“Ouch. Want me to grab your stun gun?” he teases. “We’ll see which one hurts the most.”
I laugh, before removing my arms from his neck. “Don’t even try to be adorable right now, because I’m still considering using it on you.”
He raises a brow, before taking a step back, and slowly pulls his shirt over his head. His eyes lower to his chest once he realizes where mine are focused. Not that I meant to. It happened naturally, and I hate myself for it. “Told you I’m bigger than my brother.”
I growl under my breath, but before I can give him a piece of my mind he winks and backs away to join the guys by the pool.
When I turn back around Alana is down to a little black bikini. She’s eyeing me up and down as if waiting to see if I can top her.
The bitchy look on her face has me wanting to rip her throat out, but instead, I force a smile and strip down to my bikini—the same exact one that she’s wearing. Was not expecting this scenario.
Her nostrils flare out as she looks me over angrily, like she’s imagining drowning me in the pool. “Nice bikini,” she says stiffly. “Trying extra hard to replace me, I see. This is just great.” She walks away, eyeing Madden up and down in his gray and black swim trunks.
He barely looks at her before his eyes land on me, visibly widening as he takes me in. His Adam’s apple moves as he swallows. “Holy fuck, Nat. Does my…” He stops before slipping up. “You look entirely too sexy in that bikini. Is that the only one you brought?”
His compliment causes my heart to jump with unwanted excitement. “He didn’t care, and neither should you. Besides, your ex is wearing the same one. I don’t see you complaining.”
He turns behind him to where Alana is standing with her hands on her hips, watching us. His eyes harden when they land on me again. “Yeah… but she’s not the one making me hard. Answer my question.”
“Yes, it’s the only one I brought.” My pulse races as my gaze roams over his hard body, stopping on the thick bulge beneath the thin fabric of his trunks. He does nothing to hide it, which immediately has me forcing myself to look anywhere else but there. “Next time maybe I will just swim in my clothes.”
I walk away before either of us can say something stupid. It’s natural for a guy to get aroused from seeing any decent looking girl in a bikini for the first time, right? That has to be it. He’s seen Alana naked hundreds of times in the past. That explains why he’s not excited by her right now. It’s the only explanation.
“Did I miss the memo on what bikini to wear?” Jess asks, looking down at her white and pink top. “I’m totally ordering that the second this trip is over. We can all bring them next year and match.”
Alana rolls her eyes. “This is bullshit. Why can’t anyone else see he only brought her here to hurt me? If you all can’t see it then clearly you don’t know him as well as I do.”
“Be cool, Alana. It’s not nice to make assumptions. She’s here with him. She came with him, and she’s our guest.” Jess gives her a hard look, before turning back to me. “Please don’t take it personally.”
“It’s cool.” I shrug it off. “She’s set on believing what she wants to be true.” I bring my attention to Alana. “Doesn’t mean it is.”
“Ladies, is everything good over here?” Madden wraps his arm around my waist and rests his chin on my shoulder.
“Yeah,” Alana mutters. “Fucking peachy.”
“Good.” Madden’s lips brush my neck, causing goose bumps to form. “Let’s swim then.”
I release a surprised yelp when he picks me up and slaps me hard on the ass. “Ouch! Why did you do that?”
“Because everyone is watching us, Nat,” he says the moment we’re at a safe distance from the girls. “Don’t act like you didn’t like it when we both know you did.”
“What? I didn—”
“If you say so.”
“I didn’t. Now put me… Don’t you dare throw me—”
Before I can finish our argument, he jumps into the water with me in his arms. I scream out as we hit the cold water and sink below the surface, his arms still wrapped around me when we come back up for air.
“I should kick your ass.” I laugh when he pretends to push me back under the water. “Keep it up and I just might.”
“Do it then,” he pushes. With a small growl, he yanks me to him and grabs my right leg, wrapping it around his waist, before reaching for the left. “I bet you really want to now… being this close to me and all.”
