I whimpered, clinging to him.
“Now you’re finally mine,” he told me softly, then claimed my mouth with a kiss, even as he thrust deeper. His next stroke bottomed out, taking me so deep that I could feel it all through my body.
I came with a fierce cry against his mouth, shuddering against him. Every muscle in my body seemed to take part in the orgasm, tightening deliciously and then slowly releasing. Above me, Jendan continued to murmur sweet words and slam into me, our bodies rocking the bed.
Then, he leaned down and buried his face against my neck, dragging in a rough breath. My hands went to his ass, clutching him against me, and I felt his bu**ocks tense, hard as rocks, as he came with a shudder of his own, and then collapsed on top of me, spent.
With a heavy, blissful sigh, I slid my hands over his back contentedly. “That was wonderful.”
Jendan moved off of me, rolling to the side. He got off the bed, quickly disposed of the condom and then returned, dragging me against him so we could continue to cuddle. “Wasn’t too fast for you?”
I shook my head, eyes closing as his arms wrapped around me. “Just perfect. That was exactly what I needed.”
He kissed my neck from behind me, mouth moving over my damp skin. “I aim to please.”
“You succeeded,” I said with a smile, snuggling close to him again. Then, I sighed, remembering what day it was. “I hate that we have to leave soon.”
“Soon? Who said anything about soon? My plane doesn’t leave until tonight.” He began to nibble on my ear, sending ticklish sensations through my body. “Way I look at it, we still have hours and hours of loving to get in before we part.”
I rolled over so I faced him, and couldn’t help but trace a finger down his tanned cheek, then down his equally tanned chest. “So what’s with all this talking, then? I thought you were a man of action.”
He wagged his eyebrows at me. “So you want action, do you?”
“I thought that’s what I signed up for. I—“ A yelp escaped me, then a helpless laugh as he tackled me on the bed, a gleam in his eye…and reached for another condom.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“I enjoyed my time on Endurance Island. Learned a lot about myself. I’m not an impulsive kind of guy, or a mean player. I guess being the nice guy is not the worst thing in the world. I could be Kip.” – Jendan Abercrombie, Jury Interview, Endurance Island: Power Players
At the airport, I kissed Jendan one last time and slipped my phone number into his hand. “You’ll call me, right?”
He smiled, those crinkles around his eyes making my heart melt. “Of course I will.”
~~ *** ~~
Four Days Later
When my phone rang, I dove over my couch and clutched it with both hands, heart frantically pounding as I looked at the screen.
Mom.
Oh. Darn it. Not Jendan. With a sigh, I clicked on the phone to take the call. “Hi, Mom.”
“You’re home,” my mother said excitedly. “How did it go? How come you didn’t call me sooner?”
“Oh. I was waiting for a phone call.” I blushed a little. “I was going to call you as soon as I connected with…that person.”
If my mom noticed my pause, she didn’t comment on it. “So how did it go? Are you skinny as a rail?”
“It went fine. We’re not supposed to discuss details, but I did really well. And I’m a little skinny, and really, really tanned.”
“I hope you wore sunblock. Cancer, you know.”
I rolled my eyes. “Mom, it was a survival game. They didn’t hand out sunblock.”
“Then you sue them later when you get cancer. They should have given you something for that.”
“Sure, Mom, sure. It’s fine, and I’m not going to get cancer, okay? I was very careful.” I flopped down on my couch, resigned to a long phone call with my mother to catch her up on the last two months. “Did I tell you that we were in Fiji? It was gorgeous. Lovely beaches, blue water, and tons of coconuts.”
“You sound so happy, Annabelle. You must have done well. Did you win the money?”
Didn’t my mom even watch the show? “They don’t award the money until the live finale, which won’t be scheduled for a few months yet.”
“But you don’t have an idea?”
Count on my mom to keep pressing the subject. “Well…don’t tell anyone, but I was in the top two. It’s either me or this other girl that won the whole thing. I’m trying not to think about it because I won’t know the results for a long time.”
She gave a squeal of delight. “Really? Oh, baby, I’m so excited for you!”
I smiled into the phone. “Thanks, Mom.”
“I’ve been worried sick the entire time you were gone. I was afraid it’d turn out like last time. They did you dirty with how they made you look on TV, you know. All my friends kept saying, ‘that’s not your Annabelle Tucker.’ And I’d always tell them, no, it’s not. They’re making her look like a tramp for ratings because she’s pretty –“
“Mom,” I protested. God, this was why I didn’t call her right away. She’d been so excited and proud when I’d made it on the last show…until it started showing. “The new show hasn’t even aired yet. They could make me out to be some sort of huge jerk this time. Let’s not get too excited just yet.”
“A huge jerk with a million dollars? No, they’ll make you look good if you’re the winner.”
She had a point.
“I just hope you learned your lesson from last time, that’s all,” my mother said, that disapproving ‘mom’ tone in her voice. “No hooking up with men on TV, no matter how pretty their hair is.”
I winced. “Gee, thanks, Mom. Did I mention Kip was on there again, too?”
She gasped. “Did you knee him in the family jewels?”
“No,” I said smugly. “Better than that, I got him voted out.”
“Well,” she said reluctantly. “That’s almost as good as a knee to the groin.”
“Mom, you’re so bloodthirsty.” I couldn’t help but smile, though. Good old mom.
“He did my baby wrong,” she grumped. “I hope you stayed away from the men this time.”
Again, I winced. Count on mom to hit the nail on the head. “Well…now that you mention it—“
“Oh, Annabelle, you didn’t. After last time?”