Page 74 of Cocky Prince
And we do. We gaze across the beach at the three men crossing it, and so does everyone else in the vicinity. Because they are gorgeous. Adam’s in board shorts and a fitted T-shirt, his baseball cap turned backward. He has a light golden tan and insanely sexy legs I’ve had the pleasure of being tangled in. He’s wearing Aviator glasses and a smug grin, and I’m salivating.
When I pull my gaze away from my incredibly good-looking boyfriend, a quick scan of Tyler and Zach confirms that they, too, look pretty darn good. Not as good as Adam, but then, no one does.
The best part of this entire hot-guy-crossing-the-sand image is that Adam is staring straight at me. He doesn’t seem to notice or care that every female head is turned in his direction.
Adam enters the patio where Mira, Nessa, and I are standing, and wraps me up in his arms. “Hey, beautiful. Miss me?”
My face turns the temperature of an oven. I’ve thought about him nonstop since I last saw him, even during that damn chick flick, and he knows it. “Maybe.”
“I’ll have to remind you why you like me so much. Later. In bed.” He whispers that last part in my ear, sending a shiver over my tank-top-bared skin.
The funny thing is, sex with Adam isn’t even the best part. Laughing over meals with him, cuddling with him in bed, or talking about humiliating life experiences and having him be outraged on my behalf—those are the best parts. The incredible sex is just a massive dose of icing on the cake, as are his handsome looks.
Adam sets me back on my feet and I look around to find everyone’s gaze on us. Mira is smiling, her arm wrapped around Tyler’s waist, and Tyler is looking at Adam like he’s never seen the guy before, even though they’ve known each other for at least ten years. Zach and Nessa are sneaking glances here and there, but they have the manners not to stare.
Zach pulls out Nessa’s chair for her and steals a giant gulp of her Rum Runner as she takes a moment to sit down.
Tyler flags the waitress, and the men order more drinks and food.
“So, what do you ladies think?” Adam drapes his arm over the back of my chair, his warm, muscled leg bumping into mine every now and then. I’ve missed this. We can’t flirt at work, and Adam’s flirting is about as seductive as his hands on my body. Okay, not quite.
He stares down at me. “Want to go for a ride on the boat with us?”
I cut him a look. “I didn’t know you owned a boat.”
He grins. “You didn’t ask.”
“Right, because that’s a question that comes up in casual conversation.”
He chuckles. “Well? You up for it?”
I look around the table, and both Mira and Nessa nod their agreement.
“Okay, then,” I say. “I guess our girls’ lunch just turned into a group date.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Adam
We finishour food at the Beacon and I haul my pirate’s loot—that being my beautiful girlfriend—onto my boat with the guys.
When Zach called to suggest taking out the Chaparral, I didn’t need an excuse. The sky is a clear blue, the temperature in the low eighties. I welcome any reason to get out on the lake, particularly on a day like this. And when he suggested picking up the girls, I might have dropped what I was doing and hauled ass to pick up him and Tyler. Because, sorry sap that I am, I missed Hayden like crazy last night.
We’ve spent a few nights away from each other since I started working on her closet over a week ago, and I gotta say, I’m not a fan. I want to spend all of my free time with Hayden, but I need to chill. This is new, and I don’t want to freak her out. I’m out of my depth where she’s concerned.
I ended up hanging with Wes after Hayden said she had plans with Mira. We hit golf balls on the night range and drank beer. Like always, I had a great time with my brother, but when I saw Hayden from across the Beacon patio, my heart kicked in as though I were on the final sprint of a marathon.
I knew she’d be there; that’s why we came today. But there’s something about her face lighting up the moment she sees me that feeds a void. Because that smile is one hundred percent genuine. I was surrounded by people with shallow motives in my father’s circle. There’s no artifice with Hayden. She’s the real deal, which is how I know I can trust her.
Mira and Tyler lounge at the front of the boat, and Zach and Nessa are sprawled on the seats in the rear. Hayden sits in the seat next to mine in shorts and a pale mint tank that’s loose over her curves. She tucks her sunglasses on the top of her head and smiles as I start the motor and wave at the attendant on the Beacon dock.
“They just let you park whenever you want?” she asks.
“Sure,” I say as I back up and steer the boat through the no-wake zone.
Zach laughs from behind. “Cade has a pass to any dock on the lake.” I swivel my head and glower at him. “What? It’s true,” he says.
Hayden slips off her flip-flops and sits back in her seat. “What does that mean?”
