A FEW HOURS LATER, I tighten my deep green sarong around my upper waist and catalog my features in the mirror. What seems like permanent purple bruises underline my green eyes, and my string bikini cuts into the skin around my back. I survived the past few years with a single-minded focus, and the wear is starting to show on my face.
Where I softened over the years, Alex and River became defined. All chiseled jaws and rippling abs. Heat floods my lower stomach. It should be a crime to be that hot.
My fingers twitch to grab the cover-up I laid on the bed. The urge to hide is more than I want to admit.
My phone buzzes, and I grab it from the table. A text from an unknown number flashes on the screen.
Unknown: Where are you?
Unknown: Answer me.
I swipe to clear it. It doesn’t take a genius to know they’re from Jason. His messages have become more desperate by the day. I never respond, hoping one day he’ll get the hint.
I tuck my phone in my beach bag and rake my hands through my hair, clip it in place, then leave the villa, heading toward the pool.
Heat envelops me the second I step outside, and the loose strands of my hair stick to my neck. The temperature’s going to be close to one hundred the entire time we’re here, and I’m pretty sure my Canadian ass is going to melt. It’s hot in Ottawa, a sticky humidity that makes you feel like you need a shower the second you leave the house, but it has nothing on the baking heat here.
Nerves dance under my skin as I replay Piper and Sidney’s words the closer I get. That I could just enjoy myself. That it doesn’t need to be serious. She pretty much told me to have sex with one of her best friends. I can’t deny I could use the release though, and both River and Alex look like they know what they’re doing. No, I know they’d know.
Am I asking for trouble? Absolutely.
Alex and River are the last people I should be thinking about, but I can’t ignore the tension that’s always wound around us, pulling me in until I don’t want to get out.
There’s history there I can’t deny, especially since I’m the one who ended it. We started off as friends—sure, we got along a little too well, a little too close to be completely innocent. I knew then I was in over my head, but I couldn’t help but fall headfirst.
Alex and River have been best friends for years, and I just snuck in and nearly detonated their relationship. It wasn’t their fault I’d messed up and fallen for both of them.
I round the corner and immediately spot River. He’s thirty feet away, standing next to Lucas, his dark hair wet and slicked back off his face, and he’s wearing the barest hint of a smile. I freaking miss that smile. So rare that whenever he did, it turned me into a walking pile of goo. His deep black gaze flicks up to mine, and his smile grows.
I take a step backward, suddenly overcome with the need to flee. Who the hell am I kidding? I turn to head back to my room, where I can at least get some work done, and come face-to-face with a smiling Piper.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“I forgot I’ve got something I need to take care of.” Not technically a lie.
She raises a brow and places her hands on her hips. She’s wearing a similar outfit to mine, only hers is sky blue. “I’m not going to call you out for running away—I’m a bigger person than that—but what I will do is remind you that this is my wedding weekend, and you have no choice but to hang out with me.”
“Aren’t bride privileges exclusive to the day of the wedding?” I turn back to the gazebo, already knowing the answer, and she hooks her arm into mine, hauling me to a stop.
“Tell me what’s really bothering you. Are you scared about losing funding? Because if that’s why you’re turning back, I’ll go to the villa with you, and we can dive in. But…if you’re bailing because two gorgeous guys are eyeing you like dinner, you’re coming with me, even if I have to drag you.”
“They haven’t actually shown interest in me.”
Piper snorts and looks me up and down. “Something tells me you’ll be fine.”
“I’ll have a drink, but I’m not interested in a fling with Alex and River.” For all I know, they’re still pissed about how things ended between us.
“Uh-huh. Let’s go.” Her tone lets me know she thinks I’m delusional. She tugs me along toward where Lucas is already watching her.
My gaze catches on Alex. He’s pulling himself out of the pool, rivulets sliding down his tan skin and fluorescent green shorts hanging low on his hips. He raises a brow when I approach and runs his hand through his blonde hair, darkened by the water.
“Like what you see?” Alex asks playfully.
I shrug, hoping I look casual when internally, I’m anything but. “You’re alright, nothing special.”
Alex barks out a laugh and gives me a cocky smile that sends shivers up my spine. Even now, these boys hold entirely too much power over me.
“Glad you finally came out of hiding.” He nods, eyes bright. He’s always been larger than life.
I stiffen. “I’m not hiding.”
He huffs out a breath. “We’re sharing a room, and I haven’t even seen you today. You’re totally hiding.”
“Don’t remind me.” I nearly lost my mind when the concierge informed me that the entire resort’s completely booked. The idea of spending the weekend with Alex and River both terrifies me and sends heat coursing through my body.
He wraps an arm around my shoulder and tugs me in for a relaxed hug. “Don’t be like that. We’re friends.”
My chest tightens. “Are we?”
“We were once. Nothing stopping us from being friends again besides you.” The playfulness drops from his face, and he tilts his head closer to mine. Serious Alex has always taken my breath away.
My cheeks heat, and I can’t deny I missed them.
“Okay. Friends.” My voice is almost a squeak.
“Maybe more,” he adds, not bothering to hide the heat in his eyes before he jumps back in the pool, splashing me with water.
I’m too stunned to say anything and jump when Jax comes up beside me. “Hey, you look like you could use this.”
He hands me a plastic cup with some kind of fruity drink, and I scrunch my nose before nearly draining it. I may not love sweet drinks, but at this point, I’d do anything to cool myself down. I wipe my hand over my mouth. “Thanks.”
Jax grins at me, and I roll my eyes.
“What?”
“Not a thing,” he replies, and I don’t believe him for a second.
The girls all sit on loungers, soaking up the sun while chatting idly. Sidney sits up. “Finally! Five more minutes and I was sending a search party.”
“I’m not even late.”
