The big deal was the bright sun glinting off his tattoos.
The big deal was the muscles in his chest and back, rippling as he arranged a towel on a lounge chair.
The big deal was the way he lifted his head when he sensed them approaching and looked directly at her, his gaze bypassing everyone else, even the model in the string bikini.
Gia whistled, low enough that he couldn’t hear. Probably. But he had to have heard Wendy’s “Wow.”
“Sorry, Elise,” he said, oblivious to all the ogling. “The cabanas are all booked. You’ll have to slum it with the plebes.”
Elise huffed a little sigh of frustration. Jane couldn’t help thinking it was directed at her, but that was ridiculous. Yeah, she was the den mother of the group, but she couldn’t read minds.
“Let’s eat, and then we can hit the slides. We’ll hardly be here anyway,” said Wendy, glaring at Elise. Jane patted Wendy’s arm. Though she appreciated the attempt at peacemaking, there was no need to antagonize the bride unnecessarily. She had faith that when this was all over, they’d get their sweet, funny friend back.
Everyone spread out their towels. For once Jane wasn’t trying to manipulate things so she could be next to Cameron. In need of a breather, she purposely took the chair farthest from him.
“Nice tats, Cameron,” Gia said, pulling a magazine out of her bag. “What’s the story with them?”
He shrugged. “No story.”
“I know I crashed the party, Jane,” said Elise, forcing Jane to stop eavesdropping. “I just thought you would have, like, booked a cabana this morning when we all decided we’d do the rides this morning and the waterpark this afternoon. You’re usually so good at organizing that kind of stuff.”
Wow. Elise wasn’t going to let this go, was she? Jane struggled to think what to say. She wasn’t keen on the idea of apologizing for not booking a cabana she didn’t know existed for a group outing she didn’t know was happening.
“Yeah, Jane,” said Wendy in a teasing, singsong voice. “You really fell down on the job there.” Jane shot her a grateful smile for trying to break up the tension.
“Yeah!” Gia exclaimed, taking up the mantle. “You’re supposed to be the responsible friend!” She infused her voice with joking, artificial drama. “It’s like we don’t even know who you are anymore!” She darted a glance at Cameron, then back at Jane. “What have you been doing that’s more important than anticipating our every need?”
Crap, and here she thought she’d pulled one over on her friends.
“Okay, you guys are right. I’m being a bitch.” Elise rolled over and looked at Jane. “I’m sorry, hon. You didn’t deserve that.”
“No problem,” said Jane as her phone dinged, signaling an incoming text. She seized on it as an excuse to move past the uncomfortable moment.
They might not know who you are anymore, but I do. I know who you are—and what you’ve been doing.
Her stomach dropped. It was Cameron, apparently texting from four lounge chairs over. She risked a glance at him. He appeared to be perusing the map they’d been carrying around all day but probably had his phone tucked inside it. Another one arrived before she could even begin to think how to reply.
You are a very bad girl masquerading as a good girl.
Her face heated instantly, blazed with such intensity that she feared Elise would start accusing her of being sunburned. Her fingers shook as she typed a reply.
Oh? And what have I been doing?
You have been driving me to distraction all day, you little tease.
She glanced at the girls. Wendy and Gia were eating their hot dogs, and Elise, having finished hers, was absorbed in her own phone.
So she went back to…holy crap, was she sexting with Cameron? Well, why the hell not?
Sorry/notsorry
And now you’re going to spend the rest of the day parading around in that fucking incredible pinup swimsuit that has my dick hard as a rock. You’re killing me, Janie.
She bit the insides of her cheeks to prevent herself from grinning like an idiot as she looked down at her body and tried to see it through his eyes. She was rather pleased with the bathing suit. She’d bought it last winter when she and her mom and brother had gone to Florida. It was a bikini, but, on the surface of things, a modest one. The bottom was high waisted and the top a halter style. She’d thought when she bought it that the cut flattered her curves and that the white background and hot pink polka dots were fun and retro. It did make her feel like a pinup girl from the 1940s or 1950s, back when her body type would have been more idealized.
