Bedroom Games (17 page)

“Swanky,” Fido said with a grin. “It’s like
they knew your personality, man.”

“70s porn star?” Jendan joked.

Brodie just laughed. “They must have picked
this stuff with me in mind.” He thumped a finger on a lava lamp and
then glanced over at me.

I was silent as the others chatted and
laughed, examining Brodie’s room and picking through his things.
They exclaimed over the basket of treats and the fridge full of
beer, and it was like a party all over again. I sat down on the
edge of the bed with my bag and grabbed one of the fringed pillows,
hugging it as I watched the others. They drank beer, ate Brodie’s
chips, and laughed and chatted for what seemed like forever.

After a time, Brodie yawned and then waved at
the door. “Okay, time for me to go to sleep. All ya’ll get out of
here.” He sent them out with bottles of beer to assuage any hard
feelings, and finally the door was closed after the last
person.

When we were alone, he turned to me where I
sat on the bed. “You okay, Kandis?”

I nodded, lying. I wasn’t
okay, but it also wasn’t something I could describe to a
guy.
I feel ugly and stupid because we cut
my hair into this horrible mess and I got nothing out of it.
I’d heard that there was shock after you cut long
hair, and right now, I was feeling pretty devastated.

And even though I told myself I wouldn’t cry,
a tear trailed down my cheek. Angry, I swiped it away.

“Hey, hey,” Brodie said, concerned. He slid
closer to me on the bed and pulled me against him. “What’s
wrong?”

“I’m just being stupid,” I told him shakily,
rubbing my hands on my face to wipe it clean. “Just ignore me.”

“I can’t ignore you, Kandis. Not when you’re
crying. Tell me what’s wrong. I’m your partner.” He looked so
earnest that I softened. Was this just another mask worn by
deceitful, lying Brodie Short? The roguish devil out to claw his
way to the top and get the money?

The thought of his kindness being an act hurt
to think about.

He gave me a squeeze of encouragement, his
muscular arms around me. “Are you homesick? Did someone say
something awful to you?”

I shook my head.

“Are you crying because you drank
snails?”

I laughed, though it came out as a half-sob.
“Thanks for reminding me.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” he said with an
easy grin. “To be your partner and make you laugh.”

“We’re not partners anymore,” I pointed out
sourly.

“As far as I’m concerned, we’re partners
until one of us cashes that million dollar check. Now seriously,
what’s wrong, Kandis? You’re worrying me.”

“It’s silly,” I said in a shaky voice. “But…I
hate my hair.”

To his credit, he didn’t laugh. “Your hair
was really pretty.”

That just made me feel worse. “It was,” I
said, and began to weep all over again. “And now I’m ugly, and it’s
worse because I’m on national TV.”

“You’re not ugly,” Brodie soothed. His hand
rubbed up and down my back, comforting me even as he hugged me
close.

“Sunnie said she didn’t do
it because she didn’t want to be
ugly
.”

He snorted. “Sunnie didn’t do it because it
would mess up her extensions. You think all that red hair is
natural? Please.”

I wrinkled my nose. “You think?”

“Yeah. That’s why she never gets her hair wet
when she swims. You just watch her.”

I nodded and pressed my cheek to his chest,
inhaling his scent. Brodie smelled like a hint of sweat and a
delicious, musky, masculine scent. He smelled good. Comforting.

“Might I remind you that Sunnie flirts with
every guy in this house, but no one takes her up on it?”

“Because she has the herp,” I murmured.

His hand paused mid-rub on my back. “That’s
right. How did you know?”

“You told me when you were drunk.”

He chuckled. “Shit, she’s going to be pissed
if that gets out on TV. I hope they don’t show me talking about
that.”

I didn’t care if they did or not. I rubbed my
cheek against Brodie’s shoulder and noticed that the shaved side of
my head made a horrible rasping sound. My hand smoothed at my
too-short hair. “This is an awful haircut.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t thrilled with it either.”

I thumped a hand on his chest. “Oh please. It
looks good on you.”

“You think so?” Brodie mused. “Or are you
just saying that to flatter my vanity?”

“It’s not all that different from your normal
hair,” I told him. “You just had to shave it a bit closer on the
sides and spike the top.” I began to tear up again. “It’s
completely different for me.”

