by Jill Myles
He popped the lid of the box open and held it out to me. “Kandis Thornton, I know I can be a total asshole at times, but I love you and I feel like we were born to be a team—in and out of the game. You’re the most beautiful, smart, intelligent, clever, and devious woman I’ve ever met. Plus, you have a killer ass. I love you, and I want you to marry me so I can share the million dollars we won together.”
A knot formed in my throat, and an ache burned in my heart. It was so incredibly sweet of him to offer. “You don’t have to marry me just because you feel obligated to share with me.”
He gave me an exasperated look and shook the ring at me, still remaining on bended knee. “I want to marry you because I love going to bed with you and waking up with you. I love scheming with you. I love sex with you. I love the way you twitch every time you get nervous. I love—”
“Okay, okay,” I said, putting my fingertips to his mouth to silence him. But I was smiling now. I looked at the ring in the box. It was a big, square-cut diamond surrounded by lots of smaller ones on a platinum band. I gasped at the size of it. “I thought you said this thing was a piece of crap.”
“Well, yeah. I don’t get my check until tomorrow morning.” He smiled sheepishly. “I’ll buy you a real one then, if you want. J-Lo big. So huge you knock people over with it.”
“I want this one,” I said softly, and I pulled it out of the box. Sure enough, it was too big, but I slipped it over my finger and didn’t care one bit.
“Is that a yes?”
I nodded, and when he grinned and got to his feet, he grabbed me by the hips and lifted me into the air, then he thumped both of us down onto the nearby bed. We fell together, tangled, and I laughed.
“Thank fucking god,” Brodie said. “I thought you were seriously, seriously pissed at me.”
“I was,” I said, and I grabbed him by the starchy collar of his dress shirt, pulling him closer for a kiss. “Why the hell didn’t you say something sooner?”
“I wanted to get the ring,” he told me between kisses. “And I wanted it to be real. I didn’t want to do it on TV because then it’d always seem like it was for the show. I wanted this to be just you and me.”
That was…the perfect thing to say. I gave him an intense kiss and rolled over until I was on top of him, straddling his hips. “You’re a devious man, Brodie Short.”
“It’s a good thing I found an even more devious woman to keep me in line.” He grinned up at me and raised his hips, pressing his arousal against me.
“Mmm, you make it sound like we’re the perfect team.”
His fingertips brushed over my cheek. “Are you kidding? I know we’re the perfect team.”
And that was why I was crazy about him. Sneaky, yet incredibly optimistic. “You know I love you, right?”
A huge grin covered his face. “Well, I’d assumed you did, but it’s nice to hear it out loud.”
“I wasn’t sure if you were telling me the truth when you told me you loved me,” I confessed. “I thought it might have been more manipulation to get me to vote for you.”
“Jesus, Kandis. How dirty of a player do you think I am?”
“You did screw over your own sister in the last game you played.”
He grinned. “Yeah, but Katy had gone on and on about how she didn’t want to play the game. I honestly thought she wouldn’t care. And it turned out perfect because she ended up with Liam. And the million dollars that should have been mine, except I screwed myself because my partner sucked.”
“So let me see, last game you hosed your sister and then yourself, and in this game you hosed me. Can’t imagine why I didn’t believe a declaration of love.”
“You’re right,” he said sarcastically, “I should have let you go to the end knowing that it wouldn’t make a difference and that the prize money would end up exactly the same, and let the jury tear you a new one on national TV. Gee, Kandis, that would have been so fun. I wish I had done it so I could see you cry, and then I could get all ragey and Hulk-Smash on everyone there. That would have gone over well.”
Darn it, I couldn’t stay mad at the guy. I wiggled on top of him, rolling my hips against his erection. “So you would have gotten mad if they’d torn into me?”
“I would have totally messed shit up. Throwing chairs, knocking out teeth, you name it.”
“That is so sexy.”
He wiggled his eyebrows at me. “Am I forgiven?”
“Not entirely.” I flashed the ring at him. “But this goes a long way.”
“I love you,” he said, utterly serious. “I really, really love you. And we’re going to use that money to help your mom. You know that, right?”
