She looks over her shoulder at X with a grin, then tosses her head back when he wraps his arms around her and tickles her ribs.
Yep. It’s Echo. Fuck.
And just like Nelly says, it’s getting hot up in this joint. Holy shit.
I slept beside her last night? Without once touching her? Yep. And I’ve somehow looked past her without actually seeing her for years.
She turns a mock glare at Xavian before laughing again and poking him in the abs. He retaliates by lifting her into his arms and heading straight for the surf. She squirms and protests. He murmurs something, his green eyes glued to her, his face way too close.
I see red.
“Echo!”
Xavian whips the two of them around. Her smile melts in to a guilty expression as he sets her on her feet. Then I get a good look at the rest of her.
What’s left of my composure disappears.
Never mind the cleavage her new and much briefer dresses have been flashing me. This bikini top is nothing more than two nanoscopic triangles, held together by a flimsy string. The swells of her breasts and a mind-boggling amount of side-boob fill my vision. The thin, damp fabric clings. Her hard nipples jut. Water drips down her sun-kissed ribs, licking over the ripe curve of her hips like a lover. I feel an instant, blinding urge to wrap my palms around them and clutch them tight as I sink my cock inside her, hold myself deep, and ruin her for every other man.
Stop thinking like that about your best friend.
But why be less than honest? The desire to strip off that bikini and coax her under me is blinding. Shocking. And undeniable.
“Hayes,” she manages finally. “We were just, um…hanging out until you woke up.”
Slowly, I close the distance between us. I don’t mean to stare, but I can’t tear my gaze from her. This is the funny, tender, romantic goofball I’ve been sharing movies, special occasions, and my deepest thoughts with?
How did I not see Echo?
And now that I have, I can’t unsee her.
I swallow. “You okay?”
A blip of embarrassment tells me she knows I’m asking about last night. “Yeah. You seemed dead to the world when I woke up just after nine, so I let you sleep. X and I had some breakfast and we came out here to catch rays. Want to, um, join us?”
Her voice says she’s hesitant to invite me. Because she’s still upset about last night? Or because she’s noticed the hungry way I’m looking at her?
I have to get my shit together so we can talk, but I don’t know what to say. Everything between us has been a mess since we arrived. I promised her a good time in paradise. That won’t be in Xavian’s bed, so I have to keep her busy and make sure she finds other ways to enjoy her week on Maui.
“Dude?” X nudges my shoulder, then head-bobs Echo’s way.
She asked me a question. Right. “Sure. Thanks.”
A trembling smile curls up her lips. “Come on. Let’s find an extra chaise.”
They lead me to a pair of lounges, each claimed by a beach towel, Xavian’s snorkeling gear, and the gauzy dress Echo wore to dinner last night.
Xavian confiscates an empty chaise and drags it closer to them, then grabs his gear and heads for the water. “Guys have been hitting on E all morning, and I didn’t want to leave her alone to check out the fish. But now you’re here. I’ll be back.”
And…what? Obviously, I won’t let another guy approach her. I’ll tear the head off the first dude who tries. But with Echo wearing those three teeny scraps of fabric that barely cover the essentials, how does X think I’ll be able to resist her myself?
I have to. Echo is my friend, and she’s not the sort to come with benefits.
“You okay?” I ask once we’re alone.
She bites her lip. Her smile says she’s soldiering on. I try not to let my gaze stray below her chin. I definitely don’t let myself stare at her more-than-a-handful breasts.
But it doesn’t matter. They’re burned into my retinas.
“I’m fine. I made too much out of last night. I was tired and worried and a little intoxicated. I really am sorry. It won’t happen again.” She holds up her arms and tries to grin. “See? Hands to myself.”
“Don’t keep apologizing.” Especially because my less-than-platonic thoughts make me feel like an asshole. “Like I told you, I’m not mad.”
“But what I did… It was over the line and—”
“Stop worrying about it and have fun.” If she can forget how incendiary our kiss was and go back to normal, I need to try to do the same.
She sends me a grateful smile. “Sure.”
We take a quick jaunt into the not-quite-warm water. It’s easier to forget how much her bikini doesn’t cover when she’s submerged, but when she rises from the ocean like a goddess…I watch a droplet run from her collarbones, then disappear into her tiny top, and swallow.