my brother?”
“What about him?” He turns to face me as if waiting for an answer.
“Does my brother like it when you’re rough?”
“That’s none of your business.” I shake my head, not liking where this conversation is going. I brought him to his truck to help him relax, not to make me uncomfortable.
“Oh, come on.” He jumps down to his feet and crosses his arms. The way he’s looking at me is making my pulse race just a little faster. “At least tell me if you like it rough. I should know these things.”
“No, you shouldn’t.” I drop down to my feet, drink in hand and head toward the side of the cabin—the opposite side we came from. “A hot tub? Really?”
“What’s wrong with a hot tub?” he says from beside me, almost scaring me. I hadn’t even noticed he was following so closely.
I shrug and dip my fingers into the steaming water. It’s been years since I’ve been in one and the water feels incredible. “I’ve just never been to a cabin with a hot tub. Or a pool for that matter. This is different than I expected.”
“Yeah, it didn’t always have these things.” He moves in behind me and splashes his fingers in the water. “Jake had the pool put in a few years ago and added the hot tub last year.”
“That pool looks really expensive.” I point out.
“It was.” He backs away, the night air suddenly feeling cooler now that he’s no longer pressed against me. “But Jake has done a lot for me over the years, so I wanted to do something nice for him. Plus, this place is like home.”
Madden’s generosity has me tilting back my drink. I’ve only ever seen him as the reckless rock star either screwing some groupie or getting arrested for fighting. Being here with him is going to show me a whole new side of him. One I’m not sure I’ll expect.
“Want to get in?” He reaches for his jacket and slips it off, before going for his shirt.
Before he can get too far, I grab his arm, stopping him. “What? Are you going to strip down to your underwear and get in? I’m not doing that.”
“That was the plan.”
“I’m good.” I yank his shirt down so that it’s covering his tight abs—I hate how hard they are—before grabbing his cup and holding it out to him. “How about we don’t and say we did.”
“Where’s the fun in that?”
“In what?” Jake—at least I think it’s Jake—comes from the shadows, a drink in hand. “You two going to join us or make out by the hot tub all night? Just let me know so Jess will stop asking for Natalie.”
I clear my throat, my face growing hot over the idea of them thinking we’re making out. “We were just on our way back.”
“Cool. Cool.” He slaps Madden’s back. “Let’s get this party started then.”
The rest of the night has gone by smoothly since we’ve rejoined the gang, and I’m thankful that Alana hasn’t joined us again. I seriously don’t know how much more of her I could’ve taken tonight, or Madden for that matter. I’m not usually one to bite my tongue, but for Madden I held back with it being the first night here, because I’m still not sure what he expects from me when it comes to her.
I don’t like her—not even a tiny bit—and after meeting her, I want him to stay away from her even more.
She seems like a woman who’s used to getting what she wants, ruining whoever else in the process, but it’s not going to be Madden.
Not again.
She’s right about one thing, though… tomorrow is a new day. I’ll be refreshed and ready to play my part. At least, I hope.
Everyone is laughing and having a good time, telling funny stories about prior trips to the cabin, and to be honest, I’m having a great time with everyone—Madden included.
It does suck that I didn’t come here with Logan, but at the same time, I’m happy to be here with his friends, getting to know the people that are important to him.
“All right.” Madden stands up and grabs my hand, pulling me up to my feet. “I think we’re going to call it a night.”
“What?” His friend Walker looks down at his watch. “It’s only ten past two. I’m sure you have later nights after a concert. You can handle a few more hours.”
Jess and Jake went to the cabin over twenty minutes ago, and I