Bedroom Games (26 page)

I gasped.

Marla threw her hands up as
if to apologize. “Harsh words, sorry, but we all know they’re true.
Kandis, I want you to know that if you’re in the final two, I’m
voting for anyone
but
you. Just thought I’d point that out. We were busy saving your
ass early in the game, but it seems like it was a bad decision for
some of us. Next time, I’ll trust my gut.”

And with that, she gave a fake smile and
flounced back into her seat.

I stared, my jaw hanging open. That had been
a nasty speech. Not only that, but she’d implied that I was using
both Jendan and Brodie. Which…I wasn’t.

Was I?

Jendan was purely strategy. Brodie…Brodie was
all emotion where I was concerned. I wasn’t using him. If anything,
I was worried he was using me.

“It’s time to vote, Brodie.”

I glanced up at him as he got up, but he
didn’t look me in the eye. A cold feeling sank the pit of my
stomach, and I exchanged a look with Jendan. What if Marla’s words
had angered Brodie and he flipped things up and got rid of Jendan?
Then it would be Marla and Brodie…and they’d get rid of me.

It was possible. My stomach lurched. I
couldn’t think that. I had to trust Brodie. Had to. I didn’t like
to think that I’d put the fate of my game into the hands of someone
who betrayed on a whim.

Long seconds ticked past. Brodie returned to
the living area and thumped down onto the couch next to me. He said
nothing, and this time he didn’t reach over to touch my knee.

Something was bothering him.

I waited with dread for Becky’s face to
return to the monitor. “We have the vote,” she announced.

There was a pregnant, lengthy pause.

Then, “Marla, you have been evicted.”

I let out a big sigh of relief.

Marla nodded and got to her feet. We all gave
her awkward hugs and then she exited the house. I noticed she
whispered something into Brodie’s ear when she hugged him, and he
said something back to her.

Then it was just the three of us.

“We’re changing things up a little tonight,
House Guests,” Becky said. “There will be no challenge this
evening. The Power Play will be tomorrow morning and the next vote
tomorrow evening. The night after, it’ll be the finale. Be ready to
play your hearts out.” With that, she winked out, and the TV went
dark.

I looked at Brodie and Jendan. “So a vote out
tomorrow night and then the finale in two days? That seems so
fast.”

Jendan shrugged. “We’re probably boring to
watch when we’re down to just three people.”

He had a point. I looked over at Brodie, but
he was silent.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Not really.” He glanced at Jendan, then back
to me. “Can I talk to you in private?”

Uh oh. “Sure. Want to go upstairs?”

He gave me a curt nod, and I gave Jendan an
apologetic look. We were abandoning him and there was no one left
in the house to talk to. He waved me off, and I followed Brodie up
to the Power room that would be mine for one more evening.

He was furious, all right. As soon as the
door shut behind me, he gave me a black look.

“What’s wrong?”

Brodie stalked across the room and began to
pace, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. He looked furious,
and the fury looked directed at me.

“Are you going to talk to me?”

“So when were you planning on telling me that
you had a final two deal with Jendan?”

I sighed. This was bound to come out sooner
or later. I moved to the bed and sat down on the edge. “I thought
everyone maneuvered as much as they could on day one. Why is this a
big deal?”

“It’s a big deal because I thought we were
together. Your plan was to save him so you were fine either way,
right? That’s why you insisted on getting rid of Marla?” Brodie’s
expression was chilly, his eyes hard.

“Well, yeah,” I said. “Plus, Jendan’s a
better player. If he walks away with the million dollars, I won’t
be upset.”

“But
we’re
trying to win this thing,
Kandis.” He stabbed a finger at his chest, furious. “Me. You. Or do
you not care about me as long as you win?”

My mouth worked silently. What could I say to
that? “Of course I want to win, Brodie. My mom’s going to lose her
house if I don’t come up with some cash really damn fast. Why
wouldn’t I maneuver myself to be in the best spot possible?”

He scrubbed a hand over his face. “That’s not
what I meant. I know that. I mean, I…fuck!” He began to pace all
over again.

I felt awful. “I didn’t betray you, Brodie.
You have to trust me.”

