I put my fist across the table as I’ve seen my brother and Isaiah do so many times on the sports fields they shared and in life.
Isaiah closes one eye and the eyebrow of the other raises high, giving me a very curious look but he brings a light fist up and gives me a bump.
“Teammates,” I say, realizing what I just did was pretty awkward and is not going to get him thinking of me in a feminine way…or as anything more than his best friend’s little sister.
Although the feeling of his skin on mine, the contrast of his huge hand and knuckles against mine, and the spark of electricity that I feel every time we touch in any way whatsoever sure felt good.
“Teammates, huh?” he says.
“That’s what we are, right?” I ask, bringing a forkful of food up to my mouth. I can see my own hand is starting to shake right in front of my very eyes. I blow on the food and then stick it in my mouth, in the hopes that having something inside of it will prevent me from putting my foot back in there. I feel like I’m stumbling all over my words right now. First with those girls and now apparently with him.
“You know these other couples are couples in real life?”
“I thought this was just arranged…like a singles island or something. Isn’t that why they call it Instalove Island? You meet here and you fall in love instantly…or that’s what they want I guess.”
“What they want is ratings. I’m not sure what these other people put in their application packages or video interviews or whatever they had to do to get on this show, but I’m starting to think some of these couples are real couples. They weren’t just set up, like us,” he says.
I keep chewing knowing I must look like a giraffe with the big circular motions my mouth is making, but I don’t want to talk yet. I’m still processing all of this.
“If the show was set up so that these couples are all strangers then we’d be eliminated immediately as we’d be cheating since we already know each other, right?”
I can’t wait any longer.
I swallow my food in one gulp. “What did Eric tell you to get you to do the show?” I ask.
He stares at me saying nothing before shoveling another bite of food into his mouth.
Why didn’t he answer me?
Why is he stalling?
“He told me he’d lose his job if he couldn’t find a guy to fill the final spot super quick,” he says.
“That’s what he told me too. The only difference was he needed a woman to fill the final female spot.” I pause. “But why did it take you so long to answer my question?”
“Because I thought I was here for one challenge and then I’d get eliminated and go back home, which is what I wanted…at first. That’s why I don’t know much about this whole show, the rules, who knows who and who doesn’t, or anything really. I’m guessing most of the couples are set up, which would make sense with the whole Instalove Island theme, but maybe they put some decoy real couples in there for all I know to mix things up and add another layer of drama. I guess the people watching at home will know things we won’t.”
“At first?” I swallow hard and feel my pulse in my neck.
“I don’t have the time or interest to do silly shows like this. That and I’d never want to get caught on a show like this. I could only imagine how confusing it would be to the woman that I actually want.”
“Because she wouldn’t think your advances towards her were real?” I say, realizing he’s never made an advance at me so he must not be talking about me which takes the wind right out of my sails.
“Not the advances I’d already made, because I haven’t made any,” he says and I watch his hand inch closer to mine. “But the advances I told myself I was going to make as soon as I got back home and saw her face to face.”
“And what about now?”
“Now? I don’t have to go all the way home to tell her.”
“Why is that?”
“Because she’s here.”
CHAPTER 7
Isaiah
I’m fuming right now.
Just a second ago I was ready to take her feminine little hand in mine and then Eric came out of nowhere and told us about our next challenge.
We get seated in the sand by the beach and watch a Polynesian dance of fire. I’m wondering if he’s thinking about letting people swing fire around as that sounds like an accident waiting to happen.
And no way am I letting my woman get hurt.
Just like when I held her up above the water in our first challenge, I literally don’t care if a shark rips my legs to shreds. I’ll balance on the damn stumps if I have to if it means keeping her safe.
“So, we’re down to seven couples and the next challenge won’t be fire dancing,” the announcer says and some of the contestants seem more let down than they do relieved. These people must have no idea how dangerous fire is, but as a firefighter I know all too well.
“But we have something close,” he says. “Bring out the hula hoops.”
The staff brings out seven hula hoops that are made out of some sort of flashy glow stick kind of material. I’ve got to hand it to him…this looks like it could be a cool challenge that involves the history of the islands and more importantly one where no one gets hurt.
“The next challenge is tandem hula hooping for time…but there’s a catch.”
