by Green, Maree
“You go ahead. I’ll come down in a minute,” she said quietly.
Fuck no. I wasn’t leaving her sitting there looking like that. Aiden took a deep breath. “Are you sure?”
She looked over at me before nodding. “Yeah, I’m just not ready yet.”
Aiden gave her a brisk nod and handed her the keys. “Okay. I’ll see you down there.” He turned and came towards me. “Let’s go.”
I looked back at Mia again, suddenly torn. This shit was fucking hard. She gave me a little smile that I guessed was supposed to make me feel better, but only succeeded in making me feel like the biggest fucking douche bag when I had to turn and follow Aiden down the path.
I only made it halfway before I knew I’d made a mistake. I stopped. “I might just go throw my wallet in the car.” I didn’t wait for his response. I was already walking back.
Mia was standing outside the car, hidden behind the open door when I reached the top of the path again. Her eyes widened when she saw me, and I automatically slowed my steps, my sub-conscious warning me to be cautious.
“Are you okay?” She looked nervous. I pulled my wallet out and held it up. “I told Aiden I was just going to throw this in the car.”
I stepped around the door to where she was standing and froze. Holy motherfucking shit. She was wearing the shortest fucking pair of denim shorts I thought I’d seen. Well, that wasn’t true, but on her, they were the sexiest fucking things I’d ever seen. I’d known her legs were fucking incredible – I’d had them wrapped around me, but out here in the open, they were obscene.
I groaned. “Holy shit.” Closing my eyes, I swallowed hard. “God damn it, Mia. Do you realize I’m going to have to spend the rest of the day sitting down now?”
I opened my eyes to see her blinking up at me all confused. Fuck she was adorable.
“It’ll be the only way I’m going to be able to hide the boner you’re going to give me all day,” I explained.
She blushed, but the smile I’d been anticipating didn’t come. “I don’t look like a slut do I?”
What the fuck? Why the fuck would she even think to ask that? “Of course not. You’re at the beach Mia. I’m assuming you’re going to be taking those off to go swimming...” My voice instantly trailed off as realization hit me. She was going to be taking those clothes off. “Ah fuck.” I gazed down her incredible body, hoping she was wearing some one piece swim suit that covered everything up. When I saw the strings of what could only be a bikini tied up around her neck, I groaned. “You’re wearing a bikini?”
She nodded, her eyes all fucking innocent and trusting.
“On second thoughts, maybe you shouldn’t come down. I could take you home...”
Her eyes flashed with worry. “What? Why?”
“God damn it, Mia.” I ran my hands over my face and hair. “I’ve seen you in your underwear, and I don’t know if I’m going to be able to keep away from you in a bikini.” I thought about trying to sit there while she was right there on the beach with all our friends around. Oh, fuck no! The other guys were going to be all over her. “Fuck! And I’m going to have to beat the shit out of any guy who ogles you.”
Mia giggled. Now she fucking giggles…
As distressed as I was, I melted. I loved that fucking sound. “It’s not funny, Mia,” I said, but it was only half-hearted. “I can’t even stake my claim on you. I want to be able show everyone you’re mine, but you’re going to force me to sit there and pretend you aren’t the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
Her smile faded, but at least she still looked happy. “Thank you,” she said softly. She picked up my hand and ran her thumb over the back of it. It was just what I needed. “And I’m sorry.”
I gave her a smile because I knew that was what she needed. She released my hand and shut the door. “Can I walk down with you?” She asked, her voice hesitant.
“Only if I can hold your hand.”
I was only joking, but when I saw the panic in her eyes, I mentally kicked myself. Hard.
“Relax, baby. I was only kidding around.”
She exhaled heavily and nodded. We started down the track at a slow pace, leaving a couple of feet between us.
Even though I’d prepared myself for the looks Mia was bound to get, I still couldn’t stop myself from tensing the second I saw them start to notice her. It was like a fucking domino effect, one after the other.
