to more of your concerts then. I’d give my left nut to find a woman as beautiful as Natalie.”
“Yeah. I guess so, man.”
I walk away to refill my drink, my attention going to Natalie, who’s now sunbathing beside Jess with her eyes closed. The way her breasts burst from the sides of her bikini top has me wanting to go over there and cover her up.
I don’t understand why my idiot brother isn’t here right now, wanting to protect her from all of us guys. Surely, the dick knows just how damn beautiful she is, right? He’s not blind.
I’m not sure what the fuck Walker thinks is going to happen, but moments later, he takes a seat in the lounge chair beside Natalie’s. That dickhead doesn’t sunbathe and everyone knows it.
Taking one last drink of my whiskey, I squeeze the cup in my hand, before tossing it into the trash and making my way to Natalie. She jumps once she feels me in her space. “Shit, Madden. You scared me.”
“Get up,” I say stiffly.
“Why?” She sits up, confused, as I grab her hand and pull her from the chair.
Without answering her question, I sit down and pull her into my lap, wrapping my arms around her. “Doesn’t matter. Just close your eyes and relax.”
“Awe! Aren’t you two just adorable.” Jess pushes her sunglasses up to get a better view of us. “I love it.”
Alana standing up has my attention moving to the other side of the pool, where she was sunbathing with a pair of oversized glasses. Without a word, she grabs her towel and walks away, disappearing into the cabin.
Apparently, my kiss with Natalie has shaken her up a bit. She may be keeping her distance now since it’s still fresh, but I give it a few hours before she’s back on our asses.
“Yeah,” Walker mutters. No one else may pick up on the disappointment in his voice, but I sure as hell do. “Super adorable.”
“What can I say…” I smile against Natalie’s neck, knowing she’s going to kick my ass after this. “I had a hot little stalker at a few concerts, so I finally asked her out on a date. It was only fair after all that hard work she put into it. We’ve been a couple ever since.”
“What?” She goes to sit up, but I hold onto her tighter, not giving her a chance.
“No shame in that game. That stalking paid off, girl. Own it.” Jess pulls her glasses back down and sits back. “If Jake doesn’t step up his game, I may have to do a little stalking myself. RISK is full of sexy men.”
“I agree with you there,” Natalie says, most likely to get me back for my little stalking comment. “Especially—” Grabbing the back of her head, I pull her in and bite her bottom lip, cutting her off before she can finish. “Ouch!”
“Funny,” I mutter against her lips. “Who were you going to name?”
“If you’re going to bite me again, I’d rather not say.”
“Good.” I smile against her lips, before kissing the bottom one for show. “Better finish that for the others.”
She forces a smile and turns away to face Jess. “Madden. He’s the one I had my eye on from the first time I saw RISK play. Him in that leather jacket of his, with those full lips and light eyes… He’s absolutely gorgeous. No girl could deny it.”
“Hey. I’ve known him for almost twenty years and I don’t deny it. Even Jake has to hear about how hot Madden is from time to time. I’m not ashamed to admit that my friend is attractive. Doesn’t mean I’m attracted to him like that. Just means I have eyes.”
“Unfortunately, so do I,” she says under her breath, like I can’t hear her. She’s dead wrong. She meant what she just told Jess about me. At least about my looks. The part about her wanting me… I doubt that. That was just for show.
But damn if she didn’t do a good job convincing the others. If I didn’t know how much she hated me, I’d almost believe it myself. Almost.
Fortunately, it’s not me she needs to convince.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Natalie
It’s been a few hours since Madden kissed me for show. My thoughts are still flip-flopping back and forth between being pissed at the reminder that his brother gave him permission in the first place and being angry at myself for enjoying the way his lips felt on mine for even just the slightest moment.
His kiss