‘Something like that,’ Declan said, regaining his composure.
‘Don’t worry,’ she said, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. ‘I’m not one to give up on a good thing. I’m not going to break his heart, or leave him behind like Zoë and Maeve.’
That, somehow, only made him feel worse. ‘Oh,’ Declan said dully. ‘Well, good.’
Before she could reply, Jack and Niall interrupted them.
‘Ooh,’ Jack said, eyeing Declan’s untouched plate. ‘Are you planning on eating that?’
Declan pushed it towards him. ‘Knock yourself out.’
Oliver and Faye were off by themselves for hours, though Declan couldn’t fathom what they were talking about for so long. The afternoon found the contestants lounging by the pool, chatting inanely and feeling more than a little bored.
Like clockwork, the telltale chime went off and Darcy’s voice echoed through the garden.
‘Lovers,’ she cooed, as Oliver and Faye walked back over and Declan tried not to analyse their body language too closely, ‘we’re kicking this game up a notch. Time for a relay race against the other villa. Complete challenges the quickest to win a night out on the town.’
There was a pause, before she continued, ‘Jack, choose a girl…’ The contestants glanced around at each other, unsure.
Jack shrugged. ‘Amelia?’
One of the twins nodded.
‘Now pour a condiment all over your chest, and have the girl lick it off.’
He and Amelia jumped into action immediately, running to the kitchen. Jack whipped open the fridge and grabbed the blue-raspberry-flavoured syrup from their neon party cocktails. Amelia grimaced at the selection, but Jack had already ripped off the cap and doused his chest in blue goo. She shrugged, pushing him against the fridge and dragging her tongue up his torso in long strokes.
‘This tickles,’ Jack said, squirming as the others laughed at them.
‘Done!’ Amelia called triumphantly, wiping some blue from the corners of her lips. Jack grabbed her by the hand and the two raced back to the group.
‘One point to our boys!’ Darcy called, and the group cheered. ‘Everyone get into a sex position with someone of the opposite gender.’
The team didn’t hesitate this time, each of them grabbing the closest contestant and tumbling into what could feasibly be a form of fornication.
‘I don’t think I’ve done that one, mate,’ said Jack, studying the tangled mess that was Niall and Faye with horror.
Niall winked at him. ‘Try it sometime, darling.’
‘Looks like the girls are quicker to fall into bed, one point for the girls’ villa!’
‘Dammit!’ Declan exclaimed, and the rest of the group stared at him. ‘What?’ He crossed his arms, pouting. ‘I like to win.’
The next challenge came through the loudspeaker. ‘The shortest girl must kiss the tallest boy.’
All heads turned to Eavie and Oliver as they leaned towards each other. It was a chaste peck, or at least that’s what Declan tried to tell himself before seeing a flash of tongue. Irritationmust have shown on his face, because Niall gave him a friendly slap on the arm.
‘Buck up, I’m sure Zoë is only doing it for the game.’
Declan blinked at him, confused, before remembering that as the shortest girl in the other villa, Zoë would be kissing another man. Declan glanced back at Oliver and Eavie; they were blushing and not making eye contact.He needed to pull himself together.
‘Right,’ Declan said. He heard cheers around him, and must have missed that they’d won the point.
‘All right, boys, time for the oldest among you to give the tallest girl a lap dance, and don’t forget to make it sexy.’
Jack grinned at Faye, already making his way over. ‘How about it?’
Watching Jack overdramatically grind, twerk and whip his non-existent hair on Faye cheered Declan up significantly. By the end of it, he was back in the competitive spirit.