I almost laughed out loud though when I saw Aiden notice and punch those within hitting distance for ogling his sister. Good.
I also noticed some of the girls looking. Some were smiling, obviously happy to see Mia out for a change, but there were a few who looked less than happy. I knew that had to do with the fact that she was with me, and it just pissed me off.
“Can you see Kaeli?” she asked quietly.
I looked across the sand and found her near the back, her towel spread out and sitting on it cross legged. I didn’t know how she couldn’t see her. She was pretty easy to spot. I looked across at Mia questioningly and saw the reason why. She was purposely not looking. My heart ached a little. “Yeah, I have to walk passed her to get to Aiden, so I’ll take you.”
“Kay, thanks.”
The closer we got to Kaeli, the more apprehensive I got. I wanted to stay with her and make sure she was going to be okay. This shit sucked. “Text me any time you feel like you need to go, okay?”
She chanced a glance up at me and smiled. It was only a little smile, but it was relaxed. Thank fuck. “I will.”
We reached Kaeli’s set up and I had to force myself to keep walking. “Hi, Kaeli. See you both later.”
I threw my towel down with the guys and pulled my shirt off, sinking down on the sand so my body was half turned so I could see Mia.
“Holy shit, man. When the fuck did you get a tattoo?” Ryan said, sticking his hand out for a bump.
I looked down at my arm. I’d forgotten about that. “Oh yeah. I got it Friday, after the gig.”
“That’s fucking awesome. How long did it take?”
“I don’t know…about four hours?”
The other guys started crowding around trying to get a look, so I turned my arm to show them, hoping to get it over and done with.
“Oh, man. Nice!”
“Fuck, did it hurt?”
“That’s wicked art man. Who did it?”
I glanced over at Mia to see her deep in conversation with Kaeli while I answered all their questions. My sunglasses helped me stay covert, so I kept watching for a while. Kaeli looked surprised by something Mia was saying, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. I almost smiled when she threw a quick look my way. Mia had to be telling her about me.
I saw Aiden stand up out of the corner of my eye and turned to watch him and Carly go down to the water’s edge. When he was out of ear shot, the comments started.
“Fuck, did you see Mia?”
“How are those fucking legs? Damn! Who would’ve thought she’d be packing those babies,” Ryan said.
Cain nodded. “Yeah, she’s hot, hey.”
“Fuck yeah. You won’t get anywhere near her though. Aiden will beat the shit out of anyone who just looks at her,” Matt said.
Cain sighed. “Fuck, I reckon I’d cop a beating just to tap that.”
Yep. That was it. That was about all I could take. I knew it would be hard to sit back and listen to their shit, but fuck me! I wanted to rip all their fucking heads off.
Someone groaned half under their breath and then I heard Lachlan choke out an, “Oh, fuck.”
I looked up to see what they were on about and followed their line of sight to where Mia and Kaeli were now standing, stripping off their clothes. God damned motherfucking shit!
“Ah Jesus, I think I’m getting a boner,” Corey groaned, and I was pretty sure my control just fucking disappeared.
I looked over at Mia, wondering if I could just grab her and run.
Her light blue bikini fit her perfectly, and the blue agains
t her skin made her look even more tanned than she was. Her body looked incredible. It was amazing up close, but from a distance, she was staggeringly close to a fucking supermodel.
I shook my head a little. She didn’t even realize how beautiful she was. She wasn’t looking around to see who was watching her, or trying to cover bits like she was embarrassed. She just didn’t know...
I watched her gather her loose curls up into a messy bundle on top of her head as she waited for Kaeli to finish stripping off. I gave Kaeli the once over, realizing she had a pretty good body too – not quite as good as Mia, but attractive just the same.
The other guys obviously agreed with me too, because they soon started dribbling about how fuckable she was too. I was just glad the focus was off Mia, but then the girls started walking down to the water, and they were suddenly on the fucking catwalk – well, that’s what it felt like to me, because it seemed like the whole fucking beach was ogling my fucking girlfriend.
