyed his jeans, which were now straining across his erection. “But it’s such magnificent wood. You sure you don’t want to share it with everyone?”
“It’s a one-woman kind of wood,” he said, sauntering back to the bed. He tossed the condoms down on the bedside table and grinned at me. “He’s not a big fan of sharing.”
“Lucky for him, neither am I.” I pressed my hand against his bulge and tsked. “He looks like he’s trapped in there.”
“Wanna free the beast?”
I giggled. “As long as you promise to never use that line again.”
He made a ‘cross my heart’ symbol and grinned at me. “You’re telling me that’s not a winner? I’m hurt.”
“I’ll make it up to you,” I teased. My hand rubbed on his cock again and I watched him as his eyes closed with an expression of sheer bliss. “Is that better?”
“Much,” he said thickly, reaching out and holding on to one banister of the bed while I stroked and fondled his cock through his jeans.
Pleased at his reaction, I continued to rub him through the denim with one hand, while the other went to his button fly. I undid each button, revealing a hint of plaid cotton boxers underneath. Nothing racy or impractical for Jendan…but for some reason, the sight of that pleased me very much. Despite his daredevil career, Jendan was a normal guy.
And I found that the more I knew about him, the more arousing that ‘normal’ was. Kip had been impractical and wild, and he’d also been a douche. Jendan might not be impractical or wild, but he also turned me on far more than Kip ever had.
When his fly was finally loosened, I grabbed the sides of his jeans and began to tug them down. Jendan’s hand went to my hair and he dragged his fingers through it, then cupped my face. “You’re so lovely, Annabelle. I’m the luckiest guy in Fiji right now.”
&
nbsp; I gave him an arch, teasing smile, hiding the fact that his words made my heart flutter. “You’re about to get even luckier,” I told him, and dragged his boxers down to his knees. His cock sprang free, the full, thick length of it making my mouth water a little. “There’s my old friend,” I murmured. “I’ve missed seeing him.”
“Not half as much as he’s missed you,” Jendan said, and his thumb traced my lower lip. “Or even close to as much as I’ve missed you. Just seeing you next to me. Waking up to your smile. Your hand touching mine. I’ve missed all of you, Annabelle. I don’t know what I’m going to do when I go home.”
My throat tightened at his sweet words. “Hookers and blow?”
He chuckled. “Despite what you might think of Hollywood people, not all of us are into that sort of thing.”
“I know,” I said softly. “I don’t know what I’m going to do either.” I tilted my head back and looked up at him. “Let’s not think about it right now, okay?”
He nodded and cupped my cheek again, just gazing down at me.
We both needed a distraction, or I was going to start weeping at the prospect of leaving his side again just after being reunited. So I wrapped my fingers around the girth of his cock and gave it a small squeeze. That got his attention. Jendan’s hand went to my shoulder and he squeezed in response, and began to stroke my skin through the fabric of my shirt. “God, Annabelle.”
“If you get this excited,” I teased lightly, “You’re really going to be in for a treat when I put my mouth on you.”
He groaned again.
All right, then. Time to put my money where my mouth was. With another squeeze of his thick length, I leaned in and brushed my tongue over the head of his cock. A bead of pre-cum met my tastebuds, filling my mouth with Jendan’s unique flavor.
Above me, Jendan groaned again, and his hands tangled in my hair. “Wait, wait. Slow up.”
I pulled away, curious. Did he not like head? “Did I do something wrong?”
“Christ, no.” He took my hand and dragged me to my feet. “I just…want us to be on equal ground for our first time. I don’t want you to feel obligated to do anything for me.”