Oh my God. My pulse races and all logical thoughts vanish. I’m so turned on I would happily have sex right here in the lake in front of the team.
He watches me intently, his eyes never leaving mine. His pupils dilate and his breathing becomes shallow.
“Fuck,” he groans roughly.
I can’t help myself. My hips move of their own accord, pressing flush against the hardness of his arousal through the thin layers of fabric.
His fingers squeeze at the flesh of my ass, massaging it roughly in a way that leaves no question of what he wants from me: he wants me to spread my legs wide open so that he can slide his—
The thought crashes into a wall when I remember where we are: surrounded by teammates lounging on their boards and floating nearby.
I look up. Matty, in all his bare-assed bravery, is lodged between the two Tonys, who are practically brawling to knock him off his board again.
Among the chaos, one pair of watchful eyes is directed at us. Taylor.
JP sees it too. His features contort into surprise for a moment, as if he’s forgotten that he’s in the middle of a team gathering.
“Can you get on the board yourself?” he asks me roughly.
I give him a flustered nod. Then, pushing away from him in the water, I paddle awkwardly back toward my own board, my heart thumping in my chest.
JP slices through the water with powerful strokes, Matty’s trunks clenched in one fist. I hadn’t even noticed him retrieve them in the haze of adrenaline.
“My trunks!” Matty yells in relief as JP tosses them onto his board.
As JP hoists himself onto his board, water streams down each chiseled muscle, tracing the path I desperately want my hands to follow. The chilly water may as well be a hot spring with the molten desire coursing through my veins.
TWENTY-TWO
JP
We paddleboarded for hours, until the cold air and water force us to head back. Despite their yearning for Vegas’s buzzing nightlife, the team appeared genuinely entertained. Even Dwayne, typically buried in his data analysis, seemed to be having a good time. I’m glad to report no injuries under my supervision.
The exhaustion from the day’s antics hit everyone hard on the bus ride back, as they fell asleep one by one.
Seeing Lucy so relaxed, her laughter echoing over the water, stirred something inside me. Our fleeting moment in the water had caused her to erect an invisible wall between us. She stayed just out of reach, yet close enough for me to revel in her radiant happiness.
I can’t read her mind but for those precious hours, I got the feeling that she was able to momentarily push aside her amnesia and just enjoy herself.
Our eyes meet across the clattering dinner table, a brief flicker of a smile gracing her face before she’s back to her conversation with Matty. I’m not oblivious to her strategic choice of seating, positioned at the furthest point from me.
From the bus ride back to the dance of cutlery at dinner, she’s been deftly maintaining her distance, skirting around me with impeccable politeness—a silent foxtrot we’ve been perfecting since we hit home.
When she excuses herself to go to the bathroom and doesn’t come back, I have the sinking feeling she’s called it a night. Or expertly avoiding me. So I go on the hunt.
I find her one floor above, entranced by the mountain skyline, night’s canvas scattered with lights from far-off homes. Of course she’s here. This is her preferred lookout point in the mansion.
Upon seeing my reflection, she jumps and quickly pivots to face me.
“Sorry,” I say, coming up to stand beside her. “Didn’t mean to give you a scare.”
She shuffles awkwardly, eyeing me up and down. “It’s fine. It’s your house, after all.”
“Hey, I didn’t get a chance to talk to you after paddleboarding. Did you enjoy it?”
Her eyes light up. “Absolutely! It was so much fun. I can see why you’d want a vacation home out here by the stunning lake.”
I nod. “Yeah, it’s a nice escape from the city. I come up on weekends to get away.”
