Distraction (Westbrook Series Book 1)

by Laura Clark

  "Laila, is this okay?" he asks, his eyes full of concern. I nod and try my best to give him a reassuring smile, knowing what my cheeks must look like to him.

  My face is always betraying me, revealing the truth behind the mask I try so hard to keep in place. My lack of experience is making me feel vulnerable. I am completely terrified. Yet at the same time, I am exhilarated to discover all of these new sensations. I was hoping he wouldn't notice this, but Sam is far too in tune with me not to.

  He stands up and moves us deeper into the pool so the water covers my chest. He remains still, holding me tightly up against his hard chest. I love the way it feels to have our bodies pressed together so closely. Heat seems to be radiating from his skin, warming the water around us.

  I realize the ball is in my court. Sam is patiently waiting for me to either return it or end the game. Even though the game absolutely scares the hell out of me, the need to continue wins. Once again my body takes control.

  I unwrap my legs from around him, allowing my body to drift away so my legs are floating freely in the water. The water is deeper than I had thought it would be. My feet do not touch without my head sinking under. I tug at his hand, pulling him along with me to a place where I can stand comfortably. I press my lips against his chest lightly, and slowly run my fingers down his hard stomach, appreciating each ripple.

  His body is like a work of art. If it wasn't for the loud, clanging of his heart against his chest, I might question whether any of this is real. The truth is everything feels way too intense for it not to be real. Plus, how could I dream up something that I've never actually experienced?

  I can almost feel him smiling by the way his arms suddenly tighten around me. He leans down and kisses the top of my head, as I explore his chest further with my fingertips. Satisfied with my response, Sam leans down, and tilts my chin up so he can kiss me.

  His hands find my bare chest, but I don't pull away or freeze up this time. I lean into his hand, and arch my back, as a bolt of electricity charges through my body. Sam moves us towards the shallow end again. He pushes me back so the edge of my bottom is flush with the edge of the middle step, and my elbows are propped up on the top step. His body is practically on top of me, as hands once again begin to explore.

  I can feel the way his body is responding to me as he pushes himself up against me harder. The fire exchanged between our bodies is almost unbearable even in the water. Moving closer to each other seems to be the only way to tame it. Then again the closer we get, the hotter it burns. I can't fight the pull he seems to have on me, even if I had wanted to.

  "Laila, what in the hell are you guys doing out there?" My brother's accusing voice startles us.

  Panic quickly sets in, as Sam slowly peels himself away from me. I quickly cover my chest with my arms as my eyes frantically search for my bikini top. I try my best to conceal Sam by moving in front of him. I am practically kneeling to be sure the water is above my shoulders. Sam sinks down into the water behind me, keeping his back turned away from the deck railing, where Kyle is peering down. It's really dark and Kyle is far enough away that he may not be able to tell that it is Sam. We can only hope.

  "We were just, uh . . . swimming."

  I look at my brother to gauge his reaction, but it is too dark. He is too far away for me to see his face clearly. I take a deep breath.

  "So, you're home kind of early?" I say it more like a question, praying that he doesn't recognize Sam's t-shirt that I now realize is crumpled on the ground next to mine in plain sight.

  "I thought Dad said no boys, lil sis. I don't like you being home alone with guys I don't know. Who is that and where did he go? Where's Avery?" he asks gruffly.

  I let out a burst of air. As I had hoped, Kyle didn't recognize Sam. Thank God. I just need to keep him up there until we can figure out a way to sneak Sam out of here.

  "Isn't her car here?" I ask curiously.

  "Uh, yeah? It's out front, but I don't see her anywhere. I thought she was down there with you."

  "Did you check the basement? I think she might be down there watching a movie or something," I suggest, hoping he will leave us alone long enough to make Sam disappear. She might kill me for sending Kyle down there, but I weigh her reaction against the fury that Kyle would unleash on us if he knew this is Sam, and decide I'd much rather deal with her.

  "No, I'll go check. Do you guys want something to drink?" Kyle asks casually.

