“Oh, when you said drink you actually meant drink.” She hums for a moment then orders herself a mimosa sans extra tequila shot. “Hypothetically, though, if you had slept with Liam… are you okay? I mean, hypothetically, this is Liam we’re talking about. Well-known playboy.”
Groaning, I turn to face her, leaning my hip against the bar before I grimace at the tenderness that shoots through me. “Hypothetically, yes, I’m fine with that part. More than fine. It means—” My mouth falls open as I stare at her, the solution to almost every problem that’s been plaguing me since leaving Liam’s room this morning. Besides the blaring disaster that if Nate ever finds out he’ll never forgive me.
“What? It means what?”
“It means that I’m an idiot. I’ve been freaking out the whole time thinking Liam is going to want to talk about everything, or make a big deal of things. Thinking maybe he’ll want to do it again. But he won’t.” Grabbing onto her forearm, I squeeze it excitedly. “You’re right. This is Liam.”
A smile slowly starts to slide across my lips as I pick up the shot of tequila awaiting me. I hold it out to Savanna, waiting for her to pick up her mimosa, our glasses clinking together. “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”
I down my shot as she sips on her drink thoughtfully. “You know,” she says, “Not everything stays in Vegas. My wedding is in Vegas and I get to take the marriage certificate home.”
Sliding the empty glass across the counter, I give the bartender my room number for both our drinks, glancing at Savanna after. “Don’t rain on my parade. Some of the hypothetical tension has just left my body.”
“I bet itallleft last night,” she mutters with a sly grin.
I shoot a glance in her direction telling her to shut up as we make our way back to the lounge chairs. Feeling a hell of a lot more relaxed than I did prior to our visit to the bar, whether that’s because of the tequila, the hypothetical confession, or the realization that Liam of all people will not make a big deal about this, I’m not sure. I don’t really care, either. Feeling better means I can probably get through the day—and more importantly the week—without avoiding Liam.
“I’m just saying, Quinn and Luke would be lighting you up right now,” Nate is stating as we reach the chairs. “I’m doing my due diligence, for them, by calling you out.”
He’s staring at Liam with a smirk the size of Texas on his face, trying to keep from laughing. Brody is on the lounge chair acrossfrom him, eyes also on the man standing between the two chairs. Humor dances across his features, though he’s quieter than Nate about it.
“What did Liam do now?” Savanna asks, plopping her butt down on the lounger beside her fiancé.
“Look at him!” Nate waves a hand in Liam’s direction, causing us both to check him out. At first I don’t understand what I’m seeing all over his chest, but Nate clarifies it for us. “He got torn the fuck up by some hellcat last night.”
My blood runs cold as a flood of horrified embarrassment shoots through my veins. Holy. Fucking. Shit. Liam’s chest looks like he got mauled. The tanned skin glows red in certain places where he’s been scratched to shit.
Savanna bursts into a fit of laughter that I want to kill her for. “Is your back in the same shape?” she asks through her giggles.
“Yes!” Nate exclaims when Liam refuses to meet anyone’s eyes. “Whoever he went out and found last night sure did a damn number on him. Christ.”
Savanna sobers thoughtfully for a moment. “If he looks like this, can you imagine whatshemust look like?”
Before I can react to her, which is probably a good thing because murder is still a felony, Liam finally looks at each one of them before his eyes land directly on me. “We’ll never know considering I woke up alone.”
Brody chuckles with a shake of his head. “Ouch man.”
“Literally,” Savanna laughs and high fives him a moment later.
“Are you certain she wasn’t a hellcat?” Nate ponders, laughing along with the rest of them. “Truly? Because Christ man, the last time I saw scratches like that, Brody bailed surfing and ran into a bunch of rocks.”
Liam, with his stupid half grin making his face look far too good for this conversation, nods. “Positive. She was fucking perfection.”
Amazing. How could life get any better? Liam views me as perfection, and my brother sees me as a hellcat.
When do we go home?
Chapter 6
Liam
Plungingintothefinalpool, I let my breath out as I break the surface. Pushing my hair back, I blink the water out of my eyes and look around for a blue eyed beauty.
I’ve searched all the other pools in this complex for Jordan, including the lazy river where Nate and Savanna are, but my search has turned up empty. Her bag is still at the loungers we claimed a couple hours ago, guarded by a sleeping Brody, so I know she’s here somewhere.
Avoiding me.
That was pretty obvious when she hightailed it out of there when Brody and I first showed up to the pool. The way she scurried away from us—from me—and screeched when Savanna touched her arm? Yeah, pretty good indication she’s not keen on facing me.
