Body Games (A Games Novel) (13 page)

I emerged from the water a short time later, aroused and flustered.

Jendan was still seated nearby and regarding me. “Everything okay?”

I smoothed wet hair off of my face, disconcerted at his question. Had he picked up my attraction to him and was asking about that? That was…kind of awkward. I’d resolved to play this game without romantic entanglements, so I was doing my best to ignore it. I could crush on Jendan after the game. “Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

He gave me a knowing look. “Are you drinking enough water? Eating enough?”

“I should be asking you that,” I mentioned lightly. “Your ribs are starting to show.”

He ran a hand along his sides, and my gaze automatically went there. “I’m doing fine. I wasn’t lagging behind in the challenge because I wasn’t eating.”

“Weren’t you?” I teased. He flushed a dark red and I immediately felt bad for teasing him about it. “So, bad stomach?”

“Something like that. I had a rough time with the food challenges on
House Guests
, too. Failed at those in a spectacular fashion.” He grimaced. “You saved us, though. I was able to help Sunnie finish up. I don’t think anyone noticed us working together.”

Or if they had noticed, it just hadn’t trickled down the grapevine yet. “Mmm.”

His piercing gray gaze fixed on my face again. “But I saw you dropping those leaves, and that isn’t like you.”

“Isn’t it?” Now I was the one blushing.

“You struggled in the last challenge, too. You sure you’re okay? Friend to friend.”

I hesitated. Part of me wanted to confess my sins. Maybe if he knew I was hatching a plot to oust Kip, he could help me somehow. Maybe elbow-check Kip on the next challenge. But, thing was…Jendan was such a nice guy. I liked him precisely because he was polite and thoughtful. Because he was the anti-Kip.

And I was pretty sure he wouldn’t approve of me trying to deliberately get my partner voted out.

So I just shook my head. “I’m good. Just…” I cast around for an excuse. “One of my ankles has been hurting.”

“I know a little physical therapy,” he said, getting to his feet. “Let me take a look at it.”

Hoist by my own petard. “Oh, that’s really not necessary—“

He gestured for me to sit down on the rock he’d just vacated. “Give me your foot.”

“Jendan, really—“

Jendan ignored my stammering excuses and flicked his fingers, indicating that I should lift my foot into the air. I needed to wiggle out of this, because I was a terrible liar. And as soon as he looked at my perfectly fine foot, he’d see the expression on my face and realize I was lying.

Once I sat down, though, another problem presented itself - the fact that I was eye-level with Jendan’s, um, package. Oh jeez. I couldn’t sit there and stare at it while trying to figure out a way out of my situation. Swallowing, I lifted a foot into the air and closed my eyes.

Big, warm hands clasped my foot and I squeezed my eyes shut a little tighter. That felt obscenely good.
Obscenely
. I shivered as his fingers slid over the arch of my foot.

“Where is it bothering you?” he asked.

I had to pinpoint a spot? “Just…kind of, you know, aching, uh, underneath.” Mentally, I winced at how stupid that sounded.
Underneath
.
God, Annabelle. Why not paste a big dunce cap on your head.

“Underneath? I thought you said it was your ankle.”

“Oh. Um, well, it was, but now it’s underneath.”

“That’s all right.” His thumb pressed into the arch of my foot. “Here?”

I gasped, and to my horror, my nipples got hard and I felt my body respond to that touch. My foot jerked in his hands, and I was pretty sure I was wet between my legs. “Um, yeah, right there.” I felt my face turn an even brighter red.
Yeah, baby, right there.

“I don’t see anything.”

I opened my eyes to look up into his face as he stroked his thumb over my arch again. “It’s probably nothing.”

“Might be a pulled muscle or it could be a bruise if you stepped on something hard. You want me to rub it for you?”

“No,” I said quickly, drawing my foot out of his grasp. “I’m cool. Really.”

“Okay.” Jendan turned and walked away a few steps, and as he did, I saw something that surprised me.