“How did you guess?” I mutter, pushing his chest hard enough for him to release me. I go to swim away, but he grabs my leg and bites it under water. “Did you just bite me?” I scream when he comes back up.
“What if I did? What are you going to do about it, Nat?” He pulls me back to him so that he can speak in my ear. “Bite me back?”
I laugh and place both of my hands on the top of his head. “Nope!” I shove him underwater, my laugh turning into a screech when he yanks me under with him, our bodies tangling together as he holds onto me.
Without realizing it, I wrap my legs around his waist again, my heartbeat skyrocketing when his semi-hard dick presses between my legs.
“Dammit, Madden,” I mutter quietly. “Let me go.”
“Why?” he questions, holding onto me tighter. “Don’t be embarrassed, Nat. You know how they work. It’s natural.”
“To get an erection with your brother’s girlfriend? I don’t think so.”
“Relax, okay.” He grabs the back of my head and brings his lips to my ear. “Everyone is watching us. Just ignore my dick pressed up against you for five damn seconds. It doesn’t take much to make it hard. It’s not going to hurt you.”
“It’s impossible to ignore it,” I growl, moving in closer so no one can hear us. “I need a drink.”
“Probably a good idea. You’re going to need to loosen up.” With a crooked grin, he releases me, and I swim off in a hurry in need of some alcohol.
This is not what I signed up for.
And me being turned on by the situation is definitely not what his brother agreed to.
CHAPTER TEN
Madden
The fact that I’m enjoying Natalie’s reaction to my body is fucked up on many levels, since she’s my brother’s girlfriend. I know it, yet I can’t help but like it. My brother would kill me if he knew how many times Natalie has made me hard since we’ve been here, but the fact that I’m in the same place as Alana and it’s someone else keeping me distracted at the moment is a miracle. It’s what I need to make it through this trip, so I don’t fuck things up again like I almost did last year and the year before.
I need to finally make Alana a thing of the past, and I have a feeling Natalie is the girl to make that happen. Last night might’ve started out rocky, but I’m feeling more confident now that I know what needs to be done. I feel like an ass for what I’m about to put her through the remainder of this trip, but I also have to remember the reason she’s here to begin with. And that is to make my ex believe that I’ve moved on.
I’m willing to go to extreme measures to make that a reality, and all I can do is hope that Natalie will forgive me by the end of the trip. Her and my brother…
I keep my eyes on Natalie as she pours a drink, before making her way back to the pool and sitting down to dangle her legs in the water. Right as she brings the cup to her lips to take a drink, I take it from her and tilt the cup back, emptying half of it. “I was about to drink that.”
“I saw. You still can.”
“We don’t have to share this time, Madden. You’ve already proven to everyone that we’re serious enough to drink after each other.”
“Who says it’s for show? Maybe I like sharing.” I tilt the cup back, taking a small swig this time, before handing it back to her. “Or maybe I like the taste of your Chapstick. I haven’t figured it out yet.”
“It’s Cake Batter,” she mumbles over the cup. “If it’s the taste of my Chapstick that you like then I’ll
just give you an extra one. Problem solved.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” I tease, loving the way she looks when she’s all worked up over me. The blush across her cheeks has my smile widening.
“Here.” She pushes the cup to my chest with a playful grin. “Your “girlfriend” likes to play Water Volleyball, and it looks like a game is starting. See you in there?”
With a smile, I bring the cup to my lips and watch as she dives into the pool with confidence.
Standing on the same side of the net as Alana, she peeks over her shoulder at me, waiting to see if I’m going to join. The fact that she took the last spot on Alana’s team tells me she did it to keep Alana away from me.
And the look on my ex’s face makes it clear just how pissed off she is. We have always played on the same team. Not this time. I’m grateful. I’ll have to remember to thank Natalie later, because I know being on the same team as Alana can’t be comfortable for her.
