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 recall 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 br**sts 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.