wearing my jacket, Nat. No need to make up excuses.”
“Excuses?” I grab the end of the worn-out jacket, causing him to look down at it. “To wear this old thing that smells like your partying habits? Ha! Very funny.”
He leans in, his eyes focused on mine as he sniffs close to my neck. “Smells like my body spray to me. But I forget that you like the way I smell.” He sniffs me again, his closeness causing goose bumps to form. “With a hint of Victoria’s Secret Bombshell. It’s a damn good mix if you ask me. It’s hot.”
I make sure no one is watching us before palming his face and pushing it out of my space. I don’t even want to know how he knows the name of my fragrance. “Knock it off, Madden,” I growl through clenched teeth. “Nothing about the two of us together is hot. It’s annoying. That’s what it is. Now, do you want me to play along with your little game?” He nods. “Then stop pushing my buttons just to get a rise out of me.”
“I’m only doing what I have to, Nat.” He grabs the back of my head, forcing our eyes to meet. “I need you to loosen up and stop acting so stiff around me. The thought of me close to you makes you nervous… I get it, but we need to change that and fast.”
“It doesn’t make me nervous.” I lie.
He grins and moves in closer now that we have an audience. “So, if I kissed you right now, you wouldn’t be nervous?” I swallow and peek over his shoulder to see Alana staring extra hard. “I know she’s watching us right now. I also know she’s probably expecting me to kiss you, but I won’t. Not yet.”
Not yet is a phrase that has me feeling weak in the knees as he takes a step back and grabs my hand again, not releasing it until we’ve reached the lounging area.
Why the hell did my body react that way to the idea of him kissing me? I knew from the very beginning there’d have to be a kiss at some point. I even mentally prepared myself for it before showing up at Logan’s the other day ready to jump into his truck.
But now that we’re here and things are real, I’m not sure I’m ready for Madden to kiss me. Even if it is only for show.
“Hey, babe! Join us over here.” Jess motions for me to join her and Alana over by the pool, so I free my hand from Madden’s, glad to get away. “Us girls usually just hang out and relax while the boys man the grill. It’s a little cloudy right now, but it’ll warm up by the time we get done eating.”
“Sounds good.” I take a seat on the other side of Jess, glad to not be too close to Alana, who hasn’t stopped staring at me since the moment we all got out here.”
“A little warm for a jacket, isn’t it?” Alana mutters, before sitting back and slipping her sunglasses on. “Someone just wake me up when the food is done.”
Jess rolls her eyes and gives me an apologetic smile. “How did you sleep last night?”
“Like a baby.” I lie. I couldn’t sleep for crap last night. I woke up every couple of hours, looking down at Madden, reminding myself that my boyfriend—his brother—is at home where I should’ve been. “I always do in Madden’s arms.” I add loud enough for Alana to hear.
“Good to hear. It’s sometimes hard to sleep the first night with everyone being excited to see each other and being away from home, but I’ve seen how Madden sleeps, so I can see why you slept like a baby. I wish Jake would cuddle me like that at night. Must be nice.”
“It is. It’s one of the things I love about him.” That’s not a lie. I got a small taste of how that felt that night on the couch.
“Good. I’m glad he brought you.” She lays back and closes her eyes. “I’m going to rest my eyes for a bit too. Feel free to do the same and relax. The boys will get us when it’s time to eat.”
I nod and close my eyes, feeling anything but relaxed. The best I can do is pretend. It’s not like I can call Logan and ask him to get me out of this situation. I’m here and I need to do what’s