Except when it came to Addy.
Pushing the thought he didn’t want to analyze aside, he focused on Blue, who was crouched beside a buffet table, inspecting its broken leg. He, Boone, and Jake had carried the broken table inside the villa to check it out after two of Gabriella’s cousins had knocked into it when they were horsing around.
“We can shore this up in no time tomorrow.” Blue pushed to his feet and patted Boone’s shoulder. “Just in time for your wedding.”
Boone grinned like a fool in love, which was fitting since he was marrying their sister. Boone had met Trish on the set of his first film, No Strings, in which Trish had a starring role. It was no surprise that the media was buzzing about Trish’s Oscar-winning performance, but it had shocked everyone when Boone had knocked his debut role out of the park and his name had been added to the award-worthy gossip. Boone, it seemed from what he’d shared with them, had endured a torturous revisiting of his past, and he credited Trish for having helped him bring those emotions into his acting. Knowing Jake’s pushy sister, Jake was sure he was right.
“We don’t need a buffet table,” Boone said. “All we need is someone to pronounce us husband and wife—and to blow up that boat full of paparazzi. Man, I feel horrible about them stalking Duke’s wedding. I hope our plan works.” He nodded toward the ocean as they headed back outside. The paparazzi had caught wind of Trish and Boone on the island, and although they had security on the perimeter, a single boat of reporters lingered offshore. Duke and Boone had arranged for two models to arrive on the island later that morning, and at some point before dawn tomorrow, disguised as Boone and Trish, they would leave on a boat, with plans to hop from boat to plane to boat, and run the press around until well after Trish and Boone’s wedding took place.
They stepped outdoors, and Jake was glad the party had finally cleared out. His gaze immediately found Addy sitting between Lizzie and Niko at a table with Trish, Sally, and Gage. It had been hours since Addy had walked away from their dance and his proposition. She’d spent the last few hours drinking and dancing with the girls, except for now, when she was all fluttery lashes and sexy smiles aimed at Niko.
Niko leaned closer to her and said something that made her laugh.
Her laugh was a little breathy and melodic, and it made Jake’s stomach go funky.
“Liar!” Addy pushed a shot glass toward Niko. “Drink up.”
Things just got a little more interesting.
Niko splayed his hands, his dark eyes dancing around the table. “Me? A liar? What about you?” he asked Addy. “Have you had sex on a beach?”
“It’s not her turn,” Trish answered.
Jake looked at the two open bottles of tequila and the shot glasses strewn across the table and realized they were playing a drinking game. How long had he been inside the villa? He homed in on Addy, awaiting her answer and praying it was no, because there was a hell of a lot of beach just waiting to be christened. And he knew the perfect man for the job.
“Finally something I’ve done!” Lizzie clapped.
“Jesus.” Blue moved behind Lizzie and whispered something in her ear that made her giggle. Helping her to her feet, he said, “I think my girl’s had enough to drink. We’ll see you guys tomorrow.”
“Drink up, Niko.” Trish pushed to her feet to hug Lizzie, wobbling a little. “See you guys tomorrow.”
“Looks like I better take Trish home, too,” Boone said. “Before she needs to be carried down the hill.”
Lizzie snuggled against Blue as they walked toward the dirt road. There were no cars on the island, only bicycles and golf carts, which suited Jake just fine. He hated to feel confined, and at around eight square miles, the island was barely big enough for a good run.
Trish wrapped her arms around Boone’s neck and hung on him. “You love carrying me. Fake impregnator.”
Jake raised a brow in question.
“Don’t ask.” Boone swept Trish into his arms and followed Blue and Lizzie.
Gage pushed another shot across the table to Niko. “There’s no way you’ve never done it on the beach. You live on the beach.”
“Yeah, with an island full of nosy relatives. But if you don’t believe me, I’ll take the hit.” Niko tossed back both shots and turned a heated, glassy gaze on Addy. “You could help me change my answer.”
Over my dead body.
Jake was beside Addy in half a second and sank down into the seat Lizzie had vacated next to her, draping a proprietary arm around the back of her chair. He scoffed at the icy stare Addy pinned on him and palmed the curve of her shoulder. Oh yeah, that felt nice.
