I watched as Ri passed Nick and greeted him with a salute, then sexily strode toward her target, Kurt, who was supervising the horse rides. Nick glanced around before stepping beside me. We were shoulder to shoulder, not face to face.
“Did you get something to eat?” I asked because he’d been feeding everyone else, and I wanted to make sure he hadn’t forgotten about himself.
His head tilted to the side as he rasped, “The only thing I want to eat is you.”
A shiver chased down my spine. Since the night we’d shared together when the girls were at camp, Nick and mine’s relationship had changed. He’d been discreet about it, which I appreciated, but he whispered sweet and sometimes dirty things to me when no one was looking. We’d even shared a few stolen kisses. I knew that we were getting sloppy, but I couldn’t stop behaving like a lovesick teenager when he was around. Not that it mattered for much longer since we’d be going home in less than a week.
After leaving me hot and bothered, he straightened back up and spoke at a normal level. “Have you gotten anything to eat?”
His ability to act totally normal after saying or doing dirty things was truly a gift. The only time he’d had any issue was when he’d felt me up, in the butler’s pantry actually, and Carmen called him to help her with something. He’d needed a minute to, well, redistribute the blood that had flowed to his groin.
“Yep,” I nodded, still feeling a little flustered. Not from what he’d said, but just from his nearness.
“Does Rihanna like horses?” he asked as we watched her run her hand down Cobalt’s black mane.
“Not as much as she likes Kurt.”
“Really?” he asked.
“Yep.”
We watched together as Ri’s head fell back in laughter at something he’d said. I was surprised to hear that Ri’s laugh was a genuine one. She was a master flirt, but I could always tell if she was fake-laughing. I wondered what Kurt could have said that was so funny. He hadn’t struck me as having a particularly good sense of humor, but Ri tended to bring out sides of people no one else saw.
“They actually make a cute couple, don’t you think?” Nick observed.
“Yeah.” Compared to the men Ri normally dated, Kurt was a cut above. He was kind, seemed stable, and had a job. Which might be the qualities that would send him right into the friendzone. Ri had a propensity for dating bad boys. I hoped Kurt was bad enough to keep her interest, but good enough to deserve her.
“Nick.”
We turned and saw Jada. She wore a burnt orange midi dress that complemented her golden bronze skin. Her curly hair was piled up on top of her head, framing her sweetheart-shaped face. Her face looked bare except for the deep berry shade on her lips and her lashes, which were thick and long, highlighting two of her best features.
“Bella was asking for you,” she smiled.
“Oh, okay.” The back of his knuckles brushed mine before he headed down to the pool, where Bella was swimming with her friends Lexi and Hannah.
The skin-on-skin contact sent a tingle up my arm. I felt myself flush and hoped that Jada didn’t notice as she took Nick’s place beside me.
“Thanks for all your help with the party.” Jada had been instrumental in pulling this off, and I was eternally grateful. I was also going to have to figure out how to pay her back as well.
“It was my pleasure. Callie is a doll, and Bella has been so happy since you guys have been here.”
I’d noticed the same thing, which made the fact that we were going to be leaving in a week sit in my stomach like a ton of bricks. Jada continued watching Nick until he made it to the edge of the pool and began talking to Bella, then she turned to me.
“Nick is turning forty in a few weeks.”
“Oh.” I pretended like I didn’t know that, even though I did. I remembered it from when I’d googled him, and Naomi had mentioned it last week. She wanted to get him something but didn’t know what to get a man who could buy anything.
“Alex is getting married the week before, so Nick didn’t want to plan anything to take away from that. But Alex and Maddox are throwing him a surprise party.”
“Oh, that’s nice.” They both seemed like really good guys. I was happy that he had them in his life.
“And you’re invited.”
I placed my hand on my chest. “Me? Why?”
“Nick would want you there. Believe me.”
“Oh um… I don’t think… I’m not sure…” I wondered if Jada knew that we’d hooked up, and that was why she was inviting me. Did she think I was the flavor of the month? I wasn’t. We weren’t dating. Which meant there was a good chance he’d have a date there.