He said nothing, simply stalked back and
forth.

I twisted my hands in my
lap. It was either that or get up and start pacing next to him.
“Fine. You want to know the whole dirty truth? Jendan and I decided
on day one that we’d work together. Day
one
. I didn’t know anyone in this
house, and neither did he. The fact that we both took this
seriously meant we could trust each other.”

I shrugged my shoulders,
feeling somehow guilty for being strategic. “It was just a smart
move. And then we got saddled with partners, and we decided we’d
still work together, because four was a better number than two,
right? And Jendan
did
save my ass when I was on the chopping block. And yeah, he did
let me win that money.”

I grimaced. The more I spoke, the more it
sounded like something was going on between me and Jendan. I shook
my head, erasing that thought out of my mind. I wished Brodie would
look at me, but he was avoiding my direction.

Desperate, I kept talking. “Is it perfect for
me that both of you want to take me to the final two? Yes. I’m not
going to sugarcoat it. I said I’d come in here to do anything to
win because I need that money, Brodie. I need it. I don’t care
about the title of winner. I just need to know that my mom is going
to be okay, and a big wad of network cash will do that for me. So
I’m not going to apologize for having a final two with you and a
final two with him. I can’t. I want to win.”

Brodie still said nothing, though he raked a
hand through his dark blonde hair, the ends of his mohawk sticking
up.

His pacing was driving me crazy. I got up
from the edge of the bed and approached him, placing my hands on
his biceps and halting him. “Are you going to talk to me?”

Brodie stopped, but the line of his mouth was
flat. Mulish.

I was honestly a bit surprised at this
reaction. “Are you really that mad at me over this? That I made
some good game moves?”

“You want me to be honest with you,
Kandis?”

“Well, yeah, that would be nice.”

“Fine.” He ground his jaw, frowned at me for
a moment, and then began to speak. “I think if I was being rational
about this, I wouldn’t care that you set yourself up to win. If I
was being rational, I’d think it was really damn fucking clever and
you’re a brilliant girl for playing all of us. If I was being
rational, I’d be proud of you. But I’m not being rational about
this. I’m fucking pissed, because…” He paused and raked a hand
through his hair again. “Because I see how you are with Jendan. How
intimate the two of you are. And I keep wondering if you’re kissing
him, too. If you’re fucking him, too.”

I recoiled, stunned. “Did you just call me a
whore?”

“No, I—”

But now I was furious. “You think I’d fuck
someone just to ally with them? Do you really think that?”

He exhaled slowly and had the decency to look
ashamed. “No, I don’t. This game’s messing with my head.”

“Then don’t accuse me of doing exactly
that!”

“I’m jealous, all right?” Brodie exploded.
“I’m fucking crazy about you, and I can never tell how you’re
feeling. I’m jealous of him, okay? Is that what you wanted to
hear?”

His words startled me. Of all the things I’d
expected Brodie to be upset about, jealousy wasn’t one of them.
Hearing that he was, though? I couldn’t help but be pleased—and,
okay, a bit aroused—by the thought of him being all beat-my-chest
caveman over me.

I moved closer to him, sliding a gentle hand
over his shoulders and then down his chest. “Brodie,” I murmured.
“It’s okay.”

His nostrils flared, the only sign that he
was paying attention to me.

“I may have an agreement with Jendan,” I told
him, moving my hands over his pectorals in a soothing, stroking
motion. “But if I win this next challenge, I don’t care how bad it
looks to everyone, but I’m picking you. Because Jendan and I may be
friends, but you and I are way more than just that. Understand
me?”

“Are we?” His gaze was intense. “I feel like
you’re sending me mixed signals.”

“Do I need to be straightforward?” I slid a
bit closer and put my hand on his groin and rubbed. “Allow me to be
blatant, then. In or out of this house, you’re the only man I’m
interested in. Satisfied?”

He groaned, his arms sliding around my waist.
“After that quick stroke? God no. That wasn’t satisfying at
all.”

I laughed despite the tension between us.
That sounded more like the Brodie I knew and loved.

And then I sobered. Loved?

Was I crazy?

