by Vivian Arend
Oh really? Trent eased between them. “All depends what we’re doing. I think you’ll find I have very good technique.”
She lifted her chin and stared him in the eye. The tip of her tongue slipped out to wet her lips, and his dick got hard. “Sounds interesting.”
They were still staring at each other when Mason tugged her hand to explain how to ride the skim-board.
The three of them spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the surf, laughing constantly. Someone selling handmade necklaces on the sly wandered past and Trent impulsively bought her one, draping it around her neck with great ceremony. He received a teasing thank-you kiss on the cheek, although her eyes promised more.
Her companion had disappeared when they finally collapsed onto the beach blanket, Trent and Mason on either side of her. His arm lay alongside hers, touching lightly. He’d let his attraction to her remain clear the entire time. Only Mason had been flirting with her just as hard, and she hadn’t shown her hand yet as to who she liked better.
“You’ve been abandoned,” Mason noted.
Paige sighed, almost as if in relief. “That’s just fine. She’s a coworker and kind of tagged along uninvited. She didn’t seem to get the part of the conversation when I told her I wanted to have fun.”
“Stick in the mud?”
Paige blushed. “You heard that? I wasn’t very polite.”
Trent lightly nudged her arm. “True through?”
“Damn right. Life isn’t for sitting on a beach rotating like a chicken on a spit. It’s for grabbing hold of and experiencing everything you can.”
That’s when Trent noticed Mason was tracing designs on her other arm with his fingertips.
“Any other experiences I can help you with today, Paige Kingston?” Mason asked.
The bloke had balls. Trent copied his example and rolled a little closer, casually letting his thigh make contact with hers.
She glanced back and forth between the two of them, her smile growing broader. “Well, that depends. Is this a package deal?”
“Two for one?” Trent and Mason exchanged a quick look and a nod. Trent was game, even if they’d never done such a thing before. He sat up and let his gaze trickle over her. “If you’re interested, I think we can deliver.”
“I like the sound of that.” She leaned her shoulder against Mason’s, checking her watch. “I have one question, though.”
The multitude of ideas of what this intriguing Canadian could possibly want to know distracted Trent almost as much as the hand she slipped around his neck. “One question?”
Her smile blinded him. “Either of you want to try skydiving tomorrow? I made a booking, but I need at least one person to go with me.”
Trent came back from his daydream to find himself staring at the long, lean lines of the woman as her partner chased her from the water. She looked amazingly familiar, and he cursed.
How the hell did the two of them get down here that fast? He hadn’t wandered the grounds for that long.
He lifted a hand off the chair, intending to wave at them. Instead, he let his arm fall back to his side. Mason had caught Paige from behind, and the two shadowy outlines merged into one. Even at a distance Trent knew what they were doing. He’d seen it often enough—seen it that first day on the beach. Paige’s arms would rise up to allow her fingers to dig into Mason’s hair. Their torsos would be in complete contact, her soft breasts pressed to his chest, his dick to her belly. Trent’s own cock filled again as he longed to experience the pressure of contact.
They were kissing. Definitely. Long, slow kisses with lots of tongue, and Trent let his hand fall casually over his lap as he looked around to see if anyone was close by, because if he didn’t do something, he was going to explode. His dick swelled, aching for a touch.
There were a couple of people sunbathing twenty-five meters to his left. Too close, still far too close. He abandoned the chair and recovered his shoes, ignoring his demanding cock as it sprang upright inside his boardies. Staying put was out of the question, only which way should he go?
Not even five paces later, Trent had to acknowledge he’d deliberately set an intercept course with his friends. All three of them were headed toward the central core of the resort, Paige tugging Mason along by the hand. So much for letting things progress slowly this weekend. He wanted some answers, and he wanted them now.
The brilliance of Paige’s smile when he reached them said nothing but that she was glad to see him. “How’s Kylie?”
“Busy as all get-out. Never even caught a glimpse of her.”
