by Claire Adams
Chapter 15
Two Days Later
Brody
"Two days. Two fucking days and nothing." I ran my fingers through my hair as I paced the old wooden steps on our porch.
"Dude, just go over there." Clay crushed a soda can and sat up from his reclined position. His chest was burnt from us hanging out at the island most of the day before.
"No. We have a date tonight, and honestly, I don't want to appear needy. It's not my style." I ran my fingers through my hair before pausing and growling. "What is it with this fucking chick?"
"I don't know, but I love it." Clay laughed and pointed at me. "You're going to go bald if you're not careful."
"Don't mention this to anyone. Alright?" I gave him a look before turning out to the lake. The front door opened and the other guys walked out, laughing about something. Everyone was chill but me. I was playing it off as best I could in front of Daniel and Derek, but Clay and I had been friends too long to pull anything over on him.
I was a mess. A fucking hot mess over this girl. I hadn't stopped thinking about how good it felt to press her to her cold sheets and lick at her like she was the last bit of pleasure I might experience. I was almost embarrassed to think through all the things I'd done to her in my head, the ways I'd brought her to come for me.
"Hey, man. We hitting the water?" Derek slapped a hand down on my shoulder, causing me to jump as he jerked me from yet another wicked thought.
"Yep. Let me grab my shades and a cooler for us to load up." I turned and walked toward the house, keeping my eyes adverted. I'd slept like shit for the last two nights and it was starting to show on my face. I needed my glasses just to make sure I didn't have to play twenty questions with everyone all fucking day.
"What time is your date?" Daniel stood at the entrance to the kitchen as I pulled my glasses and cologne out of the cabinet.
"Around six or so tonight, I guess. I need to get Cora's number from Clay and make sure she's still up for it." I shrugged and put my glasses on.
"She is. I was over there yesterday afternoon while you and Derek watched that wrestling thing." Daniel shuddered. "Disgusting."
I extended my hand. "Give me your man card for that comment, or keep it and tell me how you know she's excited."
"She was looking up movies when I was there." He shrugged and slapped my hand. "Man card? You guys are idiots."
"Yep. We work hard to keep our simple ways alive. The world needs more testosterone." I walked to the door and bent over to grab my sandals as the sound of laughter caught my attention. I glanced up to see Cora and her friends walking up the stairs.
The tiny blue bathing suit she wore left plenty of her beautifully tanned skin on display, and my heart nearly stopped as my eyes moved across her. The translucent dress she wore to cover herself up was doing very little to help. My hormones were thrilled; my jealousy, not so much.
"Hey, Brody." She lifted a bag toward me a smiled. "I got some chips and cookies for the afternoon boating trip."
"And, we brought beer and lemonade. Cindy made it herself." Dedra moved past me, bumping me with her hip as I stood, staring at Cora.
"Hey, dude, wake up." Clay popped me in the chest, and I reached out, taking the bag from her.
"Awesome. Sorry. I slept like shit last night. That Friday the 13th movie has been dicking up my dreams since we watched it. Don't tell anyone that I'm a total puss." I was grateful for the sunglasses. Otherwise everyone, including the beautiful woman before me, would know that I'd eye fucked her ten times over the last few minutes.
"Alright, well, let's get rolling. I have a friend date for the movies tonight." She smirked. "And, guess what they're playing?"
"Ghost?" I shrugged, already having looked at the listing ten times.
"You looked?" She laughed and pushed at my chest. The bitch I'd started to fall for was long gone, though something told me that she might show up any minute if her protection services were required. I was almost a little concerned with Cora being so open and friendly. Maybe that meant that I had been friend-zoned and there was no reason to be pissy. Maybe Derek was completely wrong and the girl wasn't at all interested.
Was it the kiss? No. It couldn't have been.
"I sure did. You look fucking hot, by the way." I walked past her and jogged down the stairs. "Wanna sit in my lap while I drive the boat?"
"Nope, but thanks for the offer," she called out behind me.
No snappy comeback or rude back up comment? Fuck. She wasn't interested.
