Skin Tight (Skin Deep #4)

by J. M. Stone

  And then some.

  Chapter 10

  I rolled over and silenced the alarm blaring through the room, effectively silencing a groaning Ian, too.

  He pulled me into his arms and tucked me back into his side, grumbling in my hair, “Why the hell did you set the alarm clock on a Sunday?”

  I patted his shoulder and kissed his chest, yawning as I answered, “Breakfast at Mom and Dad’s, remember?”

  “God…” he groaned again, burying his face against me further.

  We’d been up most of the night, both of us taking turns exploring each other with the new toy I’d gotten from Allie’s party last night (I was lucky, it was the only one she’d had with her), neither one of us remembering, or even caring for that matter, that we had to be up early to be at my parents’ house. Thank God I’d set my alarm earlier that evening before we’d left just to be sure I wouldn’t forget, or there would have been hell to pay.

  I could only imagine my mother stomping into my house, into the bedroom, whipping the covers off of us (naked or not), and screeching at us to get our asses in gear. Because she’d do it, just to make sure all of her babies were together for breakfast, especially since we hadn’t done it in a while.

  I cuddled closer to Ian for a moment longer, then pulled away, sliding out of bed and stretching before I walked into the bathroom to take care of business. I stepped into the shower, the steam billowing around me, making me moan as the hot water pounded down on muscles sore from the vigorous activities of the previous night. I was halfway through my shower routine before I realized that Ian had never stumbled into the room.

  “Ian!” I hollered, my voice echoing through the room. “You have to get up!”

  I laughed as I heard him growl then yell back, “I’m awake! Isn’t that enough?”

  “No,” I shouted back. “Get moving, we’re gonna be late!”

  Forty-five minutes later, we were showered, dressed, and pulling into my parents’ driveway. “Damnit,” I muttered under my breath, realizing that we were the last ones to arrive. We hurried inside, calling out hellos, counting it as a minor blessing that they hadn’t started eating yet. Most of them were all sitting in the living room, with the exception of Emma, Jenna, Mom, and Daisy, Allie’s mom.

  I glanced around, looking for Chloe (since my mom had guilted her into coming today), noticing that she wasn’t in the room, either, but Brandon was, sitting beside a man that I’d never seen before. I raised an eyebrow at him in question and he just gave a barely perceptive shake of his head, telling me silently that he’d tell me later. I glanced up at Ian to see him watching Brandon with the same inquisitive expression that I had, but let it go. Ian joined Luke, Brandon, and the stranger on the couch, saying hi to Noah, who was sitting on the loveseat with Jackson, holding Caleb. Allie, her dad, and Calland were on the floor with Everly, Liam, and Hayden, while Jarrod sat on the arm of my dad’s recliner, showing him some kind of handheld game. I waved to everyone and then walked into the kitchen to tell my mom, sisters, and Daisy hello.

  “Leah, hi, honey!” Mom said when I entered the room, not giving me a chance to speak. “Do me a favor and have one of the guys open this jar for me. I can’t get it open!”

  She thrust a jar of strawberry jam at me and turned back to the stove. Jenna was standing at the counter pouring batter into muffin pans, and Emma was at the toaster, toasting what looked like a whole loaf of bread.

  “Oooh, we’re having popovers?” I asked as I gripped the jar and turned the lid, giving my mom a WTF look when it popped right off in my hand.

  She just sighed and shook her head. “I couldn’t get it open. Don’t judge me.”

  “Where’s Chloe?” I asked the room in general. “And who’s the dude on the couch?”

  Before I got an answer, my niece Hayden ran into the room, shouting. “Mommy, Daddy said he needs your boobies, please.”

  Jenna let out an exasperated sound and motioned me over. “Here, take over. Apparently, my ‘boobies’ are required at the moment.” She turned to her daughter. “Hayden, come on. Stay out of Mamaw’s way. And did your Daddy actually tell you to come in here and say boobies?”

  Hayden followed her, and we all bit our tongues to contain our laughter at the conversation that followed as they left the room.