He hugged me again. “Don’t be sad, Kandis. I
didn’t think Sunnie was going to do it as soon as I saw the
picture, and I was surprised that you did. But I was also proud.
You’re a fighter. You compete.”

“I didn’t get naked on TV,” I told him
miserably.

“The only reason I did is so we could keep
control. It wasn’t like I wanted to show everyone my ass.”

Whatever. Brodie had a fine ass. I was
tempted to touch it right now, but that would just get me in
trouble. My fingers twitched, though, as if needing to caress him.
“Now you’re just trying to make me feel better.”

“No, I’m not. But I will tell you something,”
Brodie said, and put a finger to my chin, lifting my head. My gaze
met his. “Even with your hair cut like that, you’re the hottest
girl in this house. Arguably the hottest girl I’ve ever met. And
one of the bravest, sneakiest, and most determined.”

The flattery made me blink in surprise. My
lips parted, and I wanted to say something to him. Thank him for
being supportive. Deny his effusive praise. Something.

But I noticed his gaze had gone to my mouth,
to my parted lips. And my breathing became shallow.

His thumb grazed my lower lip in an almost
thoughtful manner.

I remained frozen in place, riveted by the
tender touch. A surge of need washed through me, and I watched
Brodie, trying to take my cues from him. I wished he showed his
emotions on his face like I did.

Instead, that thumb continued to stroke my
bottom lip, distracting me.

“Would it be bad if I kissed the prettiest
woman in this house?” Brodie asked me, voice husky. His eyes were a
deep, dark blue when he looked at me, dark with need. “You think
she’d mind?”

I shivered at his words, feeling heat pulse
through my body and settling between my hips. I should have told
him no. Our partnership was based on friendship and a common bond
of wanting to win the game. I didn’t trust him. How could I? I’d
seen what he’d done with the cameras on him last season.

Kissing would just change things.

But we’d kissed before, hadn’t we? Brodie had
brushed his mouth over mine in the barest of kisses. There had been
no tongue, but I fully admitted to myself that I wanted to
experience what it was like to get deep, wet, seeking kisses from
Brodie. To have his mouth devour mine.

But that would ruin my game plan, wouldn’t
it?

I sighed heavily. “We shouldn’t. Not if we
intend on staying focused on the game.”

His mouth curled up on one side in a soft
smile. “You’re right, of course. I just got a little distracted by
my sexy partner. Forgiven?”

“How can I possibly be mad when you say such
flattering things?” I teased back, my mood improving. “It’s
impossible.”

“That’s partially why I say them,” he said
with a wink, releasing me. His hands fell away from me, and I was
left bereft and wondering if I made a mistake. “I suppose if we
want to get a good night’s sleep, we should get on it, though. It’s
late and I’m exhausted.” He rolled away and out of the bed, heading
toward the bathroom to brush his teeth.

I watched him go. Brodie didn’t seem
exhausted. If anything, he seemed wired, especially after his win.
Just a ploy to change subjects, then? I got up from the bed myself
and stripped off my yoga pants. My slobby dance-studio t-shirt was
long enough to cover my panties, so I didn’t bother putting on
pajamas. The bed was big enough—the only king in the house—and we
could both comfortably sleep without worrying about touching the
other partner. So I stripped off my bra and tossed it into my bag,
too, intending to sleep in just a t-shirt and panties. It was the
most comfortable way to sleep, after all.

After Brodie finished brushing his teeth, I
did the same, washed my face, and then headed back into bed.

He immediately turned off the lights and
rolled over, his back facing me. “Night, Kandis.”

“Night,” I said softly. I stared at his back.
It was big and strong and looked broad in the darkness. There was
just barely enough light to make out his form, and I wondered what
he was thinking.

Closing his eyes and just trying to
sleep?

Imagining how the kiss would have gone if I’d
said yes?

