Bedroom Games by Jill Myles

rubbed my face, weary. I hadn’t gotten much
sleep since we’d arrived at the house. Too many creaky noises and
half-seen shadows keeping me up at night. The house was freaking me
out, just a tad, and I was having bad dreams. Some of it was due to
stress, I was sure, but not all of it.
    “It doesn’t work into my plans at all,” I
said, and could hear the irritation in my own voice. “My plan was
to lay low. Make a key alliance and stick to it. Ride the middle.
You know, hold back in challenges until about half the people here
were gone. Then, when the odds are better, come out swinging.
Dominate. But Brodie thinks the best way to play is guys versus
girls, apparently. Or all other guys versus him and the girls.” I
rolled my eyes. “So much for laying low.”
    “Thanks, Kandis. You can go now.”
    I flashed a quick peace sign at the screen,
hauled myself out of the chair, and then padded out of the room.
Since we were in the house, we’d been asked to wear either slippers
or socks so the sound of shoes wouldn’t mess up the audio. Sunnie
had a pair of huge fuzzy slippers. A few other people wore
flip-flops. I liked bare feet. It was how I worked out.
    As soon as I re-entered the
living room, I saw Brodie sitting on my couch, waiting for me. The others
were nowhere around, likely outside trying to get some sun at the
pool or smoking in the designated area. Brodie had a box of cookies
and was munching on it thoughtfully. As soon as I emerged, he made
a small gesture with his hand, indicating that I should join him on
the couch.
    Oh, here we go. Another strategy talk.
    I headed to Brodie’s side and snagged the box
of cookies from him and then slid onto the couch next to him. I
didn’t recognize the box of cookies—and the bored houseguests had
gone through everything in the pantry yesterday out of boredom.
“Where’d you get these?”
    “Liam and Katy,” he said. “They got a basket
of food up in the Power room.”
    I snagged a cookie and handed the box back to
him. “And let me guess, since you’re allied with them, they let you
have your pick of goodies?”
    “Actually, I didn’t ask.” He grinned. “I just
went up there and snagged this. Katy won’t be too mad.”
    I wanted to shove my cookie into his face
until it crumbled. “Brodie Short,” I snapped. “We have to freaking
live with these people all summer. It is day three. Don’t start a
fight over cookies.”
    He shrugged. “Like I said, they’re not going
to care. Katy likes fresh-baked goods more than anything. She hates
this packaged crap.” And he stuffed another whole cookie into his
mouth and winked at me. “You’re free to eat.”
    I hesitated, and then took a dainty nibble of
my forbidden cookie. “It’s good,” I admitted sourly. “Still doesn’t
make it right.”
    “Relax, Kandis. You’re so uptight.”
    “So what are you doing out here?” I took
another bite of cookie, ignoring his ‘uptight’ comment.
    “Waiting for you so we could talk.”
    “Oh? What about?”
    Marla strolled through the living room in her
swimsuit and a towel, returning from the pool. As soon as she saw
Brodie and me, Brodie immediately pulled me into his lap,
pretending to tickle me.
    I squealed, trying to jerk out of his
embrace, but he held me tight, his fingers fluttering against my
sensitive sides. “No! Don’t!”
    His laughter echoed in the room, and he
pulled me close against him, trapping me against his big body and
sprawling me across his lap. His blue eyes were bright on me and he
grinned. “Ask me nicely—”
    “Screw you—”
    He began to tickle me all over again, and I
screamed and twisted in his arms, unable to stop laughing. “Mercy!
Mercy! I give up!”
    Brodie laughed and stopped tickling me, and I
gasped to catch my breath. He leaned in. “Okay, she’s gone
now.”
    I sucked in a deep breath,
surprised. So that had all been strategy? Why was it that I felt
all hot and bothered at some simple tickling? I shifted,