  I am surprised that he is being so laid back, after catching me half naked and making out in the pool with a guy. I suppose he still doesn't know that I am standing here topless. Even though it doesn't help with this particular situation, it's nice to know he isn't going to go nuclear on every single guy I date, just because he's my big brother.

  "Uh, yeah. I'd like a raspberry Smirnoff Ice and he'll take a beer," I say, trying hard to keep my voice even despite the fact that it feels like there is a giant boulder caught in my throat. Kyle simply nods, turns around, and disappears into the house.

  Sam bursts out laughing, as we stumble out of the pool.

  "It's not funny," I spit out, as I dash up the pool stairs with my arms wrapped tightly across my bare chest. My eyes are darting around the patio in a desperate search for those two tiny purple triangles of fabric. I throw the towel and his shirt at Sam as he makes his way towards the back gate. "What did you do with it?" I ask him with urgency.

  "What did I do with what?" He has an amused look on his face that is far too blasé for my taste. I throw the big t-shirt over my head, after quickly drying myself, worried that Kyle will return before I get a chance to find my bikini top. Sam is standing by the gate, chuckling at my frenzied reaction.

  "My top. I can't find my top. Why are you still here? I'm pretty sure you will not be laughing if Kyle finds out it was you who had his little sister topless in the pool."

  Sam's expression quickly changes, as it finally dawns on him just how close we are to getting caught. Before I can get an answer from him about where the other half of my bathing suit is, I hear the gate latch and click, followed by the sound of metal rattling. Sam is gone. I sigh with a flash of relief.

  Seconds later, Kyle is jogging down the deck stairs, holding our drinks. I still have no clue where my bikini top is.

  Kyle looks around the patio with his face all scrunched up. "Where did your boyfriend go?" he asks, while handing me the cold bottles.

  "I guess you scared him away. He suddenly remembered he had a curfew," I say with mock frustration. I try to keep my eyes down so he won't pick up on my lie. I've never been a very good liar. Mostly, it is because my red cheeks tend to give me away. Thank God it is dark right now.

  "Where is Georgia?" I ask casually, in an effort to divert his attention away from talking about my boyfriend.

  "She ran home to get her suit. She wanted her car, too. I told her I'd drive her home after, but she refused. She said it is silly for me to drive her all the way back to her house and then back here." He shakes his head and smiles appreciatively. "I really don't mind, but that's just Georgia. She's always thinking about other people like that."

  He takes a sip of his beer and sits down in the chair next to me. I am still searching for my top without being too obvious.

  "Did you ever find Avery?" I ask. My eyes are about ready to pop when I spot the purple triangles scrunched up into a ball, right under the chair next to Kyle's foot.

  "Um . . . yeah." His voice catches a little. He clears his throat and continues. "You could have warned me, lil sis. I didn't know she'd be down there making out with some guy. I felt pretty stupid barging in on them."

  My stomach turns upside down. I guess Trevor finally decided to kiss Avery. I knew there was a chance it would happen tonight, but I didn't expect them to be having a full on make-out session so soon. Why does this still bother me so much? It certainly shouldn't, considering how well everything is going with Sam.

  "So who is she down there with?" he asks, after not saying anything for a
while.

  "You couldn't tell? They didn't see you?"

  "No. Thank God. They were . . . uh . . . a little bit too busy to notice my perverted ass staring at them. I honestly didn't mean to look. It's just weird. I mean Avery is growing up, I guess, but . . . ." He shakes his head. "I still think about how you two used to run around the neighborhood with your dolls. You'd annoy the hell out of me. I guess that's why it's strange seeing some dude shoving his tongue down her throat, and doing other stuff . . . ."

  He closes his eyes and shakes his head again. "It kind of made me want to just get him the hell off of her, and tear him a new one, you know?" He looks at me. His face is now contorted into a strange scowl.

  I look at him curiously. What other stuff were they doing? He wanted to get Trevor off of her? I didn't realize he was ever on her. My stomach aches more, as I try to push that image out of my head. Despite my own disgust with the situation, I am shocked at how open Kyle is being with me. He doesn't normally reveal this much about himself to me, or anyone else in our family. It's strange, but I like that he trusts me more.