Sorry/notsorry?
She typed the same response as before, hoping the repetition would come off as coy and sexy, but probably she was going to have to get better at this sexting thing. She was a writer, for heaven’s sake. She tried again.
What can I do to help?
She cocked her head at her phone. That probably didn’t come off as sexily as she’d meant it. She couldn’t quite get the hang of this. But, hey, she was going to cut herself some slack because last time she’d had a person to sext with had been the flip phone era. And Felix would not have been into sexting anyway.
It didn’t seem to matter, though, because her mediocre effort earned her a response that made her have to stifle a gasp.
Nothing. Nothing will help except getting inside you.
Oh my God! Her body was in full-out mutiny. She shifted in her chair, turning away from everyone because she was afraid they would somehow see the rush of moisture between her legs that his dirty words had summoned.
Later?
Crap. She really, really needed to get better at this. But again, it didn’t seem to matter.
Yes. For now I’ll have to settle for riding down one of these damned slides with you. You’ll go in front and when you feel my cock against your sweet ass, you’ll know exactly what you’re doing to me.
She whimpered. It was out before she realized.
Wendy turned to her. “Are you okay?”
“Yes!” Whoa. That had come out too vehemently. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Yes, fine.” She dropped her phone into her bag. “I’m getting really hot.” As soon as it was out, she realized that wasn’t the right way to phrase things. She let her gaze flick to Cameron, who was still absorbed in his map. “I’m going to hit the water,” she added, standing and looking around. She needed a moment before Cameron made good on his pledge. “I’m going to pop into the pool for minute.” She didn’t wait to see if anyone was following, just strode toward the wave pool that was mostly filled with kids.
“Come back soon to reapply sunscreen!” Elise called after her.
Usually, Jane was a toe-dipper. Her normal process for immersing herself in a body of water was to draw it out so much that she annoyed even herself: a toe, an ankle, a shin, a knee. Then she’d finally stand around on her tiptoes squealing and letting the tips of her fingers skim the surface.
But not this time. This time, she walked right in. And kept walking until she was up to her boobs. Then she bent her knees and submerged her head.
Because it was cold and silent beneath the surface. She didn’t have to worry about how she was conducting herself underwater. There was no sexting underwater. No responsibilities. Underwater, no one was watching her.
Cam watched her the whole time. Given that his goal was to get rid of his raging boner so he could actually, like, get up and walk around, the decision to do so had been self-defeating. But he couldn’t make himself stop. Could. Not. Drag. His. Eyeballs. Away. From. Her. Pink. Polka-dotted. Ass. To begin with, that retro bikini thing was kiiillling him. It wasn’t overly revealing—Gia, for example, was showing much more skin—but there was something insanely hot about Jane’s suit. The playful confidence of those pink dots, the sexy expanse of bare back with the big bow at her neck. The heaviness of her breasts, weighing down the fabric that was cradling them. The way her hips and ass splayed way out from her trim waist. Those curves were the perfect resting spots for his hands. His fingers flexed of their own accord, wanting to press her hips down, to hold her immobile while he made her moan.
“Cameron? Hello?”
He jumped a little, turning toward Elise’s voice but keeping his eyes on Jane’s head as it disappeared into the water as she submerged herself. “Yes?”
“So Jay told me he asked you to be an usher?”
“What? Right. Yes.” After their apparent truce at the bachelor party, Jay had indeed asked Cameron to play the role of usher. “You’re my brother,” he had said. “You should be in my wedding party.” He’d gone on to explain that if he bumped one of the actual groomsmen, Elise would lose her mind, so usher was the best he could do. Cam had accepted with a studied casualness, but in truth, he’d been touched. “Oh, no.”
“No?” Elise’s voice was tinged with confusion.
“No. I mean, yes.” Shit. He’d been responding to the sight of a drenched Jane making her way out of the pool, coming toward them with water running off every part of her body. Forget making good on the lewd threat he’d issued via text. He was never going to be able to get off this damned chair. He needed to think about taxes. Or maybe his recent trial.