Mason wrapped an arm around Paige’s waist. His mate’s move was unpracticed, natural. The flash of frustration that hit Trent had nothing to do with the easy physical intimacy between the two of them and everything to do with his own mental uncertainty about the future. He needed to get Mason alone and ask a few pointed questions.
Paige snatched his wrist in both her hands and actually bounced with excitement. “We’re going to the water slide. You want to come?”
Jesus. No. Sliding with his cock the size of a cricket bat he was liable to put out an eye.
“That might not be the best idea right now.”
Paige gave Mason a kiss on the cheek, then leaned up on tiptoe to whisper in his ear. His brow rose, and he snorted before patting her on the arse and pushing her in Trent’s direction. She glanced around before sliding her hands up his abdomen to play with his chest hair.
“I think we need to find somewhere to be alone soon.” She rolled her hips against his and any thought of keeping his woody a secret vanished.
He clutched her waist, limiting her motion. If he held her still maybe his cock would relax. “I want to spend time with you outside the bedroom.”
It came out gruffer than he’d intended, and a shadow crossed in front of her eyes. Damn blunderer. He leaned over and kissed her gently, asking for forgiveness with his lips.
She pressed her full length against him, the moisture clinging to her two-piece suit transferring to his body. Warm, comfortable and yet tempting. He threaded his fingers through hers before leaning away to stare into her eyes. Yeah, a little more time outside of fucking each other silly would help demonstrate they had something worth using any means possible to maintain. No matter how unorthodox.
“TS?”
A soft, womanly voice intruded on what he had considered a mighty fine personal moment, but he managed to drag his gaze away from Paige’s big brown eyes. Then he straightened in surprise, letting go of her completely.
“Sienna?”
…
Paige wasn’t sure what she expected, but for Trent to drop her as if she were a hot potato and reach to envelop the little bit of Aussie beauty right there before her wasn’t on the list. At least it was a friendly hug, not a full-body one, or the woman would be getting a dose of Trent’s cock pressed against her, and Paige really didn’t think she could handle that right now.
She stepped back uncertainly. Damn—this was one of those awkward moments she’d managed to avoid until now. All the places they’d met, all the trips the three of them had taken together, had drawn the guys away from their familiar turf.
This getaway was Kylie’s gig though, and with Trent invited to the soft opening as her younger brother, Paige should have known there would be others of their group around. She’d met Kylie before, and Mason’s twin a couple of times—nice enough woman, although McKenzie seemed totally unaware her brother was sleeping with anyone, let alone sharing a woman with his best friend.
And now little Miss Perfectly-Put-Together with the great set of knockers… Paige glanced at her own chest and wished her sports swimsuit was padded. It wasn’t like she was flat or anything, but the tight top compressed her chest until she felt as if she were wearing a training bra.
“Damn, it’s good to see you, SJ.” Seamlessly, Trent stepp
ed back and Mason stepped forward to embrace the chick, and Paige clenched her teeth together to stop from growling out her ownership.
Holy shit, she was in trouble if she couldn’t keep her jealousy under control and hidden. Being green-eyed over her man paying attention to another woman made sense. Being possessive over two men? That would be a hell of a lot harder to explain.
She crossed her arms in front of her chest and tried to look casual. Although with both her men paying full attention to—Sienna?—there wasn’t much else she could do.
Then Trent turned back, his expression sharp and focused as he pulled her against his side. From the way he slipped their bodies together it was clear he had no intention of hiding they were a pair, and the knot of jealousy that had sprung up was pacified. A little.
“SJ, I’d like you to meet Paige. She’s my special guest here for Kylie’s practice run. Paige? This is Sienna, one of the three ladies who made my teenage life hell.”
So, this was the one member of the Goddess Pack she hadn’t met yet. Kylie, McKenzie and Sienna—inseparable and deadly to the male libido. Mason and Trent had both told her about drooling over this particular woman back in their teens. Paige reached out a hand and politely shook with Sienna, attempting to make her greeting seem pleased and not annoyed.