Jendan’s cock was erect.

My eyes widened.

He was erect, and he was magnificent. My mouth watered. Holy shit, this whole ‘naked game play’ thing didn’t allow for many secrets. Jendan headed into the pool as I sat there, dumbfounded, staring at his backside.

Sexy, attractive
buddy
Jendan had a hard on. For me.

“Um, you know what? I think I should head back to camp and check on Kip,” I said, leaping to my feet. “It already feels much better.” And I scooped up my canteens, my dirty sneakers, and rushed into the jungle. “Bye!”

Chapter Twelve

“Playing footsies with a hot girl? Bad idea, Jendan. Bad freaking idea.” -- Jendan Abercrombie, Endurance Island: Power Players, Day 12

All that night, I thought about Jendan’s erection, and my stupid, chickenshit reaction to it.

There were a dozen ways I could have handled it. I could have acted like it was no big deal. I could have pointed it out and we could have had a nice, awkward laugh about it together. I could have admitted my attraction to him, despite the fact that I’d vowed no hooking up in game.

Or I could have caught him by the hips and taken his cock to my mouth.

You know, one of those things.

Instead, I stammered like a teenage virgin and ran away. But I kept thinking about his erection and possible scenarios and my possible reactions to it.

Oh, you’re turned on? Me too, no big deal, right?

Erections are normal reactions for guys, right? Don’t worry, I’m not offended.

Wow, you really are a grow-er. Now, let’s talk game strategy.

Turned on? Want me to take care of that for you?

I squelched that last thought. No more Annabelle the Island Ho. I’d made a promise to myself and I intended to keep it. Still, I could have handled the situation a lot better than I did. I hoped that it wouldn’t make things awkward with our friendship.

Sometimes it felt like Jendan was the only person I could depend on in this game. I needed him badly, and not in that way. I just needed a friend, a friendly ear, a scheming partner…and it didn’t hurt that he was hung like a bull and sexy to boot.

No! Bad! Stop it!
I told my brain. That kind of thinking just led to trouble.

~~ *** ~~

The weather the next day was ominous. Thick gray clouds covered the skies, and the wind was strong and had a bite to it. Despite the ever-present threat of rain, there was a reward challenge, and I was so sleepy from spinning thoughts of Jendan and myself locked in a torrid embrace that I’d been too pooped to give the challenge my all. I gave a little moan of distress when the team in first place — Jendan and Sunnie - won blankets and the team in second - Kissy and Rusty - won pillows.

I’d wanted those blankets. I craved warmth like Kip craved hamburgers. My little shelter sucked on most nights. It didn’t keep out rain, or sand fleas, or anything. And whatever shelter it offered was usually hogged by Kip, who refused to make his own. I ended up sleeping half on the sand in my own damn lean-to.

But if someone had to win blankets, I was happy it was Jendan. Oh, and Sunnie. The redheaded woman had freckled a ridiculous amount in the sunshine, whereas the rest of us had baked a few shades darker. She was also extremely skinny, her fake breasts enormous on her too-lean frame. Despite my help, Jendan’s team still wasn’t eating as much as they should have.

As I went over for my daily afternoon visit, I pulled a few tapioca roots and brought them with me. They needed to eat, and if I had to go over to their camp and show them how to cook the darn things, I would.

Jendan was waiting in his usual spot, unable to stop the smile from crossing his face as he saw me. “Did you see that? We won!” He grabbed me and pulled my body against his, swinging me around in pure pleasure.

I gasped at the contact of our skin and pulled out of his arms as soon as he stopped spinning me, uncomfortable with my reaction. Why was it when he touched me, I was instantly aroused?

My body wasn’t playing fair.

Jendan took a step backward and gave me an awkward half-smile, as if acknowledging the weirdness of the skin-to-skin contact. “Sorry about that. I got carried away.”

“It’s all right,” I told him.

“Did you
see
us out there?” he said again, turning the conversation back to safer subjects. “We dominated!”

