Episode 20
It’s our first full day together as a team post merge and I haven’t been able to keep my eyes, mind, or heart off of Paya.
There was no arguing on deciding which of the team’s camps to merge to after seeing Team Femme’s paradise resort.
While everyone else has been lazily enjoying the beach, the two of us have spent the evening lounging inside the shelter.
The way the sunset peeks through the bamboo slats of the walls, dancing across her skin, makes a fresh wave of butterflies erupt in my stomach.
Lying relaxed in my arms, she turns her head and plants a soft kiss on my fingers.
“Can you believe we’ve made it to the merge?
And I’m not just saying that because Bo is here. ”
Her head bobs up and down as I laugh. “Bo isn’t too bad, actually. Granted, she’s at the bottom to get voted out.” I give her a squeeze. “Yes, I can believe it. And now you’re stuck with me for who knows however long until Steph’s next twist.”
She teases the sensitive skin above my waist band. “I don’t mind, it’s not like we have work in the morning.” She giggles. “Have you thought about the office?”
Only every day since that’s the reason why I’m here. I exhale toward the roof. “Sometimes. I could use a churro right about now.”
She leans up with a smile. “I can’t give you one of those, but I can certainly give you a sweet treat.
” Her lips feel soft against mine. The kiss starts slow and sweet, a quiet contrast to the chaotic energy of the events of the game up until this point.
I lose myself in her warmth, my hands anchoring at her waist as she pulls me a little closer.
For a few minutes, the rest of the island completely fades away.
By the time we finally leave the shelter, the sun has dipped below the horizon and dinner is already winding down.
There wasn’t much soup left, but Paya and I made small bowls, making sure to leave Bo some, since we know she likes to eat last. Something about Chef’s honor. We sit and eat by the fire.
“That’s a new development.” Paya taps my arm, pointing my attention toward Beya and Arlie snuggled up on the log across the fire. Arlie’s fingers are deep into Beya’s hair, smiling with a softness in her eyes I haven’t seen before.
“Would you look at that?” I say a silent cheer for Beya. I’m happy for her.
I peer out toward the beach. By the water, Saffron’s naked in the warrior yoga pose, her arms high toward the sky. That’s typical at least. Until she shouts, “Come look everyone! I can see the universe breathing.”
I press my lips together. Odd.
“Wow. The soup is really good tonight.” Paya sips from her half coconut shaped bowl. “Or maybe I’m that hungry.”
“Bo certainly outdid herself today,” I agree, taking a closer look at the liquid in my handcarved wooden spoon. I’m genuinely impressed at the restaurant-quality dish in front of me.
“Great job on the soup, Bo. It’s tasty,” Paya shouts, flashing two thumbs up toward tonight’s chef, who does a little salute.
Bo walks over, a grin on her face, skipping and whistling. How unlike her. Then again, everyone seems to be acting quite odd tonight.
“What was the secret ingredient?” I ask since I can’t put my finger on it.
Bo’s face beams. “Today’s forage was a hit. Wild garlic from Jeida’s search and Lex found a coriander plant.” She adds a log to the fire as we continue eating for a few minutes in silence. “Thanks for leaving me some. I’ll grab a bowl soon.”
“I’m so happy, I could kiss the chef. Too bad my lips are already taken.” Paya winks at me and we share a smile.
“Oh and I added half a mushroom I found by the stream.” Bo points to the makeshift cutting board to the right. The remaining slices are in a small pile beside it.
I halt mid bite. “Mushrooms? In the wild?”
She’s filling her bowl. “Great find, right? Don’t worry, I saved some for tomorrow.”
Upon realizing why everyone is acting strange, horror etches on my face. I place both hands over my cheeks. I look into the metal pot next to the fire. It’s empty. I drop my soup to the ground and slap Paya’s coconut away, ignoring the confusion on her face.
“Holy shit, Bo, did you drug our entire camp?” I hiss, relieved I’m a slower eater for once.
“What?” She yanks her head back. “No! I forage mushrooms in the bush back home all the time. I took a wilderness survival class and know which ones are poisonous. These mushrooms are safe to eat. I even nibbled one earlier—”
I roll my eyes. Yes, the jungle dead center of New York City. “Give it up about your bullshit stories, city girl. Look around!” I push her shoulders until she’s facing the chaos around us. “Do they look like they’re acting normal to you?”
Arlie is licking Beya’s face like a cat.
Clearly Beya loves it. Saffron is doing some type of dance ritual with Cluck, both flapping their wings on the beach.
Lex and Jeida are double-dutching an invisible jump rope, belting some song about beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes, and lamb at the top of their lungs.
Fantastic. Now that’s going to be stuck in my head.
And every brush of Paya’s fingertips on my arm feels like I’m playing a game of Guitar Hero.
I finally spell it out for her. “Bo, the mushrooms aren’t poisonous. They’re…magic.”
“Magic?” She squints and slows her words. “You’re saying they are psychedelic?”
I lean over to Paya and whisper. “It’s like she’s edging logic.”
A beat later, the situation finally sinks in and Bo does her infamous “oops.” The same one she did when she lost the chickens. The exact same silly face she made when she “accidentally” screwed up the names on the vote and wrote mine. Why did I decide to keep her in this game?
Meanwhile, Paya is having a giggle fit because a lightning bug landed on her shirt. The entire camp is high on wild mushrooms. Given that our next challenge is around the corner, I’m not laughing as much as everyone else. I face Paya and she’s staring at the stars, tugging me to join.
“They really are breathing,” she says in awe.
“Oh no. Paya—no. Not you too.” I glance at her empty bowl near the fire. When she sees my pleading eyes, she attempts her most serious expression, but fails miserably and cracks into another laughing fit. A minute later, she wraps her arms around my waist and pulls me closer.