Dammit, why had I said no? Was I crazy? Now I
was going to wonder about it all night long. I wouldn’t be able to
sleep because every time I closed my eyes, I’d imagine Brodie’s
thumb on my lower lip again, and then imagine him moving it to the
side and his mouth moving to cover mine. His full lips sucking at
my lower one. His tongue sliding into my mouth…

I bit back a whimper. Damn it. We’d been in
the house for almost a month, and I’d been lying in bed next to a
hot, sexy man in a completely non-physical fashion. It was making
me realize how much platonic sucked. In the last month, we’d had no
sexual contact of any kind. I wasn’t dating—hadn’t even been dating
before I’d come on the show, because I’d been too worried about my
mother and too focused on her. Normally those needs were taken care
of by masturbation, though.

But you couldn’t masturbate when you were
sharing a room with a stranger and cameras were pointed on you at
all hours.

I snuggled deeper under the covers, thinking
hard. Unconsciously, Brodie shifted, moving a little further away
from me on the bed.

I frowned at his back. Was he avoiding me,
then? I shifted and pretended to fluff my pillow, all the while
scooting a bit closer to his back.

He didn’t move.

I shifted a bit closer, so near now that I
was practically spooning him. If I took a deep breath, my nipples
would brush against his back, and they were already hard and aching
with need. I was pretty sure that I was slick between my legs.

This was so not a good idea.

But I still wiggled a little nearer. My
nipples skimmed his back. Delicious twin bolts of sensation
flickered through my body, and my pulse raced. Oooh. Illicit
touching was kind of naughty…and lots of fun.

Brodie shifted and moved a bit further away
on the bed.

I moved a little closer and propped an arm
underneath my breasts to make them jut out a bit more. My nipples
brushed against him again, and I had to bite back a moan.

It was so, so wrong to want Brodie Short. But
I totally needed him. I regretted not taking him up on that kiss.
Was it too late to change my mind? Damn it, why was I such a
chicken?

Brodie shifted again, and to my surprise, he
rolled over. I shied backward a bit, but our faces were still super
close together, our legs practically tangled. I knew we were both
on his side of the bed.

“Kandis,” he whispered, and he pulled the
blankets over his head—so no one could read his lips. “What are you
doing?”

“Trying to sleep,” I said innocently. But my
breathing had quickened and my nipples felt like aching points. If
I pressed my thighs together, I could feel the wetness between
them. There’d be no sleep here.

“Really?” Brodie asked, a skeptical note in
his whisper. “Or are you trying to just torture me?”

“Torture you?”

He shifted under the blankets, and his hand
grabbed mine. He guided it down to his boxers and placed it on his
hard, stiff erection that was tenting his boxers.

I hissed out a breath.

“Don’t tell me that surprises you,” he
murmured. “You’ve been rubbing those gorgeous tits against my back
for the last ten minutes.”

“You noticed?” I breathed.

“How could I not?” His whisper was low, but
it still held an ache of need in it. “You’re driving me wild,
Kandis.”

“I changed my mind,” I told him, and I
wrapped my fingers around his length. He seemed impossibly thick
and long under those boxers, and I thought of him naked while he
was streaking earlier. I wished I hadn’t been so caught up in my
own misery so I could have ogled him more. “I want that kiss after
all.”

He groaned low, and I felt his hips shove
against my hand, forcing my grip to rub on him. “If you promise to
keep your hand there, I’ll do whatever you like.”

Oh god, that was incredibly exciting. It was
so wrong to be so turned on, wasn’t it? This was the worst place in
the world to fool around, but I had never been more aroused. I
squeezed his erection. “Then come kiss me.”

He dragged me closer to him under the
blankets until I was practically laying under him. My hand remained
on his cock, and I gave it another encouraging rub even as he
leaned closer.

“Fuck, you are good with your hands, Kandis.
You naughty little minx.”

I didn’t get a chance to reply to those words
because his mouth pressed down on mine, giving me the kiss I’d
asked for. Brodie had a pretty mouth. I’d noticed that in the weeks
that we’d been in the house. Soft and sensual and almost too
feminine for such a masculine guy, I’d wondered what it would feel
like against my own full lips. Too pillowy? Too soft?

I’d been so wrong. His mouth was warm against
my own, but it was anything but soft. He was all hard edges and
need, and the stubble on his jaw scraped against my skin as his
mouth slanted over mine in desperate need. There was nothing gentle
about this kiss, not like the soft touches he’d given me
earlier.