The other contestants gasp as they’ve been trained to do. Most of these “reality” shows just hire attractive out of work actors who know that extreme emotions equal ratings. I’m not here to play those games.
I’m not here to play any games as a matter of fact. I’m here to get Isabella and get out. The sooner we can win this thing and get on a flight home, the better. Not that I wouldn’t enjoy a tropical island vacation with her, but not like this.
“And the catch is that contestants are allowed to swap partners for this challenge.”
What?
“And if you swap partners there are two options moving forward, but you have to choose which one you want before hand. The first option is we take the times from each member of the original couple and we average them to arrive at that couple’s time. The second option is….”
I see everyone’s hanging onto his words for this one.
“You can switch partners…for good.”
Immediately I see a couple of the women jump up and down and start clapping their hands.
“And only the people who want to switch have to agree. If your man wants to leave you it’s bye bye, sorry Charlie.”
Immediately the two women I saw trying to talk to Isabella at dinner dart over in our direction. They look me up and down and it takes me a second to process what it means.
“Not in a million years, ladies. I’m with her,” I say looking at my Isabella.
But it gets worse.
From the position where these girls were originally standing you can’t really hear the words I’ve just said. So apparently, sensing their women were looking to make a quick change the two men make a beeline through the sand running right toward Isabella.
Oh hell no.
I step in front of her and just as they thought they were going to come to a quick stop at her feet, they meet the wall that is my chest instead and they both go flying back on their asses.
“So we’re stuck with these clowns still,” one of the women says.
“You can have anybody you want,” Isabella says, “as long as it’s not him.”
She slides in tight and wraps her hands around my arm, claiming me in front of the other girls and my already inflated chest swells with even more pride.
Most importantly I like that she’s letting everyone know that we’re here together…an unbreakable duo.
And two, she’s inserting that thought, planting that seed, that the women can still look for another guy if they want…just not me.
It’s a lot harder in life to build anything or get any kind of forward momentum when you’re jumping from one shiny object to the next, and Isabella
is lightly encouraging to do just that…to keep looking for another guy.
And the way I just sent their guys tumbling backwards just adds fuel to the fire.
And when the girls aren’t able to find anyone to switch with the arguing becomes so heated and loud I bet you could practically hear it half way across the island.
And now I know those two couples are already beat.
All Isabella and I have to do now is enjoy our tandem hula hoop.
And this sounds so sexy and exciting I already know I’m about to enjoy it way too much.
CHAPTER 8
Isabella
All the couples draw straws to see who will go in what order.
We get the longest straw and we go last.
Even though it doesn’t make sense strategically I’d rather go first. I’m dying to do this challenge with him knowing there’s no way our bodies won’t touch.
I want to be trapped inside that little hula hoop with him our bodies moving in rhythm like we’re dancing…or something else.
We watch as the first six couples go. Some try various strategies that work a bit and others that fail miserably.
The two girls who briefly tried to steal Isaiah away from me have the worst times after every other couple has gone.
I’m not sure if it’s because of the very visible display of anger we’ve witnessed between them and the guys they’re with, or because they actually want to lose so they can go home and get this over with.
But either way one thing they didn’t get, nor are the going to get, is my man.
“Okay. Isabella and Isaiah you two are up. You only have to beat the two slowest times to advance to tomorrow. That means you have to beat a whopping five seconds and you’re good to go,” the announcer says.
“You have to get closer,” the staff member with our hula hoops says. “It’s a better shot for the camera and these hula hoops are small.”
Isaiah and I are barely half a foot apart as it is. We both kind of give each other a look that says, “if the crewman insists,” and we move in even closer.
Immediately I feel his need press up against me. The thin clothes we wear to combat the heat provides little resistance to the attack his cock is waging against his own clothes to break free.
And he’s so close to me right now that when the crewman brings the hula hoop over the tops of our heads and into position there’s no way either of us is breaking free from the other.
“Situated?” he asks in a low voice so the cameras can’t pick it up?
I move closer feeling my nipples pebble just before they brush against him, causing that rock hard cock of his to jerk against me and I moan softly.
“Are you okay?” the crewman asks.
“Uh huh,” I say. “Sorry, must have been something I ate. Too spicy you know,” I say before I remember that it was sweet and sour pork and not savory.
The crewman shoots me a raised eyebrow, but quickly shelves the idea. He’s got work to do and so do we.
