Page 59 of Caught Stealing

The sounds of birds chirping and the ray of sunlight directly on my face are what wake me the next morning, groggy and disoriented. Even when I open my eyes, I can’t focus—probably thanks to my brain pounding against the inside of my skull—the confusion only grows as I feel a breeze in places I most definitely shouldnotbe feeling it.

Why am I outside, naked?

My sluggish brain runs through the previous night, recollecting the events as fast as it will allow.

The face-off at the bar. The secrets in the pool.

The kiss leading to us naked in the shower—

I bolt upright on the lounger, panic and anxiety making an immediate appearance as I attempt to gain my bearings. The sudden movement effectively knocks Holden’s arm from where it was draped across my chest, who is asleep—buck-ass naked—beside me on a lounger.

The same place we collapsed together last night in a satiated, exhausted pile of limbs.

“Shit,”I hiss out the curse and immediately slide out from beneath him in search of my swim trunks, which I find in a pile with his next to the outdoor shower stall we—

Do not even think about what happened last night.

If I do, I might be sick. Or maybe that’s the hangover talking.

Both our trunks in hand, I head back to where he’s still slumbering and toss the stupid pink, banana-printed fabric at his face, where it lands with a damp plop. It has the desired effect, though, and he lets out a long groan before pulling them from his face.

“Good morning to you, too,” Holden grumbles, sitting up and squinting at me.

“Seriously?” The words come out in a sharp tone. “That’s all you have to say right now?”

“Calm down,” he grumbles, using the trunks to shield his eyes. “It’s too early to be this worked up.”

“Calm down?” I ask incredulously while shoving my legs into my trunks. It’s only when they’re firmly around my hips again that I whirl on him. “Someone could haveseen us,Holden.”

A crease forms in his forehead as he rises off the lounger at a snail’s pace, clearly still attempting to regain his equilibrium. But even in my anger and frustration with his lackadaisical movements and no-fucks-given attitude right now, I can’t help staring at the lines and planes of his body. A body, just last night, Itouched and licked and—

Goddamnit, don’t go there.

Still, my sex-starved brain slips right back into lust. He’s woken a beast inside me I didn’t know existed, and now it’s insatiable.

Holden watches me closely as he slips back into his trunks, those whiskey-brown eyes giving nothing away. “Would it have been such a bad thing? If someone would have seen us?”

And there’s the bucket of cold water I needed.

“You’re kidding, right? You’re herewith Kason,and you don’t think someone walking out on us naked together in a pool lounger is a bad thing?”

He’s gotta be insane if that’s the case.

“Kason and I aren’t together,” he says, arms crossed over his chest as he frowns at me. “We aren’t in a relationship, never have been. There’s nothing monogamous about it, and if he wanted to see someone else or sleep with someone else, he’s perfectly allowed to.”

All I can do is stare at him. At this…fuckboy.

“What is wrong with you?” I snarl, stepping away from him. “You and Kasonaretogether, and with him kissing you on the beach and groping you last night, everyone on this stupid trip knows it. So either you truly are fucking delusional, or—”

“Or I’m just fucking with him, right? Playing games like the asshole you’ve made me out to be?” His brows arch in amusement. “Think what you want of me, but neither of us asked for exclusivity in this. Both of us are unattached. It’s not my fault if he didn’t tell you that bit of info—”

“Don’t even finish that sentence unless you want to be decked in the face.” It’s a threat as much as a warning. Because if he doesn’t tread carefully, my composure will surely snap. It’s already halfway there from waking up naked next to him as it is.

“You might not like it, but it’s the truth. Maybe your bestie doesn’t tell you everything.” He shrugs indifferently. “Or maybe you’ve been too busy being pissed at me to listen.”

No part of my mind can understand how Kason would just agree to a no-strings thing with Holden. There’s a reason he was still a virgin before this whole flirtation began—because he puts an enormous amount of stock in sex.

We both do, which is why I’ve been so protective. To prevent him from sleeping with someone who doesn’t give two flying fucks about him, which is precisely what has happened to me with Holden.

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