Page 85 of Lust & Lollipops

He wanted me fed, clean, and comfortable.

“Is the change going to hurt?” I asked him.

“No. It’ll be pure pleasure.” He set me down on my feet in the bedroom and squeezed my ass lightly. “There’s got to be clothes somewhere too. I can look for them after I find us something to eat.”

“Thanks.”

He wasn’t going to make me walk around naked, either.

Things were already much better than they could’ve been.

He brushed a kiss to my mouth before leaving me in the bathroom. His shorts hit the ground on the way out of the bedroom.

He was just as tired of them as I was of my green bikini.

And damn, that was a nice ass.

Closing the bathroom door behind me, I turned the lock and leaned my back against the wood.

The room was silent.

Silence during the day felt alien after being surrounded by noisy strangers for so long. Granted, they weren’t strangers by the time the game was over. But still.

I wasn’t sure whether to enjoy the quiet or feel weird about it, but the privacy was nice.

The bathroom didn’t have any windows, which was even better.

After a moment, I finally stripped my shorts off and untied my swimsuit’s double-knots. It took some time, but I got them undone and left the worn, sandy, green fabric on the floor.

It felt bizarre to know no one was watching.

Good bizarre, though.

I slipped into the shower and spent a few minutes scrubbing everything beneath the hot water. I washed my hair three times with the fancy shampoo on the shelf, and let the conditioner sit in it for ages while I exfoliated every part of my body.

I felt lighter when I got out and dried off.

I was done.

I survived the game show.

I survived the hunger, the heat, and the island.

I picked a mate I could trust—even if I didn’t know everything about him yet—and it was over.

I was never going back.

Relief and gratitude brought tears to my eyes as I leaned against a wall, staring at myself in the large mirror over the vanity.

I wasn’t the same person I’d been when I went in. I was different.

Stronger.

Weaker, too.

But different.

And my reflection showed that.

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