“We can’t change our pasts,” she reminded him. “The real question is, can we move forward without losing our minds?”
“That’s not even a question.” He kissed her again, careful to keep enough space between them so Seth didn’t get squished. “Of course we’ll lose our minds. But I like losing my mind with you.”
“Me too.” She arched her neck so he could kiss her there, which he gladly did. “I’ll be more careful about how I say things,” she said breathlessly. “I love your mouth.”
“You love my cock,” he growled in her ear.
“Shh.” She giggled. “You’ll subliminally damage the baby.”
“The little rascal made us fight in whispers, and now he’s hamstringing my groping action.”
“Mm. Hamstrung, huh? Then I’m free to do whatever I want.” She slid a wandering hand beneath his shirt and groped his abs. “I’m liking this. If only it wasn’t wrong to have a hand down your pants while you held him. Or to be naked on the veranda. Hm. Maybe we should have done that after everyone was asleep last night.”
“Sexy girl, I promise to make all of your dirty fantasies come true.” He kissed her again as her hand traveled down his belly, hanging by a finger on his waistband. The anticipation of her touch alone got him hard. Having her this close and not being able to touch her the way he wanted to made him throb. “I’m always yours for the taking.”
“Not with my baby on your lap you’re not.”
Addy gasped at the sound of Cash’s voice and trapped her unstoppable grin between her teeth. She peered over Jake’s shoulder at his brother.
“Sorry…?” she said, making them all laugh.
Cash shook his head, lifting Seth from Jake’s arms. “Fair warning. The girls are on their—”
“There they are!” Trish burst through the doors with her entourage on her heels.
Hands free of the cuddly, cumbersome baby, Jake gathered Addy in his arms before the girls could whisk her away. “Until later, beautiful girl.”
He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her with all the passion they’d been holding back. Reveling in Addy’s laughter against his lips, he kissed her through the girls’ whoops and cheers and through his brother’s teasing. He took the kiss deeper with each interruption, until she finally abandoned her laughter and gave in to their passion.
And then he kissed her some more.
Chapter Fourteen
ADDY GLANCED OUT the window of the beach cabana where she and the girls were dressing for the wedding, hoping to catch another glimpse of Jake while the other girls fussed over their hair and makeup. He’d shown up at her room with a bouquet of fresh-picked wild flowers when she was getting her clothes together to bring down to the cabana, and she’d instantly teared up. Amid the craziness of carrying tables and chairs from the villa to the beach and building the altar with his brothers, he’d taken the time to pick flowers and bring them to her.
When she’d said the wedding shouldn’t count as their first date since the girls were all getting ready together and attending as a group, his response made her happier than she could have ever imagined. I know you’re there with me. Nothing else matters. She was so into him her head was spinning. They’d been busy with wedding preparations, and she’d only caught glimpses of him ever since, but each glimpse brought a smile, a wave, a kiss, or—true to Jake’s nature—a discreet pelvic thrust or enticingly seductive expression.
Siena joined her by the window, looking gorgeous with her hair twisted up in a French knot, making her appear even taller than usual. She was a good eight or nine inches taller than Addy, and her peach minidress made her legs look like they went on forever. As much as Addy loved the faux-diamond-and-pearl barefoot sandals Maggie had brought for the girls to wear, she’d give anything for a little heel height. Not only was she the tiniest of all of them at five foot one, but she could use a few extra inches when she was with Jake.
“Looking for my brother-in-law?” Siena asked.
“Maybe.”
“Did seeing him with a baby give you any ideas?”
“After only a weekend together? You’re kidding, right?” Addy smoothed her vintage-inspired teal shift to take her mind off of how seeing Jake holding the baby had affected her. All the girls had worn pretty summer dresses, and her chicly styled shift, with the sheer ruffle of trim, open-stitched insets, and skin-flashing keyhole back, fit right in. She concentrated on those details, trying not to allow her backpedaling mind to grab hold of the image of Jake holding Seth. But it was no use. The image was seared into her mind. Seth had softened every sharp, brooding edge of him. He’d taken such immense care to hold him gently and keep his voice down, even when it was obvious that he wanted to pace and hammer out their differences with vehemence.
