Page 34

I barely warned Anthony with my eyes to keep his off of my date, when a couple of unattached guys from the show came slinking over, dripping cockiness introducing themselves to her.
Sophie handled it with grace, but I wasn’t about to let it ride.
I grabbed her waist, spun her into me, and kissed her.
Hard.
She gasped against my mouth, but then her hands were in my hair, pulling me closer. Her body molded to mine like we were born for this.
No doubt, the kiss screamed loud and clear for anyone within earshot that Sophie’smine.
At least for this weekend.
When we finally broke apart, her eyelashes fluttered up at me, breathless.
“Wow,” she whispered. “We’re really selling it.”
“Gotta make it believable,” I said, voice low.
She licked her lips, and I held back a groan. I quickly sat on the lounger with a towel over my lap as soon as she left my embrace. Until she sat beside me, holding out the bottle of sunscreen, and my heart jumped into my throat.
This unplanned slathering of lotion over every inch of her became the highlight of my day. I opened my legs, and she sat between them, her back to me, and I gave the best performance of my life. As if I played the role of a Swedish massage specialist, big and beefy, I dug deep to get her knots out.
Sophie moaned just as Melanie hopped on a megaphone and announced the game plan. She had split the entire cast into four teams for a tournament-style game of pool volleyball.
Sophie’s eyes lit up. “Yes. That’s my sport,” she informed. “I was captain of the championship girls’ volleyball team in high school.”
“Damn. Have I told you how lucky I am to have brought you as my date this weekend? Bring it on, baby.” My chest puffedproudly as we prepared. In the pool, we maneuvered until she was on my shoulders. Her thighs gripped my neck with every move. I’d never been so grateful for the water hiding exactly how turned on I was.
I carried her around, taunting the other team, with Sophie like my queen. Let the games begin.
We battled it out, team against team, until in the end we faced Starla’s team head-on. Her smug glare dared me to slip and fall.
I held up my hand to Sophie for a high five and a little pep talk before the first serve. “You good? We got this, baby.”
“I’m ready to spike the ball in her face,” came her eager reply. I laughed at her competitive side. We were a team and determined not to lose.
Of course, I should know by now not to count Starla out. She and her partner—a dude who got kicked off the show in the second episode and who probably did not know the true extent of her exploits—proved scrappy and tenacious.
We matched point for point, until the end, needing one more to win, the ball soared toward us. Sophie surged up, spiked it hard, and sent it crashing into the water behind Starla.
The pool turned into a chaotic mess of bodies—splashing, shouting, and cheering.
I grabbed Sophie by the waist, brought her down, and spun her in my arms. Never more happy to see Starla flipping us off and splashing water our way.
With water sluicing down our bodies, I kissed Sophie like we’d already won more than just the game.
Her arms wrapped around my neck, her body arching into mine like she couldn’t help it. My cock twitched against her stomach and I moaned into her mouth.
“Are we still putting on a good show for everyone?” she parted and whispered, catching her breath.
I kissed her again before answering, and nipped at her lower lip. Too damn good.
If this was all fake, then why did it feel like the realest damn thing I’d ever had?
12
STAGED