Four Keeps

“Who’s up for shoulder wars?” I ask. James gives me a quizzical look. “Chicken fight?” I offer.

Just as Caleb is inviting me to be his partner, Johnny dives under the water and swims between my legs, surfacing with me on his shoulders. As I’m getting my balance, I’m glad to see that rather than arguing with Johnny, Caleb gamely offers to lift Sean.

That leaves Gerard and James, with James doing the lifting. The men mostly go for one another at first, trying to knock each other down while I try not to notice how good Johnny’s strong shoulders feel beneath my thighs.

Several of the men who aren’t in the pool are nearby watching. Among them, I notice Xavier, though it takes a moment for me to figure out who he is. His face is instantly familiar but he looks so different in swim trunks instead of the loose-fitting dark clothes he had on last night.

When he was in those dark clothes, I didn’t think much about his body, but seeing him now, I’m going to have trouble thinking about anything else. I should have sent him home last night because he’s another gorgeous bad boy and I need to remember he’s not right for me, no matter how much my body may try to tell me something different.

While I’m distracted by the physical perfection that is Xavier, a hand on my arm brings me back to the immediate action. Gerard is tugging on me, and I’m not prepared to counterbalance, so I start to slip to the right. Below me, Johnny releases my leg so that he can give James a shove, and without his support, I tumble off of his shoulders.

I’m still underwater when arms wrap around me and bring me back to the surface. It’s not Johnny, but Caleb who’s come to my rescue. “Are you okay?” His eyes, so beautifully blue in the sunlight, are concerned.

I gather my hair behind my neck and wring it out. “I’m fine. Guess I lost that round.”

Behind us, the others are still playing. Gerard is off of James’s shoulders and all four men are engaged in some kind of free-for-all battle. Caleb steers me to the edge of the pool and shelters me from all the splashing that’s going on behind him. “If I’d been holding you, you wouldn’t have fallen.”

Another cheesy For Keeps line comes to me, but I keep it to myself: I might be falling right now.

7

Electric

When I get out of the pool, the crew leads me into the house and insists on restyling my hair and redoing my makeup. Before they send me back out to the party, I’m given instructions to talk to each of the men one-on-one. Apparently the men have been given the same direction because they’re all out of the water and sitting near each other.

Christian walks over to me immediately. “Want to go talk?” he asks. I remember that he’s an artist, and he must also like to work out, because he’s got a beautifully toned body.

He leads me around the house to a bench that’s surrounded by tall, leafy plants. A camera operator is already set up there. At first, I’m distracted by the production crew around us, but I manage to ignore them as Christian and I get into a conversation about where we’re both from.

After about ten minutes, James approaches and puts a hand on Christian’s shoulder. “Hey buddy, can I borrow Olivia?”

Christian looks disappointed, but gives me a quick hug before leaving. James slips smoothly into his spot. “How are you doing?”

“Good. You?”

He smiles and shrugs. “There are too many men here, and not enough of you to go around. But otherwise, I’m fine.”

“Well, I’m all yours right now.”

His brows lift. “All mine? Is that right?”

“For the moment.”

“I’d better make good use of my time, then.” He closes the distance between us and slides an arm around my waist, bringing me closer to him. “You smell good.”

“It’s probably hairspray. They use quite a bit of it on me.”

He leans close enough to run the tip of his nose along my cheek. “No, it’s you. Your skin smells like honey.”

He smells quite delicious himself – smoky and spicy – and the closer he gets, the more I want to curl into him.

“I’ll bet you taste good too.” His voice is low, right next to my ear. When I turn toward him, he descends slowly, giving me time to anticipate his kiss, to feel the magnetism pulling us together.

His lips brush against mine, tenderly at first, but with enough pressure to make me want more. I can confirm that he definitely tastes good. His fingers slide over my cheek, tilting my head upward as he claims more of my mouth. His tongue slides lightly across my bottom lip and he starts to deepen the kiss, but I pull away. I don’t know how I manage it, and part of me instantly regrets it.