And by work I mean we need to work it together and advance to the next round.
“Contestants…are you ready?” the announcer asks.
Isaiah nods and I can’t help but smile.
“In three…two…one,” he says and I feel the crewman spin the hula hoop around our waists and then his hands pull back. He gives us the initial start and then it’s up to you to keep it going.
And when I feel Isaiah’s hips move with mine to the beat of the drum that is somewhere nearby I know that’s not going to be a problem at all.
His hips move in an in-and-out circular motion from right to left and my hips respond in reverse as of course I’m facing him.
But his ins-and-outs get deeper and deeper to the point I’m practically doing slight backbends.
Suddenly I feel his big hands take my hands as he raises them up above my head as we move the plastic circle with nothing more than a grinding motion that somehow keeps it from falling.
He moves in closer yet and somehow we’ve gone from hula hooping in a Tahitian fire dance sort of way to something that resembles way more of a Caribbean salsa type of move and then Isaiah shocks me entirely.
“Lean into me,” he says.
“What?”
“Lean into me.”
“We’re already touching,” I say.
Isaiah has no more time for instruction and takes charge himself as he raises his hands higher, lifting my feet clean off the ground.
He leans back at a forty-five degree angle causing my body to come to rest on his.
It’s like his hips are a fulcrum and he’s both balancing me and still keeping the hula hoop spinning around us.
“This guy’s a pro,” I hear someone say.
“How are we supposed to compete with them?” another voice says.
Then I hear one of those loud bullhorn type things go off and Isaiah slowly guides me back down to my feet, allowing my body to slowly slide down his the entire descent.
“Enough guys. You won,” the crewman says grabbing the hula hoop which is still spinning.
“Sorry, we didn’t hear anything,” I say.
“Didn’t hear? We’ve been calling you for almost a minute.”
“A minute?”
“Yeah, what were you doing? Trying to get in the Guinness Book of World Records or just rubbing it in the face of the other contestants?”
He lifts the hula hoop up and over our heads and I feel a sense of pride that our hula hoop still hasn’t touched the ground.
But oh did Isaiah’s body ever touch mine.
I turn and catch my brother’s face through the the light of the flickering fire nearby.
He looks completely shocked and I feel my cheeks warm immediately.
I’m not sure if he’s worried I’ll look slutty on TV or something, because I don’t have the benefit of seeing what just happened the way the camera sees it.
Or if he saw what I just felt.
An unbreakable connection to Isaiah.
“That’s it for tonight, everybody” Eric announces with a shocked look still on his face. “The two eliminated couples need to come with me. Everyone else can continue the mixer for a few more minutes and then it’s time to return to your quarters.”
I’ve got a quarter for my brother all right. A quarter so he can call someone who cares.
I see the look on his face and it doesn’t bother me in the slightest. I want Isaiah and he obviously wants me and I don’t care what anyone else thinks about it.
All that matters is him, and our opinions of each other.
“This way,” I hear Isaiah’s voice and turn to see him ducking out of sight by some palm trees.
I go to him and when I’m close enough he quickly takes me by the hand and we hurry off into the night.
And not into our quarters although it’s very clear that we’re very into each other.
And for the first time in my life I’m hoping the only man I’ve ever wanted will get into me. Deep into me.
CHAPTER 9
Isaiah
I’m tired of all these fake dates, or challenges, or whatever they want to call them.
It’s time for a real one with a real woman. My woman for real, none of this pretend stuff.
I lead us through the trees and down to a secluded stretch of beach. I’d tried to memorize the layout of the island as best I could in the days leading up this visit.
I had to be ready for a moment just like this.
“Where are you taking me?” she giggles as we exit the trees and then she suddenly sees the empty beach in front of us. “Whoa.”
“I’m taking you away from all that nonsense so we can get reacquainted.”
“Don’t you mean acquainted?”
“No.”
“But we never really spoke or hung out. You were eight years older than me so there was this age gap that was too great when we were kids.”
I like how she said was too great, not is too great.
“Well, fir
st thing…I was eight years older than you, and even though some years have gone by, I still am eight years older than you.”
“Very funny,” she says slapping me on the arm. I like her playfulness and something about the way she touches me, even in fake anger, just gets me rock hard immediately.
Instalove Island: An Older Man Younger Woman Romance (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 82) Page 3