I couldn’t be in love with Brodie the
betrayer.

Before I could ponder this, Brodie’s mouth
slanted over mine in a hard, fast kiss that stole my breath. It was
a kiss full of need and affirmation, and I melted into it. He
seemed to need me, and I needed him just as badly.

So I twined my arms around his neck and
deepened the kiss.

Brodie groaned and his hands tightened around
my waist. “Wanna go hide in the bathroom?”

My pulse fluttered. Did I ever. I lifted one
leg and locked it around his thigh. “Just try and get away from
me.”

“That’s the last thing I want to do,” he
said, and he punctuated his words with a kiss instead of the smile
I was expecting.

I admit, the tender gesture took me by
surprise. It melted me, just a little, and I clung to him as he
walked our twined bodies a few feet to the bathroom.

Once inside, he pressed me up against the
door again, and his mouth brushed over mine once more. “Sweet
Kandis. I think I’ve fallen hard for you.”

I sighed against him, my nipples brushing
against his chest. I felt the same way. I’d thought about what I’d
do once I left the house and all thoughts of a Brodie-less life
seemed impossibly dull at this point. I didn’t want to think about
that, though. Not while I was in his arms and he was kissing me as
though the world didn’t exist outside the touch of our bodies.

His hands fumbled with the clasp of my jeans,
and I helped him drag them down my hips, the fabric bunching at the
top of my thighs. His hand slid into my panties, cupping my pussy,
and his finger stroked through my wet folds, seeking my clit. Such
a bold, direct touch—there was no fooling around, not right now.
Not when we needed each other so much. I cried out when his touch
hit me in just the right spot, and waves of pleasure washed through
me.

“You’re already wet,” he breathed against my
mouth, his fingers circling my clit. “Is it my kiss that makes you
so slippery, baby?”

I nodded, breathless with need. Just the
thought of him touching me and I was so slick I could hardly stand
it.

His lips played over mine, his tongue dancing
along my bottom lip. “You’re so beautiful. Like you were made
perfectly for me.” Two fingers slid lower and sank into my core,
rocking deep.

I whimpered, clinging to him. “Brodie, I want
you in me now.”

But his hand only rocked, sinking his fingers
deeper inside me, pressing his palm to my aching clit. “Patience,
baby. I want to see your face when you come for me, just like
this.”

I moaned, digging my fingers into the fabric
of his shirt as he continued to work my pussy. My leg hiked around
his thigh left me wide open for his teasing—not that I’d dream of
pushing his hand away—and I wanted to wrap my other leg around him,
to leave myself completely at his mercy. “Brodie,” I panted. “Want
you so bad. Put your mouth on me.”

“Anywhere in particular?”

“Everywhere.”

His mouth swooped lower, heading to my neck,
and he nibbled on my skin there even as his hand continued to work
over my pussy. My gasp of pleasure echoed in the bathroom, and my
body jolted against the bathroom door as he continued to work his
fingers in and out of my sex, sliding deep, fast and hard. Each
pump of his fingers into me made the heel of his palm grind against
my clit, the motion exquisite but teasing. He never left it there
long enough for me to get off, and the result was an intense,
erotic tease. But his mouth on my neck licked and sucked at my
sensitive skin, and that, combined with his hand, was driving me
closer and closer to the edge. I tightened my muscles around his
fingers as he drove into me, increasing the friction, and my hips
worked with his hand, my body frantic for release.

It came a moment later, in an intense,
shuddering flash, and I cried out, clinging to Brodie as he worked
me higher and higher into my orgasm, his fingers slamming into my
flesh to drag out the pleasure.

“Just like that,” he breathed, watching me.
“Just like that, Kandis.”

Bliss cascaded through me. I let the ripples
move through my body, and then I slowly came back down from the
orgasmic high. I still held on to him, and when he lifted his head
to meet my gaze, I leaned in and brushed my lips against his.
“Condom?”

He kissed me back fiercely and detangled his
limbs from mine momentarily to get the condom. I made a sound of
protest, but he returned a moment later, and his hands were all
over me once more. “Drop your pants,” he told me.

I laughed. “Where’s my poetic Brodie?”