Until I looked over and saw him watching me.
That made my entire body hum with awareness. I ran my hands over my arms and shoulders, unable to stop myself from making the motions a little more sensual than I should have. I wasn’t quite brave enough to rub my br**sts in front of him, but my ni**les were erect, a sure sign that I was turned on.
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 ni**les 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 c**k 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 h*ps and taken his c**k 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.