"Why aren't you sleeping?" Cindy closed the trunk to Cora's BMW and handed me a bowl of dip.
"No clue. Just a rough couple of nights." I glanced down at the bowl. "Is this what I think it is?"
She laughed. "Sure is. Come on, let's get on the boat before everyone else and take the captain seats."
I smirked and offered her my arm. "Sounds like a plan to me."
"You know that Cora is really excited about going to the movies tonight, right?" Cindy glanced over at me. Her hair was the color of fire and her complexion pale. She reminded me of a model, but seemed far too fragile for someone like Derek.
"Really, or are you just saying that?" I glanced over at her as we walked across the street and made our way down the pier.
"No, I'm serious." She paused at the edge of the dock.
I sat the dip down and climbed into the boat, offering her a hand and grabbing the bowl of dip once she was in the boat behind me.
"Well, it should be a good time. I realized maybe you guys were right. I'm not looking for anything other than a friendship with her. That's probably why things are less tense between us now." I shrugged and handed her the bowl before turning back and waving at the others as they walked toward the dock. "Hurry up. It's getting busy out here on the lake. Too much competition is never good."
Derek laughed and reached up to adjust his cowboy hat. "When in the world would we ever have thought old Brody Myers would be worried about some healthy competition? The fucking world must be coming to an end." He winked at Cindy, who giggled beside me.
"Keep it up. I owe you a good ass-whooping, anyway. All of you, if I recall." I reached up to help Emily in the boat and moved back as the other guys jumped in. Dedra and Cora were pulling up the rear and I was quite grateful for the extra moments I got to study her legs. My stomach contracted as my cock hardened, making it quite obvious that I was turned on or sporting a gun in my shorts.
I reached up and offered my hand to Dedra as she smiled. "You happy to see us, or is that a gun in your shorts?"
"Four beautiful women? I'm a guy, remember?" I smirked and glanced up at Cora as the first sign of embarrassment rolled over me. How long had it been since I'd been embarrassed by something? Forever. "Come on. Let me help you in the boat."
She glanced across the lake and then down to me with a smile on her beautiful lips. "Yeah. Just don't get any ideas."
"I'd respond to that, but you'd like me less if I did." I reached up and took her hand, making sure to back up a little as she jumped down into the boat. I caught her in my arms and didn't release her right away. "I wanna spout a million poetic things, but I'm not thinking you'd enjoy them much. I'd get a good tongue lashing, hmm?"
"Isn't that what you're after? A tongue lashing?" She smirked and pulled out of my arms before making her way to the front of the boat. The girls moved about, getting everything situated as my friends lay around like there was nothing going on.
"Lazy bums." I kicked at Daniel's legs to get him to move so I could go to the front of the boat. "One of you guys drive. I'm laying out with the girls. I need to work on my tan."
Cora glanced over her shoulder, and I took it as an opportunity to pull my shirt over my head. Her eyes moved across me slowly and a smile tugged at the side of her mouth. There was the look I wanted to see on her face. Why she felt the need to hide if from me was a mystery.
"I like those shorts. They're cute. My cousin has a pair." She tugged at the edge of her covering and
pulled it over her head, leaving me frozen in place for a minute. She had on the perfect bathing suit for her body type.
"Your cousin?" I licked at my lips.
"Yeah. He's ten." She winked and turned around, laughing at me.
"Why am I not surprised by that?" My eyes moved down her taunt back to the curve of her ass, memorizing her sexiness and trying to talk myself out of reaching out and doing something that would surely end with me getting slapped.
"Come up here with us." Dedra patted the open spot between her and Cora as the two of them crawled up onto the flat tanning part of the boat and reclined.
I reached out and gripped the side of the boat as Clay hit the gas, almost sending me flying backward. "Ass."
Cora pulled her sunshades on and looked my way as I crawled up in between them.
"That swimsuit was made for you." I laid down on my back and stretched my arms above my head before turning to Dedra. "You look lovely, too, Dee."