I should be irritated, but I can’t help but chuckle at my current reality. Flickers of light from the fire turn into tiny dancing shadows across Paya’s skin. My fingers tingle and now the fire is ungodly bright.
I squeeze my eyes shut and thankfully when I open them, the fire returns to normal. “Shit. I feel it too.” Panic starts to set in. “How do we get it to stop?”
“Time.” She tilts her head, way too calm, meanwhile I’m wondering why medical isn’t sprinting over.
I swallow. “How much time? Hours?”
“Most likely.” She offers me a reassuring smile and plants a soft kiss on my lips.
“We’re safe. I’ve done shrooms before. Granted, that was like ten years ago.
” As if that’s supposed to make me feel better.
She squeezes me tighter to get my attention.
“I got you and you got me. I also have a perfect solution to pass the time.”
I nod and take a deep breath, then exhale slowly, surrendering to the present moment. We kiss again, and the second our fingers intertwine, I melt into her touch. It literally feels that way. I can’t help grinning like an idiot at the way she playfully pecks my nose.
Meg’s going to have a field day when I tell her this story.
“Okay. But let’s try to ditch the cameras.
This is already embarrassing enough,” I tell her.
We share a laugh and I press my lips against hers out of pure instinct.
Her touch doesn’t just feel comforting, safe and warm, it shoots buzzing sensations straight down to my toes.
We’re alone after Bo joins Saffron and Cluck stargazing on the beach.
In the distance, Beya and Arlie sneak into the shelter, hand-in-hand.
I turn to speak, but get interrupted by Paya’s finger gently turning my head until my attention rests fully on her again.
My brow quirks upward. I know that look.
The giggles between us fade into a charged silence, recalling our unfinished business from earlier.
She sandwiches her bottom lip between her teeth and that mischievous gaze points to my mouth, then back up.
She looks deep into my eyes. Her honey brown pupils are as large and gorgeous as a view of the moon from a spaceship.
“I want you,” she murmurs against my lips.
I open my mouth letting her tongue dance with mine, and for the second time today, I lose my words.
My pulse quickens at the heat of her skin and the thought of more, sending a rush of desire through me.
I didn’t think it was possible to want someone this fast.
She picks up a blanket. “Let’s go consummate this marriage. What do you say—”
Before she finishes her sentence, I’m leading us away from camp. We slip past the trees, far enough so no one will hear us. Every fiber in my body is on fire right now. I don’t just want Paya, I want to disappear into her.
We scramble to throw down the blanket, our hands moving fast and impatient as we pull at each other’s clothes between kisses.
My nipples pierce the air when the slight chill teases my skin.
Every touch feels urgent, desperate, until we finally tumble down together onto the fabric.
I don’t know what these mushrooms are doing to me, but I feel like I can fuck for days.
I don’t waste any time. No words are exchanged, only our bodies speaking a language of their own.
I slide on top of her, my weight pinning her to the blanket.
She stays stationary as I adjust my position, nestling between her thighs.
I maneuver her legs wider and lower myself down exactly where I want to be, shifting my hips until my pussy is perfectly flush against hers.
Fireworks explode in my brain the moment our clits make contact.
A hiss falls from my mouth at the smoldering heat of her skin.
I didn’t know I could get this wet, possibly from the mushrooms lowering my inhibitions.
Against my body screaming otherwise, I grind my hips slow at first, gliding my lips up and down hers.
I dip down, trapping her moans with my mouth, and how hard her fingers dig into the flesh of my hips shatters my restraint.
Impatience getting the best of me, primal urges take over and I thrust faster, losing track of where my body ends and hers begins.
Every time our pussies grind together, my throaty groans of pleasure grow more urgent, louder, releasing all my animalistic desire that’s been pent up since day one.
She traps my nipple into her mouth, not-so-gently biting down while lapping at the swollen bud.
The breathless whimpers she’s coaxing from my lips tell me she’s enjoying the sensation as much as I am.
Digging my fingertips into her hips, I leverage myself to pound into her harder, the rustle of leaves and twigs beneath us and the wet smacking of our skin only turning me on more than I thought possible.
The combination of our juices dripping down my leg, I lean forward and wrap my fingers around her neck, forcing her to look at me as I continue relentlessly fucking her cunt.
Climax brews deep in my belly. I feel every breath she takes as if it were my own.
We’re completely lost in a world where only she and I exist.
Gasps doubling in volume with each firm thrust, her body tenses and she screams, painting the night sky with my name.
Every nerve in my clit feels Paya’s pleasure and with one last buck of my hips, an explosion I’ve never experienced before soars through me.
My head dips back and I come hard, squirting all over her pussy.
With tattered breathing, I lower down to kiss her lips and then rest our foreheads together. Paya’s arms wrap around me, her own body shudders and twitches beneath mine.
We lie completely still for a moment, my heart hammering against her chest. As our breathing finally starts to slow, I look up to discover Paya’s dark eyes. My pulse thrums in my skin, sparking me right back to life for more. We aren’t anywhere near finished.
Hours of pleasure later, Paya’s sound asleep in my arms. We’re laying in the same position we started the day in, this time peering up at the sky.
Paya was right. I’ve never seen such bright stars.
Watching them slowly pulse against the deep black night feels like one of those breathing exercises on a fitness watch.
Expanding and contracting, forcing my racing thoughts to slow to a lull.
A blissful comedown from the high washes over me, leaving behind a sense of peace.
For the first time all season, my mind feels clear.
In the quiet of the night, the truth finally clicks into place.
I’m falling in love with Paya Richardson.