  "Kyle, we've been best friends almost my whole life. Of course, you'd react that way. She's practically your sister."

  Kyle spits out his beer, as if he is suddenly choking.

  "Gross. Try to keep it in your mouth, Kyle," I scold him, and wipe my arm where he sprayed me.

  I never realized before just how similar Avery and Kyle are to how Sam and I used to be. I notice the heat rising in my brother's cheeks and wonder why he is reacting so oddly. He takes another big swig of his drink, as if the liquid might drown something he is fighting back. Then, it strikes me. Does Kyle see Avery the same way that Sam sees me?

  "Yeah. I don't know. I guess you're right. That must be what it is." He says this more to himself, as if he is the one who needs convincing. "Who did you say that was, anyway?" He tries to sound nonchalant, as if he really doesn't care one way or another, but it is so completely obvious that he does care. Interesting.

  "Trevor Maddox." I cringe when I hear myself say his name out loud. I don't want to think about his beautiful lips kissing Avery, or how his gorgeous body was apparently lying on top of her. It makes me sick, even though I know it shouldn't, and I feel guilty about the fact that it does.

  I play with my L charm that is dangling from the light chain around my neck, reminding myself just how great Sam is, and how I even thought earlier that I might already be in love with him. I am not so convinced now that these feelings about Trevor are creeping their way back into my system. Remember what a jerk Trevor was to you earlier, Laila. Sam would never intentionally embarrass me like that.

  "So, am I finally going to meet the elusive Georgia?" I ask in a teasing way, hoping that I'm not over-stepping. The last thing I want to do is push Kyle back into his cave now that I am finally getting him to open up. A smile creeps onto his face and the flushed color returns to his cheeks.

  "Yeah. She's pretty cool. I think you will like her, lil sis," he says smoothly, with a sweet smile on his face.

  I simply nod, trying to fight back my own stupid grin that is begging to reveal itself. I want more than anything to act casual, as if Kyle and I talk like this all the time, but it's not easy. My eyes are still darting back and forth to his feet as we talk, wishing I could somehow freeze time, and snatch my bikini top out from under his chair. I don't even know how it got so far away from the pool.

  "Taking a late night dip in the pool, lil sis?" The sound of Sam's smooth voice pulls me out of my trance.

  He is fully dressed again, and is holding a bottle of Blue Moon. My heart flutters when I catch a whiff of his light cologne. He casually lies back on the chaise lounge, wrapping one of his arms behind his head.

  I turn my head away as the heat returns to my cheeks, and no doubt, leaves a trail of red behind it. "Something like that," I mutter.

  Kyle shakes his head and starts chuckling. "Yeah. Something like that," he repeats sarcastically. "She was making out with her boyfriend until I scared him off. It was so freaking funny, Sam. I just wish I could have seen the look on his face. He was probably scared shitless."

  Sam almost chokes on his beer, but he attempts to cover it up with a half-hearted laugh. After an awkward pause, he realizes he should probably join in on the fun, to keep Kyle from getting suspicious. When he scratches his head, I realize his hair is still wet. Thankfully, Kyle does not notice this oversight.

  "Since when did you start dating? And who's this little punk that is going to need some serious ass-kicking?" he asks me playfully.

  "Ah, none of your business," I start to say, playing the offended sister role perfectly. Then, I decide to have a little fun with him. "On second thought, maybe he does need that." I cock my head to the side, making sure Sam sees the smirk on my face.

  "Maybe we need to kick his ass?" Sam asks with the same amused look he had on his face when we were scurrying out of the pool earlier.

  "Yeah. I mean he was getting a little handsy in the pool . . . ." I fire back, before taking a sip of my drink. Sam once again chokes on his beer when he hears me say the word handsy. I can't help but laugh at how quickly his confident demeanor diminishes.

  "Now, wait just a minute. Who is this tool, anyway? He needs to know that if he touches my little sister again, I'm going to . . ." Kyle isn't able to finish his sentence because Sam slips into a coughing fit. He is so loud and dramatic that it pulls Kyle's attention away. "Are you all right man?" he asks Sam, while patting him on the back.

