“So…” Linc’s brows waggle. “Anyone fancy a swim?”
Chapter Seventeen
felicity
“This is the life.”
Carly takes a long sip of her mojito and leans back on her poolside lounger. The brand new red string bikini she’s wearing is so skimpy it should be illegal, but we were in such a hurry to get to the pool, we didn’t bother pausing to try anything on during our impulse-buying session at the hotel gift shop this morning.
“Hey, remind me to pay you back for the suit.” She shifts her position, getting comfortable. “I can’t believe we forgot to pack them.”
“Consider it a welcome-to-the-tour gift,manager.”
She grins. “Then remind me to thank you profusely for dragging me along on this unexpected adventure. I do love Nashville… but I feel like I’ve been stuck in a rut, lately.”
“Carly, I’m the one who should be thanking you. If you weren’t here, I’d be alone with the guys. What would I possibly do with my free time between shows, without you here to entertain me?”
She shoots a suggestive look in my direction. “I can think of a few things you’d be doing.”
“Such as…”
“A certain smirking, broad-shouldered lead singer comes to mind.”
I roll my eyes. “I thought we buried this topic.”
“That wasbeforeI saw your little almost-moment last night, as I was going to bed. Lie to yourself all you want, my eyes did not deceive me.”
Grabbing the sunblock, I start applying it to my bare arms in angry strokes. You’d never know I’ve been living in LA for the past few weeks — I’m still pale as a ghost after all our time in dark rehearsal rooms and fluorescent-lit sound stages.
“Felicity,” Carly pesters.
“What?”
“You’re seriously not going to talk to me about last night.”
“What’s there to talk about? Nothing happened.”
“An almost-kiss isnotnothing.”
She’s a dog with a bone, and I haven’t even told her about the rest — how I stared into Ryder’s eyes for nearly an hour in the darkness, lost in his gaze until I fell asleep. I know if I confide in her, she’ll ask what it allmeans. And, honestly, I’m not entirely sure.
I stand so I can apply lotion to my legs, stomach, and lower back, tugging the strings of my yellow bikini aside so I don’t wind up with unflattering strap-marks.
“So, to be clear… youdidn’twant to jump his bones?” Her voice is skeptical. “Because, from where I was standing—”
“Carly, what do you want me to tell you? That I had a moment of weakness after the longest day of my life, and for a minute —just for a minute!— the prospect of falling back into Ryder’s arms for a few hours of mindless distraction sounded appealing?”
“Mhmm.”
“Fine. I admit it. I was momentarily tempted by the superficial lure of a satisfying, no-strings-attached orgasm.” I snap the cap back on and set down the bottle. “That doesn’t prove anything except that I’m human, and it certainly doesn’t change the way I feel about him. Which, for the record, is in a strictlyplatoniccapacity.”
Carly takes another sip of her mojito and mutters something I can’t quite make out under her breath. It sounds likestubborn ass. Before she can clarify, a dry cough sounds from behind me. I whirl around to find Linc, Aiden, and Ryder standing a few feet away, in easy earshot of everything I’ve just said.
Mother fudger.
Ryder is bare-chested and bronzer than a sea-god. There’s a tattoo over his heart I’ve never seen before — a tiny scribble of ink I can’t read from this distance. His abs are so defined, you could bounce quarters off them. His hair is falling messily into his eyes and a red bathing suit rides low on his hips.
He looks like every girl’s lifeguard fantasy come to life.