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Orders went up from the rest of our group, and Daniel mixed drink after drink with practiced ease. He said he’d worked as a bartender a few years ago, which explained his smooth moves. I soon had a mojito in hand and grinned when the cool liquid hit my tongue. It was hot and humid, even at night, so the refreshing drink was just what I needed.
Drinks were flowing, music was pumping, and soon, we had thrown our inhibitions to the wind and shook it on the dance floor. You know how they say, dance like nobody was watching? Yeah, well, that couldn’t really happen on this island. I did my best to ignore the stationary cameras and two wandering cameramen, and after a little while, they faded into the scenery.
I sipped my drink and moved to the music with the other women as we created our own little dance circle. We were here for various unknown reasons—the hot guys being one of them—but that didn’t mean we couldn’t bond along the way. And, honestly, what better way was there than a good old-fashioned dance off?
Gia, who had been relatively quiet since our talk about gluten in the kitchen, was the best dancer among us by a long shot. Within fifteen minutes, she had dragged all the guys one by one onto the makeshift dance floor to join us.
A sultry song came on next, the dark notes wrapping around us in the moonlight. Diego pried himself out of Cheryl’s embrace and headed my way. Once he was close, he snaked an arm around my waist, guiding us through the unhurried beat. His delicious scent of mint and something spicy wrapped around me, and he leaned closer.
“Tomorrow, huh?” he asked, referring to the brief conversation we’d had earlier.
“Mhm,” I agreed. The rum was mixing with the wine from earlier, and everything was a little sparkly in my brain. “We’ll see.”
His stubbled jaw rubbed against my cheek, and my breath caught when I realized just how close he was. It would be so,soeasy to turn toward him. To let his full lips brush mine and give in to this chemistry.
He ran his fingertips up my spine. His skin was warm, and the touch left tingles in its wake. I tilted my head back, surrendering to the sensations he elicited from my body.
Diego’s thigh moved between my own until we were flush together, moving slowly and intentionally against one another. Glancing over his shoulder, I noticed the mood had changed along with the song. Some of our housemates had paired off, and the others congregated around the bar. Kayla was lip-locked with Aaron as they sat off to the side, her hands roaming across his chest and shoulders as they kissed. I was momentarily distracted as an iguana lumbered past them, heading off into the foliage to probably find its dance partner for the night.
The air felt electric. Like every moment here was amplified tenfold because of the game. Time was limited, and we needed to make connections if we had a shot at earning the prize.
In real life, I might play coy or stretch out the encounter. But here, we were living in a time vortex with the added pressure of filming and an audience.
As we danced, my chest pressed to Diego’s, I could hear his shaky inhale against my ear.
With his teeth on either side of my earlobe, he bit down gently. Nerves I’d never known before lit up inside me like a firecracker on the Fourth of July and then promptly traveled south. No recovering from that on camera. “Can I kiss you?” he whispered, just loud enough to be heard over the music.
I smiled, pulling back enough to look up into his dark eyes, and whispered, “Yes.”
Diego’s other hand moved higher to wrap around the nape of my neck. His dark eyes searched mine as I stared up at him. With his hooded gaze on my face, it felt like I was being consumed. My breathing went shallow as I fell into the abyss of his eyes.
He tilted my head just the way he wanted, and my eyelids fluttered closed as he drew nearer. Warmth caressed my fevered skin as we shared breath, and, after a second that felt suspended in time, he claimed my lips.
It started slowly, timidly, like he was giving me time to get acquainted with him. My senses went haywire. Pillow-soft lips, the whoosh of my heartbeat in my ears, firm hands, and the taste of tequila and orange juice were all I knew.
With my hand resting over his heart, I felt it thump beneath his skin in time with the music. He coaxed my lips apart with his tongue and let out a groan when I gave back just as good as I got. He consumed me, taking every last thought I’d been mulling over—the show, the cameras, my brand, the others in the house—and erased it all with a few strokes of his tongue against mine. Our teeth clashed as he shifted his head, but instead of pulling me out of the moment, it only made me want more.
More carnality, more devouring, more of everything.
The man could kiss like a god, and I was here to worship.
Viv’s loud cheer right next to my face broke through the haze. I pulled back, Diego chasing my lips as my eyes fluttered open. His gaze was already locked on me as he ran his tongue along his lower lip, as if savoring one last taste.
“Tomorrow,” he said with promise as he turned me toward the still cheering Viv.
“That was so fucking hot!” she shouted, falling into my arms.
“Good lord, you’re wasted,” I said, righting her. “You okay?”
“Right as rain! Does it rain here? I wonder how much. Do you think there’s an almanac in the house? How cool would a thunderstorm be right now?!” Her volume increased with every subsequent word, making me wince. Viv was sloshed and clearly a chatty drunk.
“Come on, Viv. Let’s get you to bed.” I led her away from the booze and toward the house.
“Night, everyone!” Viv called over her shoulder to the rest of our group. It looked like things were slowing down anyway, so she wouldn’t miss much. But dammit, she sure knew how to interrupt a life-changing kiss. I tried settling Viv’s arm over my shoulder, but the girl had turned to Jell-O and slipped every time I thought I had her anchored. She let out a loud snore, twitched violently, and promptly crumpled onto the ground.
“Really?” I groused.
She woke up for a second, cheered, then fell asleep again. Okay, probably not a medical condition to watch out for.
