“And I am thirty-two and two months. I’m going to see you do one last body shot before I get married.”

When she didn’t respond, he continued: “Look at this party I threw for you. I carried balloons from Barcelona.”

“You don’t have to—” Danial started, but Paul immediately cut him off.

“Otherwise, Danny has to streak around the boat. I’m talking dick flopping.”

“Paul.” Guy put a hand on his leg. “Stop it.”

“They need to call a truce, once and for all,” he countered, pouring himself more champagne. “The stakes need to be high.”

“I’m not looking at anyone’s penis.” Bee laughed, leaning on Dev. “So I suggest you take the shot.”

“You got off easy,” Dev added, smiling at Danial in an oddly conspiratorial way.

“If she’s okay with it,” he replied, looking across the circle at Alex.

She met his eyes, and without thinking, stood up and began walking across the salon, over to a far dining nook lined by an upholstered bench. She dragged the table across the floor slightly to give herself space and laid herself down, lifting her cropped top even higher and pulling down the waistband of her skirt.

“I’m ready!” she called over.

It took Danial a moment to spring into action, gathering the materials from the makeshift bar on the far side of the kitchen island. He swiped a lime wedge and the mezcal from the counter, then he dropped down to open cabinets, shuffling items around.

“There’s a salt shaker next to the espresso machine.” Guy indicated, shaking his head. “This is a dumb idea.”

“No, it’s not.” Paul smiled, eyes following Danial’s moves. “This is a geopolitical reconciliation. We’re watching The History Channel right now.”

“Please shut up,” Alex called over. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Inside, her heart was racing as Danial crossed the room toward her, but she had to maintain her cool. She had to act as if this was nothing to her, like having his mouth on her body was simply a way to thank Paul for throwing her the party. Their eyes met as he came to a full stop in front of her, a hunger in their expressions that neither could conceal.

“Get on your knees!” Bee called over. “But if you start arguing, I’m breaking out the spray bottle.”

“Shh,” Dev quieted her, laughing.

Obediently, Danial slowly dropped down and set the supplies on the table before moving closer to her. Before he began, he brought his mouth to her ear, his voice a whisper only she could hear.

“Are you sure this is okay?” he asked. His beautiful voice had a gentle, almost pleading tone. “You really don’t have to do this.”

“It’s okay,” she whispered back, turning slightly to face him. “I promise.”