“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.
r /> 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.
We’d gone way past that.
Instead, he bit at my lower lip, and when I whimpered in response, his hand moved to my jaw and coaxed my barely parted lips wider. Then, he slanted over my mouth and his tongue thrust against mine. Had I ever thought his mouth would be too soft to kiss well? He was doing better than that—he was fucking me with his tongue.
And oh god, I loved it. I rubbed my own against his, and my hand clasped his shaft, trying to give him the same wordless pleasure he was giving me with his tongue. He licked and sucked at me, and when I dipped my tongue to his lips in a tentative exploration, he caught it in his mouth and lightly sucked at it.
The need in my body exploded. My hips rocked against him, and I moaned into his mouth.
Brodie hushed me with another deep, slick kiss, but he’d heard my need and he responded. Just like my hand clasped his sex, his slid to my panties. Instead of moving into them, though, his fingers skimmed along the outside of the fabric. When my thighs parted for his exploration, he found my seam and began to knead the damp fabric, pressing the cotton against my skin and rubbing.
That drove me wild. My legs locked around his hips, and I ground against his hand, whimpering.
“You are a vision, Kandis. God. You’ve been driving me crazy for weeks now. And just look at how wet you are.” His fingers moved along my seam, outlining it against the damp material. “So turned on at the thought of kissing me, huh? Just like the thought of kissing you made me so hard I couldn’t stand it.”
I moaned into his mouth again.
“Sexy, sinful Kandis,” he murmured. His fingers found my clit even through the panties, and rubbed it hard, making stars spark in front of my eyes. My hips raised off the mattress, and I bit at his lower lip fiercely, need driving me wild. “We should probably stop,” he murmured against my mouth.
But he still kept rubbing my clit through the fabric.
I didn’t want to stop. My hands moved on his cock, and I rubbed, stroking him roughly in time with our twining tongues. I didn’t tell him to let me go. I didn’t tell him to keep going. I just showed him with my tongue and squeezed my thighs around his hips even tighter, trapping his hand between my legs and on my sex that shivered and rocked against his fingers.
I came moments later, in a wild gasp and a rush of wetness that flooded my already-wet panties. He groaned in response, and a moment later, the boxers I was holding onto were wet in the front and sticking to his skin. Brodie gave me another fierce kiss, his tongue claiming me, and then he pulled away, panting.
“That was the best handjob I’ve ever had,” he told me, and then he kissed me again. “Wish we’d been doing that since day one. You have no idea how many times I’ve gone to bed with blue balls at the thought of sleeping next to you.”
I should have been embarrassed at his words. But I simply grinned into the darkness and leaned up to lick at his full mouth, pleased. “I might have been thinking about you too,” I teased. “But I will never admit it.”
“Ha,” he said, and then sat up, the blankets falling down to pool at his waist. He leaned over to me. “I need a new set of boxers, though.”
“I need panties,” I told him in a soft voice.
“Give me yours and I’ll handle it,” he said into my ear, and then he nipped at my earlobe.
I shivered and nodded and then shimmied out of them under the blankets. They were wetter than I ever remembered getting before, but I’d been so incredibly aroused that I wasn’t ashamed. Heck, if Brodie could turn me on like that from simple heavy petting, I wondered what it’d be like to actually sleep with him.
Explosive, I decided. And that gave me all new shivers.
I handed him my panties, and he bounded out of the bed, heading for the bathroom. He returned a few minutes later in a new pair of boxers and crawled back into bed. “All set.”
I chuckled and leaned in to whisper again. “Um, did
you forget something?”
“Nope.”
I brushed a hand along his bare abs. “My panties?”
He pulled me close and spooned me against him, my back against his front. “Actually I kind of liked you like this.”
“You sneak.”
But I wasn’t upset. I was actually kind of pleased.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“What Kandis doesn’t seem to realize is that every time I see that mohawk of hers, I get a boner. It’s true. A chick with grit is the sexiest thing possible.” – Brodie Short, Day 31
I rubbed my hands and smiled gleefully at the confessional TV monitor. “This is the first time that Brodie and I have been in Power this game.” I paused. “Well, I say it’s Brodie and me, but the truth is, he’s the one with Power. I’m just riding his coattails.”
“Any ideas of who you’ll put up this week?”
“We have a few ideas of who we want gone,” I said, and crossed my legs in the chair. “First and foremost is Sunnie, of course. Now that her partner’s gone, she’s been sulking all day. And she’s made a few pointed comments that indicate that she’s coming after me, so I’d like to put her up on the block, of course. And since someone else has to be nominated, Fido’s my other choice, I guess. He’s strong, and he’s a guy, and Brodie swears to me that, thanks to his maneuvering, he’s got the girl vote locked up. So as long as they’re all with us, they’re not against us.”
A pause.
I twiddled my thumbs for a moment, waiting for either the okay to leave or for another question.
It came after a long moment. “Our cameras show that you and Brodie put good use to the Power room last night. How is your relationship with him?”
My eyes widened in horror. That was…direct. And the last thing I wanted to talk about at the moment. “Um. We’re good. We’re good friends.”
“Do you go under the blankets with all your good friends?”
I could feel a blush creeping onto my face and grew irritated at the line of questioning. “If I feel like it. Just consider it affirming an alliance. Between friends. Can I go now?”