Page 26 of A Game of Ruck
I nearly choke on a grape.
“You’re terrible.”
“Terribly charming, you said so,” he corrects, dropping his hand low on my thigh and squeezing just enough to make my breath hitch.“And shockingly available to make out with you until this whole boat thinks we can’t breathe without each other.”
“Not sure we’d be faking it at that point,” I mutter before I can stop myself.
He pauses.
Then leans in, lips brushing the shell of my ear.
“Good.Because I’m getting real damn tired of pretending.”
My heartbeat stutters so hard I practically forget how to chew.
This man is dangerous.
And I’m not sure I want to be saved.
I choke on my sip of water.
“You’re diabolical.”
“Me?”He grins.“I’m ateam player, Angel.Just following your lead.”
“Well, don’t follow too closely.I’m pretty sure I have no idea what I’m doing.”
“I like that about you.”
“You like that I’m a mess?”
He shrugs.“I like that you’re real.”
And for a moment, I forget the wedding, the weird tension, the pitying glances.
For a moment, it’s just us.
The breeze, the water, and Luca Warden looking at me like I’m not some girl in hiding—but someone worth seeing.
“Mira,tortolitos!” someone calls, using the Spanish vernacular for‘hey, lovebirds.’
“We’re going to anchor here for a little pre-wedding photoshoot of the bridal party!”
Lisa, of course.
Because of course it’s Lisa.
Her voice slices through the boat like a bad remix of Clueless and Mean Girls, all sugar-spiked venom and fake cheer.
I stiffen where I sit beside Luca, and he shifts closer instinctively, like he can feel me start to fold in on myself.
The four of them—the perfectBrittany, Courtney, Jasmine and Lisa—along with their dates,the groom and his groomsmen, move to the front of the boat.
Duck faces, pouty smiles, and perfectly rehearsed candid poses abound.
I didn’t even notice the photographer until he rose like a sea creature from the deep with a camera the size of my self-esteem—it’s small.
The sun is relentless, beating down on the deck, and I can see a few of the guys starting to sweat through their shirts.
