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That brought a smile to her face. “Show me.”
I lent her my arm as we made our way to the sand. The moonlight glistened on the black material of her gown, and something about her seemed to glow as she giggled, loosening the straps on her heels.
“Will they get mad at me if I mess up the dress?” She looked up as she held her shoes in her hand.
I shrugged. “I bought it for you. It’s yours.”
“Oh…it’s not like, a rental?”
“Nope,” I chuckled, eyeing her as I left my shoes in the sand and headed for dark waters. I headed for the spot beneath the pier, but before I could make it three steps, Lena took off past me, headed right for the water. “What the…”
She collided with it, bursting into laughter as her dress was soaked from the thighs down. I shook my head at the sight…
And then joined her.
The warm Pacific waters soaked my tux, and I couldn’t think of a time when I had ever done something like this—sober, at least.
Lena shrieked as I kicked up salt water at her, soaking her chest. “Oh, you’re totally going to pay for that.” She lunged at me, pulling me downward. I laughed until we both went under for a split second, immediately popping back up on our knees.
“Oh my god, I bet my makeup is toast,” she giggled, wiping the dark smear of mascara under her eyes. She only made it worse, but…there was something about the way she was letting loose that only made the moment that much better.
“It’s fine.” I reached for her, my fingers slipping into her wet hair.
“Is it?” Her eyes searched mine under the moonlight.
“Yeah, I think I like you better like this.” I leaned down, kissing her lips and letting myself feel the magic of the moment.
Until I heard the snap of a camera.
Damnit!
I ripped my head away from hers, and we caught sight of a group of three, snapping pictures from about fifteen feet away. Lena peered up at me with wide eyes, and I sprang into action, sweeping her up and heading toward the Tahoe.
“No after-party for these lovebirds!” one of them called after us.
Yeah, and you fucking ruined the moment too.
33
LENA
“Jackson Whiss and fiancée, Lena Harris, enjoy a sizzling night out at the beach,” the TMZ reporter said from the TV screen.
“Whoa…” Maeve’s voice trailed off as her eyes widened. “You told me you had fun at the beach, but you didn’t mention it was that kind of fun.”
I stared at the picture of Jackson and me, lip-locked in the water. “Yeah…”
“Was it staged?” Maeve turned to me, her brows furrowed. “Tyson even mentioned that he thought it might be, since most of the after-parties are pretty locked down. Not much press inside.”
I hesitated, wondering if I should just say that it was. It would be easier to pretend like it was just part of the show, but I couldn’t bring myself to lie to my best friend. “No,” I finally said. “It wasn’t staged.”
Her mouth gaped, just like I thought it would. “What?!”
“It’s…everything between us is so complicated.”
“Uh, yeah, it seems to be that way—and I think you need to spill the tea, girl.” She gave me a look, folding her arms across her chest. “Is he playing you?”
I laughed. “No, he’s not playing me. I think it’s pretty clear that it’s just some sort of physical fling for him.”