Setting the cup down, I swim to the other side of the pool to join Jake’s team. I can practically feel Alana’s stare burning a hole into me, but I ignore it, keeping my focus on Natalie as she reaches behind her to tighten her bikini top.
Fuck me… She’s the perfect distraction. I’ve barely even looked at my ex since Natalie stripped down to her bikini. The same exact one that she’s wearing. Also, the same one I told Alana I loved on her last year.
“…ready?” Alana clears her throat louder than necessary, before nodding at the ball when I look her way. With a scowl, Alana serves the ball in my direction.
Just to make a point of ignoring her, I let Jake go after the ball. She’s working too hard to get my attention. Even though a part of me still wants to give it to her, I’m fighting like hell this weekend to change that.
Jake hits it over and Alana and Natalie go after it at the same time, Natalie getting to it right as my ex swings out to hit it. The fact that Natalie got it instead of her has Alana giving the side of her head an evil glare.
“Nice hit, babe!” I clap my hands once, before hitting the ball when it flies in between myself and Seth.
“Nice, man!” Seth slaps my back, before returning his attention to the ball.
Walker and Riley both dive for it, Walker hitting just high enough to keep it above water so that Alana can tap it over to Jess, who hits it back over.
We volley for a while, the tension between the girls thick, before Jake finally misses it.
“Shit! That was a good one, everyone.” He claps. “Let’s keep it up. Drink anyone?”
“Me,” Alana says stiffly. “Make it a double.”
“I got ya, babe.” He points around. “Anyone else? Madden?”
“No, I’m good, man.”
“Natalie?”
She shakes her head. “No, thanks. We have one.”
This earns a hard glare from Alana, but Natalie ignores her and swims to the net to chat with Jess while waiting on Jake to get back.
“Dude. Is Natalie a pro or some shit?” Walker says from beside me. “I haven’t seen anyone that competitive in volleyball with Alana in like… well, ever.”
I nod. “She played Volleyball in High School for four years.” I know this because I heard her tell my brother about one of her old games last year when I stayed with him for a weekend. “She was the Speaking Captain.”
“Impressive.”
“Really, Walker?” Alana mutters from her spot. “Being able to hit a ball over a net isn’t that impressive. I never played in High School and I’m just as good as she is.”
“Drinks!” Jake yells from outside the pool. “Swim your asses over here and get them. I’m setting them down away from the game so they don’t get wet.”
Alana rolls her eyes, before swimming to her cup.
“Whatever, man. Ignore her. You know she’s just pissed that you brought another girl. She’ll eventually get over it.” He slaps my back. “She’ll have to. Especially since you’ll be bringing her here from now on, right?”
“Yeah,” I say softly, watching as Natalie laughs at something Jess says. I’m sure my brother would love that.
“Good. Let’s play!”
Thanks to Natalie and Alana being on the same team, we lose our asses off twice. It’s usually a close game even though Alana’s team always manages to win each year, but this time, with two powerhouses on their side, it wasn’t even a competition.
“Everything good?” Jake swims up beside me and leans against the edge of the pool. “How is Natalie handling things, and where the hell did you find someone so perfect for the part?’
“Good.” I take a sip of my drink, my attention focused on Natalie and the girls. “She’s my brother’s girl,” I force out.
“Fuck!” He runs his hands over his face in a hurry. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Nope.”
“Shit, Madden. You do realize that you and Natalie will have to get pretty damn cozy, and real soon if you want Alana to believe this shit, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And your brother doesn’t care? Did you tell him you’d be kissing and touching all over her this weekend? That your lips—the ones that all girls crave to kiss—will be on hers?”
I nod and take a swig of my drink. “He knows and he’s fine with it. No tongue was his rule.”
He laughs. “No tongue? And you think that shit’s going to fly with Alana? She’s been watching you two like a hawk since the moment you showed up with her.”
I shake my head. “Nope. That’s why I’m going to have to break his little rule.”