  Hayden replied, “Uhhh…well, he told me to come get you and tell you that the baby was hungry.” Then she asked her mom, “Can I help feed him?”

  Jenna sounded resigned as she answered, “Not right now, Hayden. Remember? You can only help when your brother is drinking from his bottle, but Mommy has to use her boobies this time.”

  “I could still help, Mommy. I could hold your boobie like I hold the bottle when I feed him other times. You know, like Daddy holds your boobies sometimes.”

  There was a pause and then Jenna said, “Oh, I hear Jarrod calling for you. Is he outside? You better go check to see what he wants…”

  I glanced over to see Daisy’s and Emma’s shoulders shaking uncontrollably, same as my mother’s, and I couldn’t hold it in any longer. A shout of laughter burst out of me, followed by a snort from Emma, and then we all lost it, laughing until we had to wipe our eyes.

  Chloe and her mom entered the chaos of the kitchen, looking at us like we’d lost our minds until I recapped the conversation we’d just witnessed, amid bouts of giggling, until they were both laughing right along with us.

  I finished filling the muffin pans and took them to my mom who popped them into the oven. That done, I leaned against the counter beside Chloe, asking, “Where were you when I came in? And where’s T.J.?”

  She gave her mom a look that I couldn’t decipher and answered wryly, “T.J. said he had something to take care of but sent his regrets and regards. And I was talking to my mother outside. She was explaining that little slip-up your mom almost had last night at the party.”

  I turned my head to look at my mom, who just shrugged. “I made a promise. I kept it. But it doesn’t matter now, anyway. Sarah spilled the beans herself.”

  “Ohhh-kaaayy…?” I drew the word out, getting more confused by the second.

  Chloe took pity on me. “Did you see the guy in the living room?”

  I nodded.

  “Well, that’s my mom’s boyfriend,” Chloe said. “My mom was hiding him from us because she was afraid that Jackson and I would be upset. Your mom introduced them at the grocery store a few weeks ago.”

  “Who the hell is he, Mom?” I asked her. “I’ve never seen him before.”

  “I met him at the doctor’s office when I was there for my checkup. He was nice. Sarah and I were at the store together a few weeks ago and ran into him, and…well, the rest is history,” Mom said, waving her hand in the air like it was no big deal.

  Emma jumped in. “So, basically what Mom is saying, is that she was picking up random dudes at the doctor’s office.”

  Mom swatted Emma’s ass. “You’re not too old, you know. I brought you into this world and I WILL take you out,” she said, glaring at her, but the twinkle in her eyes have her away.

  Emma rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. How many times did we hear that growing up?” she asked me. “And we’re still all alive.”

  Mom smacked her again. “That can change in an instant,” she growled, but ruined the effect by laughing.

  Sarah laughed and then took over the conversation. “His name is John, he’s a doctor, and he’s widowed with two grown children of his own, but they live in different states. And he’s very, very nice.”

  Her face was beaming, and I caught Chloe looking at her, her gaze soft with happiness.

  “I don’t know why she was so worried about us knowing she was dating. It makes me happy to know that she’s got someone of her own now. Jacks and I always hoped she’d find someone. So, no more secrets, right Mom?” she asked firmly, pointing her finger at her mom. She turned to my mom then. “Jan?”

  Mom and Sarah shared a look and grinned. We could only shake our heads
.

  “Alright,” my mom said, changing the subject with a clap of her hands. “Let’s get this shit on the table and feed everyone, yeah?”

  ***

  Breakfast went as it most always did; loud, chaotic, and loaded with hilarity. Calland did as he always does and aggravated Emma non-stop. But don’t think that he didn’t get Jenna and me just as much, because he did. He just chose to pick on Emma that much more because she always got so pissed off at him, which meant everything ended up being ten times funnier than it would have been. Take, for example, the time that Emma and Calland fought over the leftover scalloped potatoes my mom had made. They ended up in the driveway with Emma stomping her feet and Calland licking the whole bowl of potatoes just so Emma wouldn’t take them. Of course, they didn’t know that there were double the amount of potatoes and I’d already filled and hidden a bowl of my own. I learned real quick to be smart like that as the youngest.