“I couldn’t help but see you. You were leaving me in your dust.”

He grinned, looking so boyishly handsome that my heart did a little flip. Jendan reached out and gave my arm a consoling little rub that did nothing to ease the blood pounding in my veins. “It’s only because you’re injured. You’ll get the next one.”

I shrugged, not really wanting to answer that one. Instead, I held the tapioca roots out to him. “Here. Dinner. You and Sunnie are looking too skinny. You need to keep your strength up.”

“Thanks,” he said, taking the roots from me. He didn’t look too enthusiastic, though. At my raised eyebrow, he admitted, “Sunnie and I are both having trouble choking these down.”

Maybe it was my prior time on
Endurance Island
, but I thought they didn’t taste all that bad. “You get used to it. Plus, it beats an empty stomach. Cheer up. We’ll probably have a food reward soon.”

He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, as if in bliss at the thought. “You know what I would love?”

“What?” I watched him, fascinated by his expressive face. God, those cheekbones. Those lips. I wished I could run my fingers over them.

“Chicken breast and broccoli.” He licked his lips.

I was fascinated by that flash of tongue…so much that I almost missed what he said. Then, I giggled. “What the fuck?”

His gray eyes opened. “What?”

I pinched his arm. “You’re supposed to be dreaming about things like pizza and hamburgers, you dweeb. Not diet food.”

He pinched my arm back, teasing me. “I like chicken and broccoli, thank you. Nothing wrong with eating healthy. What do you want?”

“Chicken fingers,” I said promptly. “Smothered in ranch dressing.”

“That’s disgusting. Ranch is for salads.” He straightened and his eyes widened. “Oh man, a nice, big chef salad with vinaigrette dressing. I’d give my right arm for that.”

“Don’t do that,” I said quickly, laughing. “You need it to jerk off.”

Jendan stopped and stared at me, all traces of playfulness gone from his sculpted features.

Whoops. “Too soon?”

He glanced around as if looking for a nearby camera (of course there was one nearby. There always was.). Then he looked back at me and stepped in, voice low. “So…I guess you saw that, huh?”

I figured I’d keep going with the light and playful tactic. “Couldn’t miss it. Nearly poked my eye out.”

“It’s just…you know. With the time on the island and stuff…”

I held up a hand. “I’ve heard it all before. Blah blah haven’t had sex in a month, blah blah would happen with any girl.” Same spiel that Kip had given me last time after we’d had sex and then he’d never called me again. I’d gotten to hear all those fabulous things on the reunion show, rather than privately from Kip.

Not that it didn’t sting to hear them again.

Jendan narrowed his eyes at me. “What are you talking about?”

I tilted my head back, looking up at him. “Excuses for your impromptu boner?”

“I have no excuse. You’re pretty and naked and I like you. I touched you. Wood happened. I’m just embarrassed because I know you’re not into me the same way. That’s all.”

My mouth opened. Dropped a little. Closed.

Jendan thought I was pretty? The sexiest man I’d ever come into contact with thought I was attractive? Not into him? I could barely keep my hands off of him.

God, the timing was awful.

Self-consciously, I ran my fingers through my hair, knowing that it looked like a hot mess of snarls. “It’s not that I don’t like you, Jendan. It’s not like that at all. It’s just that…after last time, I vowed that I wouldn’t hook up with anyone in game. You know? I don’t want anything on camera to be misconstrued as Annabelle the Island Ho again.”

“I understand.” The look on his handsome face was so, so understanding.

“But if I wasn’t, I’d totally be kissing you right now,” I admitted. “I’ve been mentally lusting after you for a while.”

“And I’d totally let you kiss me right now,” he said softly, leaning in so close that I could feel the heat of his skin against my own.

“You would, huh?” My pulse thrummed in my body, attuned to his presence. I moved a little closer to him. Our bodies were now just inches apart, and I was keenly aware of my - and his - nakedness.