Page 24 of Bad Boy Crush
“Dammit, May!” Ant bellowed the moment he burst out of the water.
May winked at Lou and then they headed for the dock. The men swam over and climbed the ladder one at a time.
“You look distinctly unruffled,” May told Xavier of his dry-from-the-chest-up state.
“You look gorgeous in yellow,” he replied with a sexy smile. His navy-blue eyes sparkled as he took in May’s long, bare legs. She wasn’t shy about staring back at him while he toweled off, her full lips pulling into a smile that didn’t reveal her teeth—or her true thoughts about how hot the man in front of her was. Xavier dragged his eyes from May to say, “Hey, Lou.”
“Hi.” Lou was tempted to throw May’s words back at her. If anyone was “crazy” for anyone, it was Xavier for May. They walked off the dock toward the house before she could.
Brady said a quick hello but bypassed Lou for his fiancée, who had exited the house with wine and a complaint. “Did we miss it?”
Lou handed Ant the last towel. “I won’t let May yell out during the logrolling contest. It’s her fault you fell.”
His eyes, a warmer golden color than Xavier’s, perused her outfit intentionally. She shifted on her feet, once again feeling a sensual tension thrum in the air between them. “That was partially May’s fault. The remainder can be blamed on my lack of balance.”
She smiled. Just as she’d suspected. Ant wasn’t suffering a bout of undeniable physical attraction for her. He was navigating their newly minted friendship, same as her. He swiped his bare chest and shoulders haphazardly with the towel, leaving beads of water here and there.
“How long did you train?” she asked as they made their way toward the group. Brady and Xavier were arranging chairs around the bonfire that Lisa was working on lighting.
“Too long.”
“Did you ever last longer than a few seconds?”
He chuckled, and Lou’s mouth froze open. She’d noticed the double entendre a moment too late.
His grin was syrupy but confident. “I can last a lot longer than a few seconds, Lourdes.” He sobered, pausing before they reached the rest of their friends. “Can you do me a favor?”
Like dry your back? came the rogue thought.
“Plan my funeral when I break my neck on Saturday.”
She shoved his arm but was soon distracted by the thick, muscular biceps beneath his tanned skin. Her hand was tingling when she pulled it away. “I thought you were being serious.”
“I am.” He smiled up at the sky that was growing dimmer by the second. Soon the stars would be out, the moon dominating the inky expanse and sparkling off the surface of the lake. When he faced her, his expression was anguished. “I’m going to humiliate myself this weekend, aren’t I?”
“No.” She meant it. “You’re going to win the carving contest. No one will give a damn about anything other than what an amazing artist you are.”
Something gooey leaked into his expression when he offered a sincere, “Thanks.”
“I’m not buttering you up.”
“Now that sounds like a fun way to end an evening.” His smile appeared, wicked but sweet. She felt her cheeks warm as she reevaluated her assessment of him. Maybe he had been looking at her differently lately? “We can settle for a bonfire. Join me?”
“Of course.”
With his hand on the small of her back, he led her to her chair, letting her go to accept a can of beer from Xavier. Xavier wasted no time razzing Ant on his “lack of form.”
“I didn’t see your ginger ass up on that log, brother.”
“He has to maintain his lovely locks.” May fluffed her own curls. “We have standards, don’t we, Xav?”
“That we do,” he answered, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
“Ant’s going to bring his A-game this weekend, you just wait,” Lou said in his defense.
Ant leaned forward, the light from the flames bouncing off his angular face. “Hell, Lou,” he muttered in a growly tone, “it’s the only game I got.”
Then the seven of them sat in front of the flames, sipping their drinks and enjoying the cool summer night.