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Somehow, I highly doubted that. Noel might have gone through some shit, but nothing about the woman spelled ‘prude’. She was confident, playful, and knewexactlywhat she’d just done. Chuckling darkly, I promised, “You will tonight.”
With an eye roll, she drawled, “You seem awfully self-assured.”
“Jameson! Let’sroll!” Milo was officially getting pissed, his barked demand seething. In his defense, that took a decent amount of effort, so I likely deserved it. Didn’t give enough shits to turn around, though. Not with Noel’s soft, warm body pressed against mine, her hot palms still settled on my chest. Damn, she was little. What the fuck kind of psychopath could even think about hurting something so precious?
“You telling me that was just for show?”
She winked playfully. “Had to sell it.”
Shaking my head, I breathed her in, not believing that breathless excuse for a second. At my age, I knew what a fake orgasm felt and sounded like—knew what fake attractionlookedlike. That sure as shit wasn’t it. Although, if that had been the mission, she’d certainly accomplished it. Glancing around, I found half the surrounding crews divided between watching the free show and getting back to work. But the town would certainly buzz with our farewell.
I pressed a kiss to her forehead before whispering, “Keep telling yourself whatever helps you sleep at night. But I’ll be thinking of that kiss while I fuck my fist this week.” I stepped away with a wink, and knelt to grab my discarded jacket, straightening to find her standing there panting, face flushed, those painted lips parted, and round eyes full of promise. Oh, I was in the deepest kind of shit.
“Jameson!” Milo bellowed. I laughed, shaking my head at her and spotting Max where he stood as a half-decent sentinel—if I didn’t account for the shit-eating grin on his face—in front of the shop across from the harbor. The boat rumbled, water sloshing against the wood as my dad lost the last of his fucks.
“Be safe out there,” she said softly. I couldn’t decide if her words made me go a little warm and fuzzy or if her concern hadmeconcerned that she actually gave a shit. I’d never been one to play it…safe. Risks were part of the territory.
“See you soon, baby.” Not wanting to swim, I turned to see the boat drifting out of the slip, my brothers both shirtless, grinning back at me with their hands on their hips.Son of a bitch.Taking the dock at a sprint, I leapt over the four feet Milo had managed to put between the end and the deck. I tossed the jacket over the rail as Axel and Mav both grabbed an arm, helping me over and steadying me as they laughed. I straightened, glancing back to where Noel was biting her lip to hide her smile. All three of us raised a hand in farewell, and she did the same.
“Admit it,” Axel said, slapping a hand on my back. “You aresofucked.”
FIFTEEN
NOEL
My entire body was still buzzing when I walked back into an empty Grizzly Grind, a big, doofy smile on my face. I was the goldendoodle of baristas. TheNapoleon Dynamiteof town idiots. Still, I blew out a breath, ignoring the incessant pulse in my lady region as I washed my hands and slipped back behind the counter, where I belonged. I took my time, thoroughly washing every inch of my hands, paying attention to the backs and between my fingers as my brain played and replayed that scene on the docks, if for no other reason than not knowing what I would say to my companions. If Aphrodite, Eros, and Saint Valentine all collaborated to craft a perfect kiss, it wouldn’t touch the mind-melting experience that was locking lips with Jameson Rhodes.Everythingwas hot and bothered, my skin dying for more of his touch, mouth livid I’d taken him away.
Un. Fucking. Real.
It would take hours to unwind the horny goodness he’d solidified in my body in a matter of minutes. There weren’t enough cold showers in the world to erase the feeling of his hand as it slipped under my jacket, hot against my back, or the way he stole my kiss and made it his own, dominating me right into submission.Oh god, the way his flavor settled on my tongue. Perhaps if I flung myself into the ocean, something between the drop and the chill could snap me out of it. I could serve three hundred cups of coffee and not erase the way he’d just marked my body without ever meaning to.
Alas, the universe has comically horrible timing and not a soul wandered in to demand unquantifiable quantities of caffeine, leaving me the lone target of Elora and Max as they both stared at me, brows kissing hairlines, eyes like expectant saucers.
It was Max who cleared his throat first. “Um. Noelie-bear? What in the hell did I just witness out there? You and our Jameson seemed to have quite the…”
“Moment,” Elora supplied when he seemed to grapple for the word. Max nodded as she repeated, “Quitethe moment.”
Heat flushed my face as I glanced toward the door, hoping and praying for someone,anyone, to walk through and order sixty-two cups of coffee and a hot bagel to-go. Not a soul arrived. “Oh, um, that was just…uh…we were just practicing, you know? Make sure the town believes the rumors as they circulate.”
“Practicing, huh?” Elora said, stifling her smile. “Well, I must say, it looked a bit too authentic, if you ask me.”
“Which, I didn’t.” The paper to-go menus suddenly desperately needed shuffling, reorganizing, stacking, and ensuring the spines were aligned. Maybe I’d polish the windows next.
Ignoring my rebuttal, Max grinned as he agreed, “Ahh, yes, an Oscar-worthy fake kiss. I must have missed that category at the Academy Awards this year.”
“Look, I might have gone a little off-script. It meant nothing. Just…selling it.”
“Welp, you certainly sold me,” he said, sipping his latte and looking twelve kinds of smug.
Elora chuckled, stirring more honey into her tea. “Looks like ourNoelis caught up in a web of her own making.”
“You two are enjoying this way too much.” I rolled my eyes, cleaning the espresso machine and praying Kara would get her ass back from her very late lunch. “Maybe it was a wee lapse in judgment.”
“Ahh, yes, the ol’ lapse in judgment excuse. Classic. You’re fooling no one, my friend,” Max insisted, setting his cup down before opening his laptop. That blinding grin he’d worn outside was stretching back up his cheeks.
“I’ve never seen a real-life fake relationship play out—will they be a rom-com or sitcom?” Elora teased. Huffing, I turned back to retrieve more cake pops from the cabinets.
“Neither,” I insisted. “The man can’t stand me. As soon as Eric is off the island, this whole charade will be a funny joke you’ll all tell at family reunions.”
