Page 61 of I Could Be Yours

I stop flailing, and he winds his arms around my waist, pulling me out of the water and into his lap. I stay wrapped around him, mostly because I’m afraid if I move I’ll end up in the water again with the sharks and jellyfish.

He runs his hand down my arm. “You’re all right, Ess.”

“Am I, though?” I lean back. “I’m soaked because of you.” And all the time I spent on my makeup, that was supposed to make me look sun-kissed, was pointless.

His lip twitches. “Tonight I’ll make sure you’re soaked for the right reasons.”

“You think I’m inviting you back to my room after you tossed me in the water?” I shove his shoulder and the watercraft rocks perilously, so I throw my arms around him again.

His lips curve against my neck. “I told you to hold on. If you let me, I’ll make it up to you later and suck on that pretty little clit ring.”

“And my nipples. You’ll suck on those, too,” I demand.

“As if I would leave them out of the fun.” He repositions me so I’m nestled between his thighs, sitting in front this time.

His erection pokes me in the butt as he shifts forward. I’m about to comment, but Tristan and Rix ride up next to us.

“You okay, Ess?” Rix is wearing a worried expression, as is typical these days.

“Oh yeah, just fell off!” I say brightly.

“Be careful with Ess,” Tristan warns, then speeds off. Rix’s peal of laughter is drowned out by the sound of our engine turning over.

“You’re poking me in the ass,” I note.

“You are wearing a thong bikini, Essie. I’ve had to watch you parade around in it every time you got out of the pool to refresh your drink. And now your entirebareass is pressed up against me. So yeah, I’m poking you with my hard-on.”

“Does this mean you’ve spent the whole afternoon thinking about bending me over the closest surface and fucking me from behind?”

“Among other, slightly less civilized things, yes.”

“Tell me about the uncivilized things.”

“No.” He takes my hands and puts them on the handlebars, settling his over them. I thought being wrapped around Nate was an experience, but this is so much better. His body creates a protective cage around me. His hard-on pokes me insistently in the tailbone, and it’s all I can think about. I wonder what uncivilized Nate is like in the bedroom. I wonder what it takes to bring out that side of him.

Eventually his hard-on calms down in time to return the jet ski. It takes ten minutes for the guys to decide they’re bored and want to play water volleyball after we return to the pool. Somehow, I get sucked into playing, along with Hemi, Rix, and Hammer.

To the shock of no one, competitive Nate is out in full force.

I’m on the same team as Flip, and the opposite team as Nate. Every chance Flip gets, he high-fives me, or chest-bumps me, and Nate keeps trying to hit him in the head with the ball. Or at least that’s how it seems.

Aurora and I tap out and join Lavender and Dred on the lounge chairs when they start game two. Shilpa and Lexi have both gone to their rooms for an afternoon nap.

“Watching these guys makes me tired,” Dred muses.

“Yes,” Lavender agrees, slurping her drink. “Also horny. All those muscles and sluicing water.”

“How much longer do you think they’ll be at this? I’d really like to take Hollis back to the room and have my needs fulfilled before dinner.” Hammer sighs.

“I wouldn’t mind fulfilling my own needs before dinner.” Dred squints and adjusts her glasses. “Holy shit, look at that hottie over by the tiki hut.”

“There are a lot of hotties around here, Dred. You’ll need to be more specific.” I shade my eyes and follow her gaze.

“The dark-haired, tattooed Adonis. At least he has an Adonis body. We’ll see about the rest if he turns around.” Dred sips her drink. It’s probably water or juice. She doesn’t drink often.

I spot the object of her attention. His entire back is covered in a stunning design that wraps around his shoulders and trails down his biceps to his forearms. He’s a human canvas, and the art is magnificent. He turns, and we get a glimpse at his profile.

“Oh my gosh, is thatConnor?” I ask.

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