"Dee? You already giving me a nickname?" She pushed her shoulder against mine and smiled like a tomcat. I liked her. She would be good for Daniel, but I needed to pull her aside to explain his situation a little more. He hadn't dated much, and Dedra looked very much like a confident woman who had.
"You look pretty hot yourself, white boy." She leaned her head back and let out a long sigh. "This is the life."
"Agreed." I closed my eyes and lifted my chin as I stretched. "All I need is the right woman in my bed tonight, and it will be the most perfect day ever."
"Not happening," Cora mumbled before moving up to her elbow and glancing down at me. She tugged her sun glasses off and glared a little. "Speaking of. Did you really go out with that blonde from the movie rental place the other night after you kissed me?"
"What?" I turned to face her and propped up on my elbow. There was a wicked turn up ahead that I knew would have her rolling my way. Nothing like setting up the perfect accidental situation. "Of course not. I went home with the guys after the walk you refused to go on. I couldn't go out with that girl."
"Why not?" Her expression softened a little.
"Hold on, guys!" Clay yelled.
I reached for Cora, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her to almost lay on top of me as I pressed my other arm to Dedra's chest and grabbed the bar on the other side of her.
"Fuck, hold on." I ground my teeth and kept the girls locked to me as they screamed.
The boat righted itself, and I half expected either of them, or really both of them to jump up and light into Clay. Instead, I got a lot of giggles.
Cora rolled off of me and laid back onto her back. "Shit. That was crazy. Why didn't you warn us?"
"I forgot about it for a minute there. Clay drives like a bat out of hell." I moved up to a sitting position and glanced over my shoulder to see him giving me the thumbs up. I flipped him off and let out a long sigh.
Cora sat up and pressed her shoulder against mine, surprising me a little. "Why not, Brody? She was cute."
"Who was cute?" I leaned back, pressing my hand just behind her rear as I extended my legs out.
"The blonde from the movie rental place."
"Oh. Yeah, she was alright." I looked up at the sky. "I'm not interested in another fling right now. It gets tiring."
"What?" She chuckled. "Are you being serious?"
"Yeah." I turned my head to watch her. My heart skipped another beat, and I realized that I was in trouble. I could easily find myself coveting the idea of her time, her attention, her sex.
"Stop it." She pushed at my arm.
"What am I doing?" I pulled off my sunglasses and let my eyes move down her chest over her tummy to her legs.
"Pulling my leg." She crossed her legs and turned her attention back to the water.
"Whatever you say, pretty girl."
Women. I would never figure them out. That I was trying was a tell-tale sign that I needed to get a couple of beers in me and find a quiet place on the beach to fall asleep. Pretty soon, I'd be trying to sweep the woman next to me off her feet.
No. Never. That wasn't me, at all.
Chapter 16
Cora
He had to be pulling my leg. The soft tone of his voice said otherwise, but I wasn't falling for his tricks. He wasn't nearly as interested in me as he played to be. All the other guys had come by the house the day before, but I'd not heard a peep from him. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but being ignored surely wasn't it.
We made it out to the island a few minutes later, and he and the boys ran off to play a game of beach volleyball, inviting us to come, of course, but laying out sounded much better.
"So..." Cindy dropped down in the sand next to me.
"So what?" I lifted my sunglasses so I could see her better.
"So, I saw you and Brody cuddling on the front of the boat." She smirked as Emily let out a soft laugh.
"Oh... that. Right, well Clay turned the boat too hard and caused me to roll onto the sexy bastard. You probably helped plan it. At least, some of you did." I lifted my eyebrow as I turned my gaze to Emily.
She lifted her hands in the air. "Me? Oh, hell no. I didn't do that. Clay just drives like a crazy man, from what I can tell."
Emily shrugged and laid back, letting out a sigh. "You should be happy about it, though. Brody is wicked hot."
"Agreed." Cindy laid down and brushed the sand from her chest as Dedra piped in from the other side of me.
"Yep. Sexy as sin." She wagged her eyebrows.
"Alright." I dropped down in the sand. "I get it. Maybe you guys are right, but you know how I feel about blonds."