Both of them were completely oblivious too, just chatting and giggling as they casually strolled down the sand.
“How’s that ass,” Ryan said.
“Which one?” Jay asks. “They’re both fuckable.”
“Yeah, but damn. Check out Mia’s legs. What I wouldn’t do to have them wrapped around me.”
My adrenalin was pumping way too hard. I was very close to snapping. I stood up, ready to fucking go toe to toe with someone, but then the guys started standing too.
“I think it’s swim time,” Jay said with a grin.
Just fucking great! Now they were going to get closer to her. Their shirts all started to come off and they started heading towards the water. What the fuck was I going to do?
I met Aiden’s gaze across the beach and I did the only thing I could. I gave him a hard look, then directed his gaze down to Mia.
Understanding came to his eyes, and I was filled with relief. As we all walked passed him, Aiden calmly stood. “Any of you fucking touch my sister and I’ll rip your fucking arms off.”
I probably would’ve been a little more direct than that, but I think they got the point.
Chapter 23
Mia
If I just focused on Kaeli and didn’t look around at all the other people I was fine. I’d already made the mistake of looking up once, and nearly suffered an immediate death. It wasn’t just the amount of people. The beach was open enough to counteract that. It was the fact that, for some reason, people were looking at me.
As we bobbed up and down the cold water, trying not to freeze our asses off, Kaeli smiled and shook her head. “What?” I asked.
“I can’t believe you’re with Jace.”
I smiled. I’d told her about my surprise visit from Jace the second I’d sat down on the beach. After she’d gotten over her initial shock, she was exceedingly excited for me. “I can’t believe I’m with him,” I said.
Loud voices and splashing caught our attention, and we looked up to see a group of guys jumping into the water. Jace was with them and when he caught my gaze, he gave me a pointed look, discretely motioning for me to move further down the beach.
With one look back at the guys, I knew I didn’t need to be asked twice. Grabbing Kaeli’s hand, I pulled her along. “Come on. Let’s go down here further.”
Girls started streaming down the beach then, the sight of half-naked guys too much for them to stay away from apparently. When I thought we were far enough away, we stopped.
We watched a few of the girls make a bee line for Jace, one of them Melissa, and Kaeli growled. “I can’t stand that wench. You know she was hinting on Facebook that she was with Jace last night.”
I looked back at Kaeli, stunned. “Really?” I shook my head. “I know she’s lying because he was with me until eleven last night. He did go to the party, but even Aiden was stirring him this morning about him not doing anything with her.”
Kaeli bit her lip, looking back at the group as they tossed a ball around. “You know it’s only going to get worse though, right? Especially if they think he’s available. I mean, they’re a little better with Dean because of Lila, but no one knows you’re with Jace.”
She was right. I knew she was, but I still didn’t think I was ready for people to know. Until then, I just needed to be okay with girls throwing themselves at my boyfriend.
Oh my god. I had a boyfriend. That was just surreal.
The group in the water had grown, and they were now throwing a ball back and forth between them. It seemed to be mostly a boy game because every time the ball came down, a few guys would launch themselves into the air to grab it, and the others would all jump on top of whoever managed to catch it and plunge him under the water.
The girls were just there to be noticed.
I watched Jace for a while, and each time he chanced a look over at me a flush went through my body. The ball sailed up into the air and I saw Jace shoot up with a few of the other guys to grab it. They all came down together. I had no idea where the ball was, but Jace went under, and Ryan and Corey piled on top of him.
My heart went a little crazy for a bit while he was under, but when he shot up again I was okay. He knocked Melissa back as he came up, and I couldn’t help feeling pleased, but as the guys continued to push and shove around her, she went under.
I saw Jace make a grab for her to stop her from getting squashed, his hands going around her waist to pull her up, and she reached up around his neck to hold on. I knew it was complete chance that they’d ended up that way, but seeing them locked in what looked like a lover’s embrace didn’t bode well for my confidence.