Even though the other woman wore a happy expression, tiny tired lines marred the corners of Sienna’s eyes, and as Trent’s hand made a slow circle between Paige’s shoulder blades, the rest of her distrust sputtered away. Something wasn’t right in the heavens to cause the woman to look so lost.
Paige leaned forward and smiled for real, offering what sympathy she could without a word. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Gorgeous resort, isn’t it?”
Sienna nodded, adjusting her shorts as she straightened, her chest drawing the attention of not only Paige, but both Mason and Trent. “Absolutely stunning,” Sienna agreed with a nod. “And I’ve only seen my room and the ocean. I’m headed for the pool now.” She paused. “Wanna join me?”
Paige opened her mouth to answer when Mason cut in, drawing close to her other side. “We haven’t had anything to eat yet. You want to grab some grub with us?”
Sienna shook her head with a grin. “Thanks for the offer, but Ky told me the strawberry daiquiris here are the best in Australia. And they only make them at the pool bar. I’m off to order a double.”
Paige’s stomach grumbled and Mason laughed.
“If we don’t feed Paige soon she’s liable to turn on us. Woman is scary when she’s hungry.”
She shifted without thinking to bump him with her hip. “As good as the daiquiris sound, I think we’d better hit the buffet first.”
Paige flushed slightly as she spotted Sienna’s one brow raised high, amusement painting her face. Damn, that hadn’t looked like a “lover’s tap”, had it? More a buddy bump? Because Trent had as good as declared them a couple. Explaining why she was acting intimate with Mason as well—not an easy task.
Trent frowned as he stared at Sienna. “Where’s Ben?”
Whatever light had glowed in Sienna’s eyes flickered and died.
“I’m guessing he’s at work,” she said. “I wouldn’t know though. We broke up.”
Both the guys stiffened. Mason muttered something low that sounded like “fucker” “asshole” and “pain”.
“Shit, SJ, what the hell?” Trent would have reached for her again, but Paige held him back. This time it wasn’t jealousy that made her restrain him from offering a hug. The woman didn’t need sympathy right now. She was gorgeous—if Paige wasn’t firmly in the loving-the-male camp, she would have been all over Sienna. If a guy was stupid enough to call it off with the Goddess, he was the one who deserved sympathy—along with a swift kick in the balls.
No, the solution was to grab on and seize life with both hands. Like Paige herself intended on doing until the last possible second.
Paige clapped her hands slowly a couple of times, nodding as if in approval before pointing a finger at Sienna. “You know what? Sometimes the best additions to our lives are a few choice subtractions. Assholes, cheats, riffraff…”
Sienna smiled at Trent. “TS, I like the way your woman thinks.” She turned to Paige with a shrug. “I wish he had been an asshole, cheat or riffraff. Unfortunately, he wasn’t. Isn’t. He’s just a nice guy who married his job instead of his fiancée.” Her voice caught. “It happens.”
Mason jammed his hands in his pockets, a dark flush coloring his cheeks. For the second time that day Paige watched her gentle friend show a protective side she’d never witnessed before. “If you need any knees broken, say the word. Otherwise…drink a few for us, and if you see Mack before me, tell her I need to chat with Aidan as soon as possible. The bloody bastard turned off his mobile.”
Sienna nodded, straightening noticeably. That trace of amusement Paige had seen at the start was back, and as she turned, Paige swore that Sienna was making some non-New Year’s resolutions. Something that involved kissing her workaholic ex goodbye with more than fruity alcohol. Paige wished her well, even as the sight of the woman’s heart-shaped butt swaying from side to side as Sienna disappeared down the path made her sigh.
Why couldn’t she have an ass like that?
Chapter Four
A resounding groan slipped from his mate’s lips, and Mason chuckled under his breath as Trent popped the top button of his trousers and stretched his legs under the table.