  Anyway, Calland took Emma’s bacon, Emma squealed, got more, he took that bacon, too, and so on and so forth. Luke shut it down, finally, by giving Emma the napkin full of bacon he’d already grabbed and stored by his plate. He was smart, too, because he knew how to keep his wife happy. Given the look she sent him, she was planning on making him pretty happy later.

  I’d caught Ian’s eye as he sat across the table from me, his eyes warm and bright, enjoying the loud banter and the complete chaos that was my family, and it filled my heart even more, just as it did every time I watched him interacting with my family and friends. And just as always, I counted my lucky stars because I still couldn’t believe that he was mine, that he loved me.

  We’d hung out a little while longer once everyone was done eating and the mess had been cleared away, but eventually took our leave when Chloe and Brandon did.

  “So, John is nice,” I hedged to Chloe, feeling her out.

  “He is. I don’t know why Mom was so worried about Jacks and I. Seriously, our father left a long time ago. I’d have been happy for my mom to have met someone back when we lived in L.A., but she always seemed content with just us. I don’t know, I guess now that we’re all here, and she knows that we’re settled and beyond happy,” she looked over at Brandon and I could see her feeling written clearly across her face, “she can focus on maybe finding that happiness for herself.”

  Brandon winked at Chloe, his face echoing perfectly everything that Chloe’s had. They’d had a bit of a rough start, since Brandon and Jacks both were with Allie before Chloe had come to town, but long story short, things worked out the way they should have, and it was clear to anyone who was around them that they were totally and irrevocably in love with each other, same as my sister and Luke, and Allie and Jacks.

  “Well, what are you two kids up to now, since you had to change your plans around?” I nudged Chloe with my shoulder to get her attention, but Brandon’s the one that answered me.

  “We were going to go down to Newport to walk around the aquarium and get something to eat down there afterwards, but instead, when T.J. gets done, we’re just gonna meet him up at the lake to take out the new boat he just got.”

  “T.J. got a boat?” I asked. “He lives in an apartment, doesn’t he? Where’s he going to keep it?”

  “Actually, he bought a house here, too. He got a place over on Vineyard. It’s pretty nice,” Chloe replied.

  I gave a low whistle. “Those houses are very nice over there. Damn. When he settles in, he settles in, doesn’t he?” I said, chuckling.

  “Hey!” Chloe said brightly. “He got a pontoon, so there’s plenty of room. You guys wanna go with us? We’ll probably cookout beside the lake later, too, or get something at one of the places right there by the water. It’ll be fun!”

  I glanced at Ian and he shrugged, indicating that it was up to me. “You sure T.J. won’t care?”

  “Nah,” Brandon said, “We’re gonna leave in about an hour, so we’ll swing by and just pick you up. Sound good?”

  “Sure.”

  Plans in place, we all headed out to get things ready, and an hour later, we were on the road to the lake in Brandon’s Expedition, windows down, radio blasting, enjoying the sunshine and warmth of the last days of summer.

  It took about forty-five minutes to get there and T.J. was already there when we pulled up at the marina. He was on the boat, kicked back with his feet up and his hands behind his head, a ball cap covering his hair and dark sunglasses hiding his eyes.

  He didn’t move as we walked down the ramp onto the dock, but I could tell he was tracking us by the slight movement of his head.

  “What’s up?” he drawled, dropping his hands and getting to his feet as we all boarded the boat.

  The guys shared handshakes and the back-slapping man-hug that was required of them, and then T.J. gave me and Chloe hugs before we got things situated and he put us underway, heading out into the open water of the lake.

  Chloe and I sat up front, while Ian and Brandon sprawled on the ‘L’ shaped lounger, talking to T.J. as he sat in the captain’s chair, maneuvering the boat across the water. It was a beautiful day, but was starting to get hot and humid.

  I gathered my hair and tied it up on top of my head, not only to cool myself marginally, but also to stop it from whipping around my face like crazy, noticing that Chloe was doing the same with her long, blonde hair.