"And, we think it's dumb." Dedra turned to look at me. "Brandon's an asshole and deserves to rot in the deepest parts of hell for what he did to you, but Brody isn't Brandon. You have to try again sometime, Cora. You're going to spend the next few years by yourself trying to make sure you don't get hurt, and what if Mr. Right comes along?"
Tears burned my eyes, and I was grateful for my sunglasses. "I know. I'm just not sure Brody is that guy. We barely know him."
Cindy reached over and squeezed my hand. "Then get to know him. If you think sex will mess that up, then tell him that you're willing to go out sometime, but not sleep together."
Emily turned and propped up on her elbow. "Well, don't tell him I told you this, but Clay told me this morning on the phone that Brody hasn't slept with a girl for the last few days, which is a record for him. I'm thinking there is a reason for that."
"His herpes are flaring up?" I smirked, but the expression faded as I got a look from all three of my friends. "Really? All of you guys are in support of me giving this man-whore a chance?"
"Yep." The response was done in unison, and I was without a leg to stand on. They saw something in this crazy hot guy that maybe I didn't. Or perhaps I did, and just didn't want to admit it.
"Alright fine, but when he breaks my heart, you guys are going to be held fully responsible." I shrugged and closed my eyes, letting my thoughts drift back to the kiss. I wanted another one, and now that it was on someone besides me when the shit hit the fan like it always did, I was planning on getting at least one more kiss.
*
"You wanna come in and shower with me before our date?" Brody wagged his eyebrows at me as I stood at the bottom of the stairs by their cabin.
"Um, no, but thank you. I'd rather wash the sand from my crevices alone." I smirked as he chuckled.
"Come on. I wouldn't mind helping you clean up." His eyes moved across me, and my desire for a few kisses turned into the need for a long night pressed to the bed beneath him.
"Nope, but thanks. Are you picking me up or what?" I turned and walked to the car where my friends were waiting.
"I'm getting us two bikes for the evening. I want to show you the far side of the island. You up for a late-night ride after the show?" He pulled his t-shirt over his head, and I almost lamented over not getting to stare at his beautifully sculpted chest for a few more minutes.
; "I'm up for it. Are we eating?"
"Each other?" His brow lifted.
"Dinner." I rolled my eyes and opened the door to the car.
"Anything you want." He shrugged. "I'll be there in an hour with your lovely pink bicycle and a handsome escort for your evening. Sound good?"
"Oh, Daniel's going with us?" I chuckled and got into the car, ignoring the smirk on his mouth that was likely to drive me mad.
"God, he's hot. Please tell me if you guys decide not to go any farther than just being friends." Dedra waved as I pulled out of their driveway.
"I thought you were starting to talk to some guy at church?" I glanced over at her as I slowed my turn for a group of bikers.
"No, that guy was all hands. I swear those church boys can be the worst." She huffed and glanced into the backseat at Emily and Cindy. "They're already sound asleep. I need a man. That's why they're tired and you and I are wide awake up here."
I snorted. "True that."
"What do you think about Daniel? He's already in our little friend group we've created, and he's really good looking under that nerdy intellectual thing he has going on. No?" She turned her attention to me as I chuckled.
"Nerdy intellectual thing? I'm pretty sure that's just his personality, Dee." I pulled up to the stop sign and glanced over at her. "He's pretty inexperienced, you know. I mean, not that I know, but just from what I can tell."
"Yeah, I gathered that, but I kind of like it. It seems like most guys are over-experienced nowadays, and you get some dumb ass that won't listen to you in the bedroom because he knows so much. Ugh. Drives me nuts." She huffed and rolled down the window. "I think I might start hitting on him a little and see what happens."
"I think that's a great idea, but if you want to wait a few days, I'm sure Brody will be available." I pulled up to our driveway and parked the car as she started in on me about how great Brody could be underneath his sexy playboy appeal.
"Not this again." I got out of the car and moved to the back door, pressing my hands to it and pushing. The car shook and the look on Cindy and Emily's faces as they jolted awake was almost priceless. "Get up, girlies!"