“I’m going to explode,” Trent complained.
Paige shook her head in mock sympathy. “Really? Why does that not surprise me? Wait, let me guess. Maybe it was the four helpings of crepes you hoovered down? Or the six-egg omelet?”
“I think it was the tarts. I’ve never seen a selection of pastries like that before.” Mason paused, leaning back in his own chair as he winked at Paige. “Except the time you brought us to your shop and let us go wild in your practice batches. I think the whipped cream was the best part. Or maybe the custard. Or—”
Trent groaned for a second time. “Oh God, stop talking about food. And yeah, Paige’s baking is better. The tarts were good, but something was missing.”
She sparkled at him. “You and your silver tongue. Although…” She frowned briefly, picking up a smidge of crust from her plate and sniffing it lightly. “You’re right. I wasn’t going to say anything, but if you caught it, I better let someone know they’ve got a bad batch of butter somewhere.”
Paige patted her napkin to her mouth then rose. Mason surged upward instinctively before he caught the confused look she tossed his direction.
“I was just going to the kitchen to chat with the chef. That’s what this soft opening business is about, right? To solve problems before the paying customers arrive?”
Mason grabbed her hand and lifted her fingers to his lips, kissing them softly. “You’re exactly right. Go on, then—it’s my turn to try and find my sister. Meet you back in our room?”
Her cheeks flushed as she glanced around the room cautiously. She spoke quietly. “You shouldn’t be seen kissing me when people think I’m with Trent.”
Screw that. “Any polite male can kiss a pretty girl’s knuckles.” The doubt and worry in her eyes made him crazy. He tilted his head toward the kitchen doors. “Go on. They need you in there.”
He watched her retreat across the room, all long, lean lines, and the echo of the words he’d just spoken repeated back in his head. He needed her, in his life. They had to make this work.
Time for some last-minute planning.
Mason turned and leaned in close to his friend. “Okay, here’s what we’ve got to—”
“An Intent of Marriage form? What the fuck, Mason?”
Sudden relief rushed him. “Charles got one for us? Fantastic.” That was one less thing to worry about, then.
Trent’s elbows hit the tabletop and his gaze narrowed. “
You bloody arsehole. What the hell were you thinking? We weren’t going to ask her to marry anyone, not right off the bat.”
Oh shit. Mason frowned in confusion. Hadn’t he told Trent about this? Hmm, maybe not, since his buddy seemed intent on brooding about how everything was going to tip into shit at any moment.
“Now wait a minute, I merely intended it as an emergency back-up. I thought we should have it to be able to prove how serious we are. I mean, it’s a pretty big deal to switch the rules around at this point in our relationship. Although, I frankly don’t think there are going to be any problems.” Yeah, yeah, that was pure positive thinking and shit. Mason ignored the expression of disbelief on Trent’s face. “But it struck me that if she did have any concerns it would be on the long-term part of the situation. Having the ability to get married quickly, when she wants to, could be the deciding factor that makes this work. It’s good for eighteen months.”
“But now the people at work know I’ve got the form.”
Mason’s mind swirled in confusion. “Bastard. Don’t you want to marry her?”
Trent’s entire attitude shifted as his grin stretched wide. “Oh hell, I’d love to marry her, and you’ve just handed me the keys to be the one to get first crack at asking. I have no objections.”
Strangely enough, neither did Mason, although he still had to share that with Trent. “Keep it quiet for now. I’m going to get Aidan to help with a final clean-up on Paradise this afternoon. I thought we could take Paige out tonight after the party and show her around.”
“That’s when we’ll tell her our plans?”
“And ask her to join us.”
Trent relaxed back, shaking his head slightly. “Are we fucked in the head or what?”
Oh man. How to explain this? Mason poured a little more coffee into his cup and decided to simply go for broke. If anyone could handle it, his best mate should.
“You remember when your folks planned that trip to America over the Christmas hols that year, and you got chicken pox and couldn’t go?”