  "Yeah. I just swallowed wrong or something."

  Yeah, or something. It takes everything in me not to bust up laughing. Sam is trying to glare at me, but it is obvious that he's not really mad. I can't even hide the smile on my face. Kyle looks at me curiously and shakes his head. He's probably wondering what is so funny.

  When Sam looks my way, I try to tell him with my eyes to grab my bikini top without Kyle noticing. For the first time, it seems like he has no clue what I am thinking. When Kyle turns his head, I point to where it is, and make my eyes as big as I possibly can. It is my best attempt at pleading with him to pick it up before Kyle sees it.

  When he finally catches on, the corners of his lips turn up playfully. He scoops up the top and tucks it away into his pocket, before Kyle turns his head back around. A devilish glint suddenly flashes in Sam's eyes, as he gets up and walks casually behind Kyle's chair. I eye him cautiously, wondering what he is up to. Sam leans over the top of the chair, forcing Kyle to look up.

  "Dude, go hover over your own chair. You're freaking me out," Kyle says.

  It's funny how guys don't want to be too close to each other. They seem to value their personal space much more than girls do. I suppose it's yet another one of those mysterious guy code things that I will never understand.

  Sam doesn't say anything. He just straightens up so he no longer slouching over Kyle's chair, but his feet remain planted there. I squint my eyes curiously, as if to ask him what he is planning, but he shakes his head. He pretends to whistle silently, as he looks up at the dark sky and all around.

  Kyle is talking about the Cardinals or some other baseball game, but I can't tell you anything about what he is saying because I am so focused on Sam. He holds my top up and dangles it over Kyle's head, taunting me. My face must be tomato red by now. I am going to kill him. Every time Kyle turns back around to see what Sam is doing, he quickly pulls the top back out of sight, just in time. I just shake my head at his juvenile behavior.

  "What is with the two of you?" Kyle finally asks. He turns around to face Sam, right as Sam slips the fabric back safely into his pocket. Sam definitely has a I just got caught doing something I shouldn't be look on his face, but Kyle has no clue why. Before Kyle can get an answer out of either one of us, a loud vibrating noise steals his attention. He holds his phone out in front of him.

  "Georgia's here. I'm going to go let her in."

  When the back door closes, Sam whistles out loud this time. "Saved by the buzz
," he says playfully. I hold out my hand, expecting Sam to give me my top. He just looks at me and shakes his head.

  "Sam, seriously. I need my top back."

  "You mean this old thing?" He holds up the fabric and swings it back and forth. I roll my eyes and attempt to grab it, but he snatches it away before I can get to it. "No way. I am having way too much fun, Lis," he teases, while tucking the fabric back into his pocket. I notice a large wet ring has formed around his pocket.

  "Sam, it looks like you've pissed your pants. Come on, just give it back."

  "Damn that beer. I guess, I got a little clumsy after a few. I must have spilled some on me," he responds.

  "Give. It. Back," I shout. I am chasing him around the patio like a little kid, when Kyle and Georgia seem to suddenly appear out of nowhere. I turn around, stunned that they have caught us goofing around.

  "What does he have of yours, Laila?" Kyle asks. They are both looking at us as if we belong in a psych ward.

  Georgia's big brown eyes keep curiously bouncing back and forth between Sam and me. It is almost like she knows what is going on. How could she possibly know that? I mean, we are just playing around. This is definitely something Sam and I would have done before we were together. Well, except for the part about him having my bikini top, of course.

  Thankfully, Sam snatches my bottle from the side table. He holds it up for me to see, while they are both staring at me, waiting for an answer.

  "Um . . . he has my . . . drink." I finally say the word drink, in a surprised tone.

  Kyle shakes his head and scratches it. "I swear. It really is like you are our brother sometimes, Sam." Kyle shrugs it off as just that, but there is something about the expression on Georgia's face that makes me wonder if she is really buying it. I've not known her even a minute, and I can already tell she's smart, and that I'm going to like her.