Tears pricked my eyes again. Man, I was just a crying idiot lately. “I love you too, you big schemer.”
~~ * ~~
Sometime around dawn, after rounds of torrid make-up sex, we lay in bed together, our fingers laced. Brodie was tracing delicate patterns on the skin of my shoulder.
I snuggled against him, feeling sated and incredibly happy. “Your apartment is in Oklahoma, right? Mine’s in Kentucky. So where do we go from here?”
“Well,” he said, and he leaned in to kiss my shoulder where he’d been touching it. “I’m happy to go anywhere you are as long as it involves an altar, conjugal living quarters, and room for a small dog.”
I laughed. “A dog?”
“Yeah, we gotta get a dog. Practice for having kids down the road or something.”
I snorted. “Let’s make that a lot further down the road, okay?”
“You bet, baby.” He smoothed a lock of hair away from my face. “So did the producers contact you yet?”
I rolled over in bed to face him. “Contact me about what?”
“Endurance Island.” He wagged his eyebrows at me. “They’re casting a Power Couples season, and they’re bringing back people from other shows. They asked me if we were interested. I told them I’d have to talk it over with my wife, of course.”
“You told them I’d be your wife?”
“Well, I was hopeful.” He grinned, unrepentant. “No sense in being a pessimist.”
I reached out and tickled his sides as punishment, enjoying his squirming. “Your wife wants to know what the prize is.”
He considered for a moment. “I think Endurance Island has a two-million-dollar prize.”
“Hmm. That’s a million for me and a million for you if we win that thing.”
“So, are you interested?”
“Do you promise not to vote me off again?”
A wicked grin curved his mouth. “No promises.”
I tickled him harder. “No deal, then!”
Brodie laughed and struggled, eventually pinning my hands with his stronger ones. “Come on. Don’t you want to use that beautiful brain and scheme your way to the money?”
I did, actually. “Only if you’re at my side the entire time.”
“They’d have to pry me away from you with a crowbar.” He leaned in and kissed me again. “It’s you and me always, or no deal.”
“You and me,” I breathed. “Always. That sounds pretty good.”
“It sounds fucking amazing.”
It did at that.
** The End **
Coming Soon from Jessica Clare
Body Games: A Games Novel
The Games novels go back to the beach! We return to Endurance Island…with a twist.
Jendan Abercrombie thinks that with a season of House Guests under his belt, he knows how to win a reality TV show.
But he hasn’t seen anything yet…literally.
Coming soon!
Want more sexy contemporary romance? Check out the Billionaire Boys Club, also by Jessica Clare!
The Billionaire Boys Club is a secret society of six men who have vowed success – at any cost. Not all of them are old money, but all of them are incredibly wealthy. They’re just not always as successful when it comes to love…
Book 1: STRANDED WITH A BILLIONAIRE –
Available Now!
When a hurricane blows in, a misplaced passport and a stalled elevator brings controlling, cold billionaire Logan Hawkings together with an unusual woman named Bronte. She’s unlike anyone he’s ever met—down to earth, incredibly sensual, and even quotes Plato. She also has no clue that he’s rich…
Book 2: BEAUTY AND THE BILLIONAIRE – Available Now!
Real-estate tycoon Hunter Buchanan has a dark past that’s left him scarred and living as a recluse on his family’s palatial estate. Hunter is ready to give up on love—until he spots an enigmatic red-haired beauty and comes up with an elaborate scheme to meet her.
Book Three: THE WRONG BILLIONAIRE’S BED – Available in Now!
Audrey Petty's always been the responsible one. The good twin. Successful, dependable, and trustworthy—that's Audrey. At least, she is until she meets billionaire Reese Durham…
From the Author
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About Jill Myles/Jessica Clare
Jill Myles is the pen name for New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jessica Clare. As Jill Myles, she writes a little bit of everything, from sexy, comedic urban fantasy to zombie fairy tales. As Jessica Clare, she writes erotic contemporary romance. She also has a third pen name (because why stop at two?). As Jessica Sims, she writes fun, sexy shifter paranormals.
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You can visit Jill/Jessica’s website at www.jillmyles.com