“You do realize he’s going to kick the shit out of you once this trip is over, right? I’ve seen that fucker pissed off and it’s not a good thing to witness.”
“What the fuck else can I do, Jake?” I pull my attention from Natalie to face him. “I need this to end. I can’t do it anymore. I won’t.”
“Damn, man,” he whispers. “Just don’t take things too far. Don’t do anything you’ll regret later.”
“Thanks for the tip. Can we stop having girl talk now?”
“All right. I’m done.” He nods to Jess when she calls him over with her finger. “We’ll talk later.”
Releasing a frustrated breath, I set my drink down and swim my way over to Natalie, who is floating around on a flamingo with her eyes closed.
She sits up and opens her eyes when I grab the flamingo and pull her to me. “Crap, you scared me.”
“How are things going with Jess? You two seem to be getting along well.”
“I like her a lot.” She smiles. “It’s been a while since I’ve been able to talk to someone so easily other than Kayla and Carla. I wish your broth…” Her words trails off. “It would’ve been nice to come here and meet everyone sooner. Except your ex who is staring right as us. Is that ever going to stop?”
“Nope. I’m afraid not.” I grab her arm and pull her into the water with me, moving in close until our bodies are touching. “She’ll be watching every move we make, Nat.”
“I kind of figured that,” she mutters. “I was hoping she’d give up by now.”
“That won’t happen, because she’s still in love with me. Like you’re supposed to be.” I grab the back of her head and move my lips along her ear. “Do you know what girls do when they’re in love with me, Nat?” I grip her hip and breathe into her ear. “They touch and kiss me every chance they get. They can’t keep their hands off me. You can. And she sees that.”
“I think I’m going to need another drink first. Maybe even two if I’m going to pull that off. This isn’t as easy for me as you expected. But I’m here and I’ll do what I can.”
She places her hands on my chest and pushes off so she can swim away to make another drink. I’m still watching her when I hear someone swim up beside me. I immediately stiffen up at the familiar scent of Alana.
“Did you do that on purpose too?”
I clamp my teeth together when I feel Alana’s breath hit the back of my neck. “Do what?
” I grind out.
“Have her buy the same bikini that you told me you loved so much on me last year. That’s really low.”
“What the fuck, Alana.” I turn around to face her, my eyes meeting her hurt ones. I hate that it has me feeling bad. She’s the one who did this. It’s because of her that I have to lie. “I’m not that much of an asshole. That was just a coincidence. Whether you choose to believe it or not is on you.”
She shakes her head, before focusing her attention over my shoulder. “You haven’t done shit to prove to me that you’re in love with her. You haven’t even kissed her, and I know what that means… Kissing means something to you, and don’t think I didn’t do my research about your little kiss on stage the other night, which apparently Natalie has “forgiven” you for. I saw the video of you sticking up for that girl. I also saw the look of regret on your face after you kissed her.” She pauses for a moment, and I’m thankful for it to stop. “I’m not giving you up so easily, Madden. You might’ve brought a girl with you this year in hopes of hurting me—and it did—but my plans haven’t changed. You will realize how much you still miss me before this trip is over.” She moves in closer until her mouth brushes my ear, sprouting goose bumps across my skin. I hate that my body reacts to her. “That’s a promise.”
Her words leave me on edge and my muscles tight as she swims away to join the others. Fuck! I run my hands down my face, before settling my attention on Natalie, who is in the middle of pouring a mixed drink. She just had to bring up that kiss on stage. I should’ve known it.
I don’t think too hard about what I’m about to do next. It’s something I need to do. Climbing out of the pool, I walk toward Natalie with purpose before I can change my mind.
“What’s up? Everything—”
“No, it’s not.” Grabbing the back of her head, I crush my lips to hers, causing a small moan to escape her as I grip her hip with my free hand. That moan is exactly what I needed right now, so I take that as a win. “Now it is,” I say against her lips after breaking the kiss.
Reckless Rock Star (Cocky Hero Club) Page 12