They bounced through the wake of a boat, then settled onto smoother water. Van leaned against him, her thighs nestling him. The image of her naked, hungry and ready filled his mind.
For once, he didn't push it away. He let it stay there, arousing him, making him want to pull into shallow waters and make the fantasy real.
He didn't. Instead he headed back to the beach, where her friends were being shown the right way to board a Jet Ski.
There was also a new addition to the group. A dinghy had been pulled up on the beach, and Justice stood slightly to the side, staring at Van.
"How about something with a little more power?" he said, pointing to the twenty-five-foot boat anchored offshore.
She climbed off the Jet Ski and pulled off her life jacket. "I need to stay here," she told him. "This was my idea."
Justice glanced around. "The nerd brigade will be fine." He grabbed her hand. "Come on. It'll be fun."
Adam wanted to step between them the way he had with surfer dude. But this was different. This was the guy Van thought she wanted to marry. And until he, Adam, had proof that Justice was only in it for her money, he couldn't do a damn thing to stop her.
"Go ahead," he told her, consciously unclenching his jaw. "I'll take care of them."
"We don't need taking care of," Derrick protested, then shrugged. "Okay. Maybe we do."
Van looked at Adam. "Are you sure?"
"Go. We'll be fine."
She nodded slowly, helped Justice push the dinghy back into the water, then climbed on board. Justice started the engine and then they were gone.
Derrick stared after them. "I hate it when he takes her away. It's never the same without her."
Adam hated that he wanted to agree.
*******
Van scraped the dishes into the garbage disposal, then stacked them on the counter by the sink. She was pleasantly full from the Mexican food they'd brought in for dinner and just slightly buzzed from the margarita. Hmm, her team had had liquor twice in a week. If she wasn't careful, they were going to get wild on her.
She smiled at the idea, then caught her breath as someone came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. Her first thought was that it was Adam, who'd mostly ignored her all afternoon. But then she inhaled the scent and felt the pressure of the body behind her and knew it wasn't.
"Justice," she said as she sidestepped his embrace. "Come to help me with the dishes?"
"No. You don't need to do that. Let someone else clean up."
"I don't mind. I was gone all afternoon."
"You say that like it's a bad thing. Didn't you have fun with me?"
"Sure."
They'd taken the boat to the middle of the lake, dropped anchor and enjoyed a light lunch in the sun, then stretched out for some sunbathing. What was there not to like?
She would ignore the fact that she'd kept watching the shore to see what was going on there. To make sure her friends were all right, she reminded herself. She hadn't been looking to see if Adam stuck around. Even though he had.
"Too bad about the cabin onboard," Justice said.
"Uh-huh."
It had been small and cramped, and when Justice had tried to take her down below, she'd nearly thrown up. The combination of confined spaces, movement on water and her tummy wasn't a happy one.
"Let's go have more fun," he said, reaching for her hand. "Back at my hotel."
She sidestepped him. "I need to stay here."
"Why?"
"I was gone all afternoon."
"They survived. Vanessa, you're not their cruise director."
"I know, but I'm responsible for them."
"Why? They're adults not toddlers."
True, but they were her team. "Look, I want to stay here."
He stared into her eyes. "How am I going to win you back if you refuse to be alone with me?"
An interesting point. Did she want to be won back?
Of course she did, she told herself. This was Justice, the man she'd thought she might marry. She'd slept with Adam; she was over him and ready to move on with her life. She could emotionally engage now. Why not with Justice?
"I have a great suite," he told her. "With a view. If you don't want to go back to my room, we could go to a casino and go gambling. You know how you like to play blackjack."
It was true. She didn't actually count cards, but she had a great memory and there were usually only a half dozen or so decks in play at any one time. How hard could it be to keep track of three hundred and twelve cards?
Adam walked into the kitchen. He smiled pleasantly at Justice. "You're still here?"
Justice stepped close to her. "Trying to get rid of me?"
"I'll let Van do that herself." He turned to her. "We're about to play Truth or Dare. I know it's your favorite. Want to join us?"
"We're going to state line to the casinos," Justice said.
Van glanced between the two men. They were both great in their own ways. Different but great.
"I'm tired," she told Justice. "I'd really like to stay in tonight."
His expression tightened. "I'm not interested in hanging out here. I'll go to the casino without you."
She touched his arm. "You don't have to do that. You could stay."
He glanced toward the dining room, where he could hear Derrick arguing theoretical equations.
"No, thanks," Justice told her. He started for the door.
A/n : Sort of late update I'm sorry.
I loved this chapter!! I wanted to keep on typing but I thought that I should leave you guys hanged and craving for more of Adam and Van—and Justice who's been thrown into the scene.
Any Justice and Van shippers? Comment →
Any Adam and Van shippers? Comment →
Any Justice, Adam and Van shippers? (a trio thingy) Comment →
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