I shrug, still turned the other way. “What can I say? My brains are almost as big as this fat ass.”
I shake my ass a little and hear Shane laugh in response. He doesn’t say anything for a moment or two, then I feel a presence standing over me. Looking up, I watch him crouch beside me.
“Sometimes it’s easier to be the loudest voice in the room. No one looks too hard if you give them more than they asked for, you know?”
Wow, that was out of left field.
I stare at him for a moment, then nod. I mean, I can’t relate to the whole being-the-center-of-attention-to-not-get-attention thing. Actually, when you say it that way, it sounds kinda stupid. But the way he said it makes sense, and it also makes me look at him in a different light. You can tell that some of the guys are here for all of the predictable reasons. Fame, money, and, well, pussy. Then there are others like Noah and Shane that seem to genuinely want to make a connection.
I keep telling myself that I’m just here for the money too, but I can’t lie, it feels nice to be wanted. For someone to pay attention to me, to want to get to know me. I never realized how lonely I was until I got to this deserted island. Go figure?
This is literally only day two. All of us hardly know one another, but I think I can judge a person’s character well enoughto know when someone is a good one. Shane is definitely one of the good ones. And he’s stupid hot, so that helps too.
Shane gives me a shy smile, ducking his head like he’s suddenly embarrassed, and I grin at how adorable it actually is when another person walks up to join us.
“I’ve been looking for you,” Noah says, smiling.
He’s also changed into a swimsuit, and I can’t say I hate the view. His body is perfectly toned, and my mouth practically waters as he swaggers towards us. I don’t miss the quick glance he gives Shane, his brows knitting together in disappointment before the expression melts away in an instant.
“Here I am,” I say, my heart jumping in my chest like it seems to whenever he’s around.
“Mind if I steal her?” Noah asks Shane.
Shane pauses for a moment, like he absolutely minds, before smiling easily and holding his hands up. “By all means, you can try.”
That earns a disbelieving chuckle from me, and Shane sends me a wink before heading back towards the kitchen, where Luna is now eccentrically talking with her arms as Calvin, Connor and now Shane hang on her every word.
“That guy,” Noah scoffs, shaking his head before taking a seat on my daybed, pulling my legs into his lap.
“You don’t like him?” I ask.
He shrugs. “I don’t know him. Seems nice enough.”
Noah begins rubbing my feet, and I roll over onto my back to take full advantage of this special treatment when he pauses momentarily.
“Do you?”
“Do I what?” I ask.
“Like him.”
“Shane?” I clarify, glancing over at him. Luna rests a hand onhis chest flirtatiously, and he grins like a maniac, eating up every bit of her attention.
“He’s a nice guy. Better than some in here,” I say, my gaze naturally landing on the man I dislike the most, who currently has Savannah perched on his lap. Landon and Savannah, match made in hell, if you ask me.
“Yeah?” Noah asks.
That one simple word holds a host of emotions in it, and I can’t help but give him a teasing grin as I push myself to sit up, leaning back on my hands.
“Noah, are you jealous?”
“Pft, yeah.” He laughs like he hates admitting it as much as he hates feeling it. “Don’t love finding some douche flirting up my girl.”
“I thought you said he was a nice guy,” I point out with a raised brow.
Noah stares at me for a moment before shaking his head and smiling up at the sky. “That’s the part of the sentence you latched on to?”
I know what he’s playing at. He was testing the waters with that little line, and I didn’t take the bait. I’ve never been one for playing games when it comes to relationships, though, so if you have something to say, I’d rather you just say it.
