Page 46 of Hot Summer

Ada had just skimmed her hands along the inside of Leo’s thigh, eliciting a sharp, thrilled laugh from his mouth, when Brad huffed and pushed himself to his feet.

Standing there, a few feet away, it felt like watching a car crash in slow motion.

Ada didn’t notice at first, just leaned down and ghosted her lips over Leo’s before moving to plant a kiss on his jaw at the last second, laughing as he came forward to chase her for an actual snog.

For that flash of a moment, there was an unbeatable power on Ada’s face. An awareness of her raw sexuality, of her appeal. She could have everyone in this villa chasing after her if she wanted. It wasn’t a look Cas had ever seen on Ada’s face, and it was like a wire had sparked to life under her skin.

As Ada straightened, she realized just how pissed off Brad was. Cas expected her to speak to him, to ask him what was going on or otherwise give him a platform to vent his grievances, but Ada just raised her eyebrows, impatient and almost amused, like he was a toddler throwing a fit in the middle of Sainsbury’s. In response, Brad huffed angrily, said, “Fuck this,” and stormed off.

Ada’s face was a perfect mask of indifference as Brad jumped over the rope surrounding the platform and stalked off toward the villa. Cas was sure that, before long, producers would be calling out to him through the Voice of God to convince him to get back into the ring.

Or maybe they wouldn’t. This was, after all, the exact kind of drama that they lived for.

As soon as Brad disappeared, a slow smile stretched across Ada’s face.

“Well, I was due to give one more lap dance, so...” She held her hand out to Cas who was standing closest to the end of the bench where the boys were sitting.

“Cas, would you like to be my guest of honor?”

Cas didn’t know what to say. Couldn’t have said anything anyway because she felt like she’d swallowed her tongue. She half shrugged, half nodded, a very poor attempt at a casual response, and Ada’s smile gleamed, her teeth flashing in the sun. Cas’s attraction to Ada had never been sharper than it was in that moment. She felt it viscerally against her skin, the way it was tearing through her veins, the way it multiplied and twisted over itself as Cas placed her palm on Ada’s.

For all Ada’s talk about not being able to manage this challenge gracefully, the way she spun Cas into her seat was the very picture of ease. Cas fell back against the bench with a heavy thud, and though Cas heard everyone shouting gleefully (Femi was wolf whistling like his life depended on it), it was almost as if she was underwater as Ada approached her, her steps slow and deliberate, something almost predatory in her gaze. Ada streaked her tongue along her bottom lip, and Cas felt a spike of desire through her gut. She pressed her palms into the bench, her fingers curling over the edge, her knuckles white with the effort of restraining herself.

Cas’s legs parted with each step Ada took toward her, like the steps themselves were a tether pulling at Cas’s knees. Ada swept forward, her hair sliding over her shoulder and tickling Cas’s arm, which jerked with the effort of keeping still. She longed to bring her hands up to Ada’s waist, to press her fingers into Ada’s skin and mold herself to Ada’s curves.

Ada slid her stethoscope along Cas’s collarbone, the pressure so light that Cas could barely feel the cool plastic against her skin. It was a simple move, but more than enough to put Cas at the brink, her flesh breaking out in goose bumps as Ada teased her.

“Well,” Ada muttered, her head tilting curiously to the side. “You have a racing heart, Ms. Morgan.”

Ada pressed the disk to Cas’s chest and Cas had to physically bite back a moan.

“Hmm.” Cas felt more than heard Ada’s disapproving hum. “I don’t like the sound of that at all. I’m going to need to give you a more thorough examination.”

As she said it, her free hand skirted over the outside of Cas’s left thigh, her fingertips catching on the hem of her shorts. Cas arched her body toward Ada, desperate and needy and out of her mind. Ada’s hand curved around Cas’s hip, and just when Cas thought she was going to draw their bodies together, Ada pressed her back down into the bench.

Ada leaned down and whispered into Cas’s ear, drowning out the sounds of the boys oohing and whistling beside her. “Stay still.”

Cas swallowed, her mouth stone dry, and nodded.

Cas was just aware enough of everyone else to keep a lid on her real reactions. She knew the boys were watching her, she knew she was being recorded on a dozen hidden cameras that would later be edited together and sent out for a million people to see.

It was enough self-awareness that she managed to maintain some sense of her dignity, but inside her head, Cas felt like she was melting down.

There was no denying that there was real chemistry between them. Cas couldn’t be imagining it, couldn’t be making it up, because it seemed like it was written all over Ada’s face. Like she was just as into this as Cas was.

Half of Cas’s mind told her she was delusional, but if she compared this moment to the way Ada had danced with the boys, there was a real energy to her movements that had been missing before. It was the gentle way that she traced her hands over Cas’s body, the way she teased her, and the way she smiled, all cheeky and proud and victorious, whenever Cas exhaled shakily or shifted in her seat, desperate for some actual contact.

Ada snaked her body over Cas’s in a final move, their whole bodies flush together for the first time, and the heat of it made Cas feel like she was going to explode. She could feel Ada’s breath on her neck, her lips ghosting over Cas’s skin, and before she could stop herself, Cas moved her hands to Ada’s hips, holding their bodies together for a beat that was simultaneously far too long and far too short.

At that moment, the bell rang, signaling the end of Ada’s turn. Ada laughed brightly, her grin all over her face, and reached down to take Cas’s hand. Cas followed easily, her body jelly, as Ada lifted her to her feet. She nearly wobbled as she settled her weight onto her heels again, but she had just enough dignity left to keep from going face-first onto the decking.

Ada dropped her hand as she turned back toward the girls who were all hooting and shouting and carrying on. Cas watched as Ada skipped back to the queue—literally skipped—like she didn’t have a single care in the entire world.

16

Despite Ada’s ease at the end of her turn, she grew stiff as the rest of the challenge passed by.

The sun was just starting to dip below the horizon as they all walked back up to the house, most everyone laughing and dissecting the challenge. Ada had won the sexiest dancer on the girls’ side, and she was twirling the plastic medal they’d given her between her fingers as they walked, her eyes trained on the ground.

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