Page 45 of Lust & Lollipops

It would be a great day when I could finally get her away from Kyle.

“I haven’t thought that far ahead,” I lied. “I guess as we get closer to the end, her options will dwindle, and she’ll be forced to give us a chance. We just need a third she doesn’t like, so the three of us can battle it out when we get there.”

Kyle nodded as if that was a reasonable plan.

It was bullshit, but he would learn that when Molly picked me.

He scanned the other guys. A few of them were sleeping in the shelter. Two were tossing a coconut back and forth on the beach. Three were adding more palm fronds and bamboo to Molly’s little shelter. That was probably an attempt to win her over by providing comfort.

It wasn’t going to work, but I wouldn’t stop them. I would make it more comfortable myself if I could do so without causing suspicion.

“Travis is our best bet,” Kyle finally decided. “I can talk about how shitty it is to be under compulsion during my next date with her.”

I nodded slowly.

The idea was poor, but I couldn’t tell him that.

“She might know that her mate can’t use his magic on her that way,” I said.

“Nah. We’ll scare her into thinking he can,” Kyle said.

I bit back a snort.

The man was a class act.

I agreed with his shitty plan, then started talking about sports to distract him from the competition.

A few minutes later, Molly’s boat arrived.

I resisted the urge to put myself at the front of the group and help her back onto the beach. Making myself a target would only screw my game, though I itched to claim her publicly.

Unlike me, Kyle didn’t hesitate. His was the hand that helped her.

It irritated me, but knowing she didn’t like him eased that.

It had been too long since I’d gotten her alone. Nearly a week. On the island, that felt like a lifetime. But with everyone’s eyes on her, there was no way to do so without putting a target on my back.

The guys in the shelter stumbled out in front of me, and I followed them to the group. We were at the back, but that was the best place for me at the moment.

Molly greeted everyone, taking in the fact that Kaden had been voted out. I expected her to go straight to her shelter, given that it was already late.

Instead, she headed for the campfire.

A few guys exchanged surprised looks.

Someone muttered, “Don’t overwhelm her. If we act cool, maybe she’ll make a habit of this.”

I bit back a snort.

If they tried to manipulate Molly, she’d see straight through them. I hadn’t had the chance to tell her every little thing about fae, but she was wickedly smart. She would pick up on their efforts even if she didn’t call them out for it.

A few of the guys reluctantly went back to the shelter to give her space.

Kyle followed her right to the fire, of course.

I sprawled out on the sand a ways in front of the two of them, not intervening, but staying close enough that I could hear. She had obviously taken a seat by the fire for a reason.

Ev joined the men in the shelter.

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