“What?” My head whips around. “No. I already told you she was one of the more normal ones.”
“You said she bothered you,” he says, touching a knuckle to my cheek.
“It—I shouldn’t have said that.”
He searches my face. “Did you mean it?”
“No, of course not,” I say. “I just…I’m not sure. I guess maybe the competition is getting to me, you know? It’s all the women talk about—how to get you alone, who’s going to kiss you next, who you like best, who you talk to the most. I guess I just…I guess I got caught up in it a little. For the sake of the show.”
Wow, what do you know—I’m not so bad at lying after all.
He gives a curt nod. “Okay. So Brooklyn stays.”
My heart squeezes. “Yes. And Paisley.”
“Sure, she’s cool. As long as she won’t tell anyone about us.”
“Nope. She even offered to run interference with Evil. Eden,” I correct quickly.
He frowns. “What do you mean, run interference?”
“Well, let’s see. She’s competitive as all get-out, a little bit mean, and my roommate. How exactly do you think she’d respond to knowing I’m breaking every single one of the rules by being here right now? Not to mention what you and I just did on that love seat.”
“You mean getting to third base?”
I laugh and put a hand over his face, pushing him away. “Stop. It was second base, and you’re not getting to third.”
“You sure about that?” His voice is husky.
Not when he looks at me like that, I’m not.
Invitation Ceremony #9
Dear Eden—
You are cordially invited to celebrate the wedding of Gage Barrett and his future bride on Saturday, May 21, at two o’clock in the afternoon. Dinner and dancing to follow.
*
The Runaway Groom on why he jilted Eden: “Honestly? She scared me. Anyone who says real men aren’t scared of women haven’t met Eden.”
*
Dear Ellie—
You are cordial
ly invited to stay on at the villa as Gage Barrett continues his quest for his future bride.
Gage
“Now, refresh my memory, Ellie. You’re from San Diego. Is that a landlocked city, or right on the ocean? How are you not better at this whole in-the-water thing?”
She hacks up a mouthful of seawater before lifting her right hand from its death grip on the surfboard to shoot me the bird.
I grin. “You know there are cameras trained on us right now, right?”
“Good. I hope they catch it on film when I drown you for making me float out here with Jaws.”