Page 43 of Unfinished Desire
“Isla,” Vivian said, nodding to Isla. The host was looking as gorgeous as usual in a midnight black jumpsuit with legs that skimmed the ground, and a plunging neckline softened by layered gold chains. Her hair was blown out and glossy, and her cheekbones looked as if they had been chiseled from marble. Earlier Isla had asked Vivian for her stylist’s contact details, which she’d happily given. Isla had a little plan boiling in her head that would need a stylist, but that was a thought for another day. “It’s your time to vote.”
Isla was just about to click her fingers for her crutches when the same PA from before came sprinting out. He handed them over politely, like he was delivering a trophy.
“Thank you,” Isla said, already sliding her arms into place. Nearly a week into the injury and she was frighteningly competent on crutches. But even so, Tamsyn’s hand instinctively reached out, ready to steady her if needed.
Isla glanced back and winked.
Tamsyn smiled, and Isla’s legs turned to jelly. Which, admittedly, was not ideal. She still had to hop her way toward the pedestal gleaming ahead. But thankfully, she made it there without a hitch. She exhaled and picked up the black stone. The studio lights were so bright she could barely make out the face beyond. In front of her, veiled by delicate clothes, rested two cups: one for Barra, one for Dominique.
Isla turned the stone over and over in her palm. This decision wasn’t easy. Both of them were extraordinary. Barra, with her barrel laugh that ricocheted across the desert, her dry sense of humor, and the way she belly-flopped into the creek every time. Dominique, who was far more level-headed, kept them all from dying of boredom by retelling stories of her wild college days.
But Barra’s speech blew everyone out of the water, and Isla would be surprised if she didn’t get all the votes. She certainly got hers. Isla leaned forward and dropped her stone.
Once she got back to the log, Vivian took the final tally, slipped the results into a velvet pouch, and then stepped into the center of the lights. “Season Five has given us alliances that shocked us, betrayals that broke hearts, challenges that pushed bodies beyond their limits.” She looked at Isla, and then down at her walking boot. “And players who reminded us what resilience really looks like.” Then she swept her gaze across to Dominique and then to Barra. “Tonight, one of you will become ourUltimate Outlast Her.”
The clearing went so quiet that Isla could hear someone sniffle in the darkness.
Dominique reached over and squeezed Barra’s hand. Barra immediately captured Dominique’s other one too and tangled their fingers. Then Vivian opened the pouch and drew out the slip of paper. “And the winner of Season Five...” she said, as a slow smile spread across her face. “BARRA!”
The crowd exploded. Barra’s family came storming out of the shadows and tackled her into a hug. Dominique laughed and yanked her into one too. Confetti cannons exploded overhead in clouds of pink, gold, and silver that shimmered in the studio lights and rained down over the entire set. The Final Council scrambled to their feet, and soon every eliminated contestant barreled in, yelling, clapping, and making the space feel like a carnival.
But Isla barely noticed any of it. In that exact moment, Tamsyn had leaned in and helped her off the bench, then she’d cupped Isla’s cheeks so tenderly that the world felt like it had shrunk down to just the two of them. Confetti spiraled and cameras flashed, but all Isla could concentrate on was the sweet taste of Tamsyn’s lips as she kissed her. The soft touch of her hands on Isla’s skin sent warmth straight into her chest.
Isla’s knees felt wobbly again.
“I feel like I’ve won,” Tamsyn muttered softly against her lips. “Is that weird? I’m standing here watching Barra win... and I still feel like I’ve won something too.”
Isla shook her head. “It isn’t weird at all. I feel the exact same way.”
“You do?”
“Oh yes,” Isla said, chuckling. “I’ve won the best prize of all... you.”
Epilogue
April 15th, one and a bit years later
TAMSYN WAS SURPRISEDby how quickly sleeping on hard ground felt familiar again. Which said less about the tent accommodations and more about the fact that she generally preferred her nights to include a proper mattress, climate control, and a bathroom that did not require pulling on a pair of hiking boots. Still, as she lay on her back in the glow of the lantern hanging overhead, lying on a double sleeping bag with the crisp scent of pine and cold earth wrapped around them, she had to admit this setup had its charms.
Mostly because her wife was right next to her.
Isla was lying on her side with one arm folded under her head and the other draped lazily over Tamsyn’s bare stomach. She’d already stripped down to a pair of black boxer briefs. Her long legs and soft skin looked deliciously enticing in the lantern glow, and Tamsyn had absolutely no business still getting this worked up by the sight of her after all this time.
But there she was.
Back in the middle of nowhere. Back to dirt and pine and the level of quiet that made every small sound feel bigger and scarier. Outside, the night hummed with cicadas, the occasional croak of a frog, and the hoot of a distant owl. Wind moved through the trees in long, whispering strokes. Somewhere in thedistance, something else made a noise that neither of them chose to identify because they had no desire to ruin their first night of many in the tent with wildlife paranoia.
No matter where they were or what they were doing, Isla still looked so good Tamsyn could barely stand it. Tamsyn’s mouth curved when she caught Isla looking. “You realize this is probably the best either of us is going to look or smell for a while.”
Isla’s gaze moved slowly over Tamsyn’s body. “Then I say we should appreciate it properly.”
Tamsyn laughed softly and slid her hand over Isla’s stomach. “That sounds like the best idea I’ve heard all day.”
“It does,” Isla murmured, shifting closer. Her hand settled at Tamsyn’s waist. “I want to assure you that once we’re sweaty and filthy and living like little woodland creatures again, I’m still going to want you. But right now I get to have you clean, warm, and naked in a tent.”
That sent a pulse of heat through Tamsyn’s body. “We have always been ridiculously good at this.”
Isla’s mouth curved. “Sex in the wilderness?”