I heard Kaeli inhale sharply, and I knew she was thinking the same thing.
When Melissa looked like she was going in for a kiss, I stopped breathing altogether. Holy shit. Not here, not now. Before she could get to him though, Jace reacted. He instantly released her and pulled back out of her grasp. I saw his mouth move with what looked like the word, ‘Don’t’ before he moved far away from her.
I was still watching him intently when I heard Kaeli squeal a little, and I looked up to see the ball coming straight towards us. Instinctively, I put my hands out and snatched it from the air.
That’s what happens when you grow up with a twin brother. You’re coerced into playing things like football and cars and other boyish things every day. I had to learn quick just so I could keep up with him.
I’d hardly even comprehended that I’d caught the ball when I was suddenly being bombarded by a group of competitive guys. Again, I acted on instinct and tucked the ball against my chest and turned to take the hit with my back.
Arms went around me, and I prepared myself to go under, but they surprised me by holding me up instead.
“Do you want me to throw it, or do you want to throw it yourself?”
I looked up to see Corey grinning down at me. Without saying a word, I handed the ball over. He turned and threw it hard, sending it sailing high into the air, but he didn’t move away from me. Instead, he simply turned back so we were standing face to face with only a few inches between us.
Oh boy. Too close.
“That was a great catch by the way,” he said silkily.
“Ah, thanks. Aiden would disown me if I couldn’t catch and throw properly.”
He laughed, inching slightly closer, if that was even possible. I tried to counteract it by moving back a bit.
“Get the fuck away from my sister, douche bag,” Aiden yelled from a few yards away.
Corey grinned wider and quirked his brow at me. “Is he your personal bodyguard, or can I tell him to go away?”
“Ah…” I looked up and saw Aiden glaring at us, then my gaze went out to find Jace. It wasn’t hard to find him. The livid expression on his face stood out a bit. “Yeah, I guess he is…”
Corey looked a little disappointed, but he seemed to take the hint. He stepped back and put some distance between us. “You should come join the game,” he said before turning and heading back to join the others.
I had no idea. Gossip around the school was that he and his girlfriend had broken up after he’d caught her kissing one of the football guys at a party. Last I heard she was desperate to get him back, but he wanted nothing to do with her, which was fair enough. I wouldn’t go back either.
I shook my head, feeling quite disorientated. “I have no idea, but I think I should get out.”
She nodded and we started heading for shore. When we got back to our spot, we spread our towels out and dried off in the sun. Away from everyone. It was absolutely beautiful.
Kaeli and I chatted while I snuck as many peeks as I could manage at Jace. Not long after the guys had all gotten out of the water, my phone dinged with a text message. When I saw it was from Jace, I smiled.
You have no idea how sexy you look right now. I want you in those bikinis tonight. I’ll be there at 9. Leave your balcony door unlocked.
“Jace?” Kaeli asked.
I nodded, still smiling.
“Don’t tell me. He’s saying you look hot right now, isn’t he?”
I laughed at how right she was. “Maybe.”
She giggled softly. “Are you seeing him tonight?”
“Mmm hmm…”
She kicked sand on my foot with mock anger. “You’re so lucky.”
Chapter 24
Jace
I silently moved around the back of the house and saw the soft light of Mia’s lamp illuminating her window through the crack in the curtains. Carefully, I slid her patio door open and slipped inside.
I paused when I peered over at the bed. Mia was lying on her stomach with an e-reader resting in her hands, looking up at me. I couldn’t stop the smile from coming as I took in those baby blue bikinis. I wasn’t sure if she’d taken my text seriously or not, but I was fucking happy she did.
I kicked off my shoes and shucked off my shirt as I made my way towards her. She rolled over onto her back, watching me with fire in her eyes. Slowly, I crawled over the bed until I was hovering over the top of her, with her gazing all needy and sexy up at me.