“Sorry, man. I didn’t know you two were together,” Niko said, rising to his feet. “I’d better take off before I get my ass kicked.”
Damn right. Jake tossed him a friendly, “See ya, Niko,” without taking his eyes off Addy.
“I didn’t know you two were together, either,” Sally said, glancing at Gage.
Gage shook his head. “Don’t look at me.”
Addy was busy peeling Jake’s hand off her shoulder. “We are not together.”
Gage laughed. Sally blushed. But Addy continued glaring at Jake like she couldn’t believe what he was insinuating. He couldn’t believe it either, but hell, he might as well go with it. Filling another shot glass, he pushed it in front of her.
“Drink up, sexy girl.”
Her jaw gaped, and just as quickly, she schooled her expression. Her eyes narrowed with defiance. “You only have to drink when you lie.” She set the drink in front of him. “You should be drunk all the time.”
He moved the glass in front of her again, leaning in so close it took every shred of his restraint not to claim that sexy mouth of hers and show her just how much she was missing out on. He was vaguely aware of Gage and Sally saying they were taking off, and waved a hand in their direction, unwilling to look away from the woman before him. His eyes dropped to the frantic pulse beating at the base of her neck. He’d like to suck that throbbing vein between his teeth and feel her fingernails dig into him as he did it.
Meeting her gaze, he said, “I don’t lie.”
Her eyes darkened, and the tip of her tongue slid across her lower lip. She raised a perfectly manicured brow. “Oh no?”
“I never said you were with me. That was their assumption. Your assumption. Or maybe your wish.”
She searched his eyes. The lights from above reflected in hers. “Really? You don’t lie?”
“Really.”
“You didn’t lie three months ago when we were all at NightCaps and you told Blue it’d been weeks since you’d gotten laid?”
He cringed. “You heard that?” When he’d answered Blue, it had been four weeks since he’d had sex. The stubborn, sexy girl sitting beside him now had refused another of his propositions two weeks and six days prior to that night. He remembered it well, because that was the night he’d cornered her by the bathroom and she’d hesitated for so long before denying him, he’d thought she was finally going to give in. He hadn’t been able to think of anyone but her ever since.
“Everyone at the table heard it.” She smirked. “Truth or lie?”
Fuck. He’d sound like a pussy if he answered honestly.
She rolled her eyes and handed him the shot. “Drink it, liar.”
“That’s kind of harsh, don’t you think?”
She crossed her arms and pursed her lips.
“Wait a minute. Why do you even remember that?” Man, did he like knowing she’d been thinking about him just as he’d been thinking about her. Well, maybe not in the same naked, kinky ways he had, but he’d at least been on her mind.
She shifted her eyes away. “Drink, jackoff.”
“That’s quite a mouth you have there, sexy girl.”
“Like that bothers you.” She knocked back a shot, closing her eyes as she swallowed. She set the glass down hard on the table, licked her lips, and arched a brow again.
His girl loved a challenge. He pressed his leg against hers, testing the waters. When she didn’t move away, he added a hand on her thigh. “Actually, I like your dirty mouth very much.”
“Jake…” Her eyes dropped to his mouth, lingering there long enough for him to think about all the things he wanted to do with hers.
“Yes, sexy girl?” He squeezed her thigh, feeling her muscles flex beneath his hand. He inched his fingers higher, to the hem of her dress, and squeezed again.
“Does this usually work for you?” she asked with a sarcastic lilt to her voice. “All that ‘sexy girl’ stuff, and talking about dirty mouths?”
He grinned, ignoring her question, because hell, it was ridiculous. They both knew how to get what they wanted, and he wasn’t about to admit that he’d never called another woman sexy girl in his life.
“What do you want me to do with my mouth, Addison?” He let that question hang between them, his fingertips grazing her inner thigh. “Do you want me to drop to my knees and pleasure you? Make you come on my tongue while you claw at my shoulders?”
She let out a long, slow breath, as if she was thinking about it.
“Oh, you like that idea, don’t you?” They’d teased each other for so long it should feel normal, but he’d never taken it this far as to spell out exactly what he wanted to do to her. But he was done pussyfooting around. He used to be able to flirt at the drop of a dime with any woman who caught his eye. Now no one but Addy ever caught his eye. She’d ruined his ability to flirt with other women.