“You don’t have to pretend,” Siena whispered. “It’s been longer, right? You and Jake have been hooking up for months, haven’t you?”
Was that what everyone thought? “No, we haven’t. Not once before we came here.”
“But…” Siena’s brow wrinkled. “Cash told me that Jake hasn’t been with another woman in months. We assumed it was because he was hooking up with you.”
Addy’s mind spiraled back to the night of Gabriella’s wedding. Jake had never answered her question about whether he’d lied that night at the bar a few months ago when he’d told Blue he hadn’t gotten laid in weeks.
“I’m sorry,” Siena whispered. “I hope I didn’t offend you, or—”
“You didn’t,” Addy assured her. Just the opposite. Happiness bubbled up inside her. Could it be true? Could Jake have been so consumed with thoughts of her that he’d stopped playing around months ago?
Didn’t I?
She peeked through the curtains again, spotting Jake talking with his father and Boone beside the beautiful white and gold wedding canopy. Maybe this thing between us isn’t happening too fast after all.
“I’m glad,” Siena said. “Did you guys get to sneak away for crazy good makeup sex?”
When the girls had stolen her away from Jake earlier that morning, they’d noticed how sidetracked she was and peppered her with questions. She’d confided in them about Jake’s jealousy, and after talking it over, she realized that she probably would have reacted the same way. Now she remembered that Cash had come into the room during their conversation, and not long after that she’d found Jake with Seth. She wondered if Cash and Siena had planted the baby in his arms to ease their tension. She wasn’t sure if she should be thankful or annoyed at their intrusion into her and Jake’s privacy. Thankful. Definitely thankful. After all, wasn’t that what friends were for? Helping each other out in good times and bad?
“Should I take that silence as confirmation of the amazing makeup sex?” Siena asked.
“Are you kidding?” Addy laughed, although the panty-melting kiss he’d given her on the veranda had left her hungry for more. “With how busy we’ve been today? I’ve barely seen him.”
“At least you have something to look forward to. Lots of makeup sex. Our Ryder men are so jealous.”
Our Ryder men. She liked the sound of that.
“It’s kind of cute the way they try to hide it,” Siena added. “I knew the second I saw Jake’s face all twisted up this morning when you guys came back from the beach with Ned and Andrea that he was jealous. You’ll learn. If there’s a male in your life, your man will be jealous over him. Period.”
Addy didn’t like the sound of that. “If that’s true, he’ll push me away quicker than he can say he’s sorry.”
“They’re trainable,” Siena assured her. “Just like we are. Guys are jealous and cocky; girls are jealous, needy, chatty…That’s how it works.”
Addy had never been needy a day in her life. Except she was sexually needy when she was with Jake. Did that count? No, she decided, it didn’t, because that was different from needing his attention outside the bedroom. Maybe she and Jake really were wired differently than most other couples. Other couples could temper their sexual needs, but she and Jake were like raging infernos all the time. Like Grandma. Her hand moved over her tattoo. The similarities between her and Jake and her grandmother’s first, happy marriage made her feel warm all over.
“Girls, come on.” Andrea waved them over. She looked gorgeous and youthful in a navy short-sleeved dress that stopped just above her knees, with pretty pearls dangling from her ears. “We’re ready to take pictures.”
Gabriella’s aunts had made sure they had enough flowers to create the feel of a magical beachside garden, transforming the beach cabana into a wedding haven. Trish looked gorgeous in her mother’s wedding gown and a pair of her mother’s diamond earrings, boasting an ear-to-ear smile. Cash and Siena had given her a blue lapis bracelet, and Lizzie had loaned her a diamond necklace that went perfectly with the earrings. The white garter Maggie had given her counted as something new. She had all the requisite items for a perfect bride.