I march out of the room, carrying my ID and my debit card in my back pocket in less than five minutes. They both look at me like I’ve grown horns. “What?” I demand.
“Nothing. It’s just we’ve never seen a girl get ready that fast before,” Maddox tells me without hiding his shock.
“You said we were going to be late,” I huff.
“Well, that was when we assumed you’d take 2 hours to get ready,” Ryder announces like its common sense.
I grit my teeth at both of them while throwing my hand on my hip. “So, you assumed because I’m a girl that I need extra time to get ready. You don’t think a girl can do just like you do, and throw on a pair of pants and a shirt and go?”
“I’ve never seen it,” Maddox tells me with an amused smirk.
“Well, you have now. You told me to hurry, so I did. Now let’s go.”
“You’re giving me all sorts of dirty ideas, right now, love,” Ryder tells me with a smirk of his own. That wicked one he likes to tease me with.
“Seriously?” My mouth falls open. All he does is shrug. “Do you ever think about anything but sex?”
“Not if I can help it.” I snap my mouth closed at his response. I have absolutely nothing for that. Not when it’s obvious he is dead serious.
“Come on,” Maddox says again. “We have time to get food first since you’re ready.”
It doesn’t take us long to get to some Mexican restaurant where we stuff ourselves with street tacos and burritos. They tease me relentlessly, but I am finally starting to get used to it. I even tease back once or twice. It doesn’t last long. It seems for every taunt, tease, or innuendo I can come up with, they have a comeback that has me turning into a tomato.
After we’re done, they take me to our destination. The widest smile ever spreads across my face when three horses are brought out. I love to ride.
“By the look on your face, I’d wager this appeals to you,” Ryder says as he wraps an arm around my waist. I nearly burst into flames at the contact. Why, oh God, why does that happen every time he touches me?
“Yeah,” I breathe out, hoping it sounds like I’m excited about the horses and not him.
“Then we made an excellent choice. If we’re not going to be in the water, then this will work,” Maddox smiles. “We were hoping it would be something you liked.”
“You did this for me?” My eyes go wide. I wasn’t expecting them to do anything for me, and the surprise isn’t something I can hide.
Maddox grips my face, placing a kiss to my forehead. I’m fairly certain when I look in the mirror there will be scorch marks.
Seriously, what the hell?
“You’re cute as hell, you know that?” he laughs.
“You didn’t think we invited you to watch us have fun, did you?” Ryder squeezes me to his side a little tighter. Pretty sure he’s trying to kill me. It’s not tight or anything, but the closer he pulls me into him, the more my airways constrict. At this rate, I’m going to collapse into a wheezing mess.
The effect they have on me is more than frustrating. It’s infuriating.
I work to disengage myself from his side, trying my best to keep the calm façade. I don’t need either of them seeing how my breathing and heart rate pick up when they’re close. That will lead to nothing but confusion and chaos.
“I’m not sure why you invited me,” I tell him honestly. “But I’ve had fun. I was okay on the beach with my camera and sketchbook. You didn’t have to do anything for me.”
“That’s not how we roll, cupcake. We are most definitely bastards of the worst sort, but we try to make sure ourfriendsare taken care of.”
“I don’t like the way you saidfriends,” I mutter.
“It’s just a word. Don’t read too much into it.” He grins again. He is always freaking smiling. He is always so freaking chill and relaxed. If it weren’t for the moments I’ve caught the ache and shadows in his eyes, I’d think Maddox Masters didn’t have a care in the world.
“All right,” I agree. “I won’t. So, are we doing this or what?”
They nod as we accept the reins from the men holding our horses. I climb onto a beautiful, red roan pinto. Maddox chooses the most gorgeous palomino I’ve ever seen while Ryder climbs onto a chestnut.
We spend the next several hours riding along the beach. We race each other a few times. I was a pretty sore winner when I beat them each time.