  We motored around the lake for a bit and then T.J. pulled us into a cove just beyond a line of buoys marked with ‘Swimming Area’. Brandon got up and moved to the front of the boat, dropping the anchor out for T.J. as I looked back at him and asked, needlessly, “We’re going swimming?”

  “You don’t want to?” he asked in response, shutting off the engine.

  “Didn’t say that,” I said, grinning at him. He smiled back and stood, removing his hat and sunglasses, dropping them onto the dash console before he yanked his shirt off, leaving him standing there in nothing but his low riding board shorts.

  Ian and Brandon followed suit, and suddenly, Chloe and I were sitting there, looking at three half-naked, Grade-A Prime, tattooed, pierced, and perfect, hotter-than-hot, males.

  “God, they’re pretty,” Chloe breathed beside me. I could only nod in agreement.

  We looked at each other and grinned when Brandon cleared his throat and crossed his arms, commenting dryly, “We’re not just gonna stand here all day for you to ogle.”

  T.J. turned away and opened the gate to the back platform, lowering the ladder into the water. Brandon followed him and jumped in with no hesitation, disappearing beneath the water as Chloe stripped out of her shorts and tank top, revealing a navy and white striped bikini.

  I stripped down to my own blue, green, and white patterned bikini, feeling a pang of pride and relief at how at ease Chloe was with herself now. Last year, Chloe would never have worn anything revealing that would possibly show the scars left behind by her psycho ex, who’d abused her beyond belief, resulting in killing the baby she’d carried and almost Chloe. She’d gotten away, but he found her last year, and kidnapped and tried to kill her once more.

  He ended up six feet under, and Chloe ended up with her happy ever after, which she deserved more than anything. Since then, Brandon had done wonders for her, shown her that she was beautiful, scars and all, which just endeared him to me even more.

  Chloe moved to the back of the boat and looked for Brandon, who had surfaced a few feet from the boat. She grinned and jumped into the water, swimming directly into his arms once she broke the surface.

  T.J. followed, diving into the water with precision and grace, leaving Ian and I along on the boat. I stepped toward the back, intending to follow them all into the water, but shrieked when Ian scooped me up in his arms suddenly.

  “Ian…” I warned, “No. Don’t you dare throw me in!” I struggled in his arms, but knew better. His hold was too strong, albeit very gentle.

  He chuckled. “You were about to jump in anyway, right?”

  “Yeah, but that’s not the same as being thrown in.
You love me, don’t you?” I cajoled in a saccharine sweet voice, batting my eyes at him.

  “I do,” he replied, matching my tone. “But that’s not going to save you.”

  He strode to the back of the boat, stood on the platform and kissed me quickly before he grinned…and tossed me into the water.

  I swam up to the surface, glaring up at him. “You ass!”

  “But you love me,” he said, still grinning unabashedly. Then he jumped in, sending a wave of water splashing up in my face.

  Chapter 11

  We played in the water, splashing and dunking like adolescents, enjoying the company and the freedom of the moment. After a while, I was done swimming, so I climbed back up into the boat and wrapped my towel around me, pulling my hair down from its knot and wringing it out over the side.

  I piled it back up on my head and curled up on the lounger, watching Ian float by on his back, grinning up at me as I looked down at him over the side. I noticed that Brandon and Chloe had gotten quiet, so I chanced a glance over at them, only to smile when I saw Chloe wrapped around Brandon, his hands cupping her ass, faces close as they talked quietly to each other in the water, kissing every so often between words.

  I felt the boat sway and looked back to see T.J. climbing up the ladder. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around him, plopping down on the other end of the lounger by my feet.

  He smacked my leg playfully and asked me, “Have fun?”

  I nodded. “Yep. Too bad you waited til the end of summer to get a boat,” I quipped, jokingly.

  A weird look flashed across his face briefly, so quick I wasn’t even sure I really saw it, before it was replaced with a rueful half-smile. “It is too bad, isn’t it,” he stated in agreement.

  “So you got a place over on Vineyard, huh?”

  He nodded in response, but didn’t offer any information.

  I glanced back down in the water, watching Ian cut through the water with sure strokes, like he was swimming laps, rather than floating like he had been.