Misty looks between us. “Well. You’re a little late.”
Did I take longer than normal to choose my outfit? Yes. Am I going to tell them that? Not a chance.
“What is it, pick on Mia day?” I huff, dropping onto a lounger, and rest my head back.
Sidney’s brow raises. “You’re just too fun to rile up. Plus, you’re supposed to be relaxing this weekend. Loosen up a bit.”
“I’m loose.”
She huffs, calling me on my bullshit. “You look like you’re going to bolt back to your room at any second.”
I force my shoulders to relax. “I just have a lot on the go.”
Sidney turns serious. “Trust me. I know. You’ve been killing it. But you’re working yourself too hard. I just don’t want you to burn out. Take the weekend off. Enjoy Napa. Then I’ll completely support you going back to your neurotic self. Deal?”
“Fine. Okay. You’re right,” I give in.
“What’s that? Say it again.”
“I said you’re right. Now I need a drink.”
The girls all whoop, but I’m distracted by a cup of amber liquid being passed over my shoulder. I look back, and a pair of near pitch-black eyes settle on mine.
River wets his bottom lip. “Grabbed this for you.”
Holy shit. The way he’s looking at me has my toes curling, and I have to restrain myself from twisting in my chair to get a better look at his naked chest. I wrap my hands around the cup, enjoying the cool sides against my heated skin. “Thank you.”
Jax calls to him from where the guys gather, and River nods at him before looking back to me. “I’ll talk to you later.”
His voice is low and gravelly and sounds more like a promise than a statement, sending sparks dancing along my skin. I take a sip of my drink, hoping it’ll cool me down, only to realize he’d grabbed me another cider. My cheeks flush, and I drain the cup without thinking.
“You should see your face,” Shana says from where she drops into the seat next to me.
“Right!” Piper joins in. “Like, I’m going to need a fan over here. That was hot.”
I glance over to where Alex and River now stand, and I can feel my cheeks warm. Sidney squeezes my arm. “Relax, see where things go.”
Relax…ha. Does she even know me? I haven’t relaxed in years. “I’ll try.”
She grins. “You better.”
We spend the next several hours soaking up the sun before shifting to mingling around a few tables once the sun settles, taking the scorching heat with it. After a few more drinks that seem to magically appear, I’m feeling pleasantly buzzed and sway on my feet to the music.
I watch where Sidney stands tucked into Jax’s side, and Piper leans her head back against Lucas’s chest as they chat in a group. I’m so happy for them, but a teensy part of me feels empty that I don’t have that same easiness in my life. They’re all so sure of each other. Like it’s fate that they met.
Goosebumps freckle my skin when the breeze picks up, and I rub my palms over my arms. Large hands cover mine before wrapping around me, and a chin settles on the top of my head. Alex’s chest rumbles against my back. “You look cold.”
If I was cold a second ago, I’m not now. I should pull away, but I let the steady buzz from the alcohol mix with his calming scent and rest my weight into him. A quiet voice at the back of my head tells me I wouldn’t be doing this if I were sober, but the tipsy part of me doesn’t care.
I’ve missed the way Alex’s arms feel around me, and for once, I don’t question it.
Jax walks up to us. “So, did you confirm your cat sitter’s still alive?” He smirks. “Do we need to start calling hospitals to find the missing body?”
“I called. She’s fine. He’s not going to bite the hand that feeds him.”
“Somehow, I seriously doubt that,” Jax responds.
Jax and Alex carry on a conversation that I can’t even begin to process as Alex’s heat soaks into my spine. He’s treating this like it’s absolutely normal to hold me instead of the complete opposite. I don’t bother fighting it. Instead, I take another drink.
I’ll worry tomorrow.
My gaze travels, looking for River, only to find him already looking at me from where he’s speaking with Lucas and Piper. Even from fifteen feet away, I can see his eyes are hooded, and the muscle in his jaw clenches. He doesn’t look away, and the weight of it has me leaning harder into Alex. His arms tighten around my stomach, and he dips his head into the crook of my neck, sending shivers through me. He chuckles low, the sensation vibrating against my back. “You like him watching you, don’t you, Kitten?”
I bite my lip, relaxing further into him.
“I’m going to go find Sid.” Jax’s low voice cuts in, and my gaze flies up to where he is smirking at us.
If I wasn’t so buzzed, I’d definitely be embarrassed.
“You do that,” Alex replies playfully, not bothering to deny the tension happening.
Jax has barely left before River moves. His steps are slow and calculated as he practically stalks this way.
“Relax.” Alex nuzzles my neck, speaking directly into my ear. His hands splay until they cover me from ribs to waist, and the feel of his rough calluses against my bare skin has heat flooding my core. His grip tightens, pulling a low moan from my lips, and he stiffens behind me before pulling me back against him so I can feel his hard cock against my ass.
By the time River joins us, my thoughts are barely coherent. I tilt my head back as he looms in front of us, so close his chest grazes my arms I’d subconsciously wrapped around Alex’s. A voice screams in the back of my head that this is exactly what tore us apart the last time. But even in my tipsy state, I can tell something’s changed. Neither guy seems to mind the other’s presence.
Oh my God. Are they on the same page?
Dark eyes meet mine, sucking me under, and I reach out, wrapping my hand around River’s neck, no longer in control of my body.
“Mia, if you keep looking at me like that, I’m going to strip off that pretty little bikini and take you right fucking here.” River sounds serious, and suddenly, I don’t care about anything besides having him inside me.
Both of them.
“Promise?” Any attempt to be seductive is ruined by my hiccup.
River searches my eyes, which are already going fuzzy as the full force of the alcohol I’ve consumed hits me. He cups my cheek in one hand, lifting my jaw upward as he drops his mouth so close it grazes mine. “Ask us again tomorrow, and we’re yours.”
