My heart rate picks up, but I play it cool. “Makes sense. It should look natural by our broadcast tomorrow.”
She nods, a determined set to her jaw. “Exactly. We need to rehearse so that it’s seamless.”
“Right. Rehearse.” My mouth’s gone dry.
“So, um, should we...?” She gestures vaguely between us, suddenly looking uncertain.
“Yeah, we should probably...” I trail off, equally awkward.
How the hell did we go from arguing for almost twenty years to practice kissing in her parents’ hot spring?
“Let’s just count to three and do it,” she says, practical as always. “Get the awkwardness out of the way.”
I nod, shifting to face her. “Good plan.”
“One,” she begins, her voice high.
“Two.” My eyes drop to her lips, which are slightly parted and glistening with moisture from the spring.
“Three,” we say together, and then I’m leaning in, and she’s leaning in, and our lips meet in the middle.
And… it’s awful. Her lips are stiff and unmoving against mine, and I can feel the tension radiating from her body.
And actually, I’m disappointed. All these years of fantasy, and now, when it’s happening, it’s a complete nothingburger. But in the big picture, this is good—no chemistry at all. This’ll make the fake relationship easier to manage.
But then, just as I’m about to pull away, something changes. Sydney tilts her head slightly, and suddenly our lips fit together perfectly. She makes a small noise in her throat, and then she’s kissing me back—really kissing me—and my brain short-circuits.
My good hand finds its way to her waist underwater, pulling her closer as the kiss deepens. Her skin is slick and hot under my palm, and when her tongue tentatively touches mine, I nearly groan out loud.
Everything just flipped on its head, and this is nothing like I’ve ever imagined. Suddenly, it’s amazing. And electric… and dangerous.
Encouraged by her response, I slide my hand up her back, feeling the notches of her spine, the delicate shoulder blades, until my fingers tangle in her wet hair. I give a gentle tug, testing, and am rewarded with a soft moan that vibrates against my lips. Her nipples harden through the thin material of her bikini top and press against my chest, and my body responds immediately, blood rushing south with impressive speed.
Sydney’s hands start at my shoulders, careful of my injury, then slide down my chest and around to my back, pulling me even closer. The water around us feels warmer now, or maybe that’s just my blood running hot wherever she touches.
I suck her tongue, and she responds with a moan, a desperation that increases with intensity. When she nips my lip, a low noise escapes my throat, and I lose control. My hand drifts lower, following the curve of her waist to her hip, then around to cup her ass, which fits my palm perfectly. She gasps into my mouth, her fingers digging into my back, and I’m about two seconds from suggesting we take this somewhere more private when—
Splash!
We spring apart as water drenches us. I turn, disoriented and rock hard, to find Jonah standing in the hot spring, fully clothed.
“What the actualfuck?” he roars, lunging toward me.
Sydney leaps between us, hands out. “Jonah! What are you doing here?”
His icy stare never leaves my face. “I got an earlier flight to help Mom and Dad set up for the party. Instead, I find my sister getting pawed by my so-called best friend!”
“It’s not what it looks like,” I say automatically, then wince at how pathetic that sounds.
“Really?” Jonah’s voice drips with sarcasm. “Because it looks like you had your tongue down my sister’s throat and your hands on her ass, which isexactlywhat you vowed would never happen! If you weren’t injured, I’d beat the living shit out of you.” He’s up in my face, water sloshing everywhere.
“Jonah, stop!” Sydney pushes against hischest. “You don’t understand what’s happening here!”
“Oh, I understand perfectly. Brooks decided his dick was more important than our friendship.”
“That’s not—” I begin, but he cuts me off.
“Save it.” He turns to Sydney. “You know where that tongue of his has been? How about the twins in San Francisco? Or the strippers in Vegas? You need a mouth condom just to kiss this dude.” Jonah rakes a hand through his hair. “And you don’t even know the half of it, Syd. Fuck!”
