Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 98226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98226 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 491(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 327(@300wpm)
I sipped my water, watching him and Ace in the pool. They were speaking in hushed tones, and then suddenly, they slid through the water quietly, depositing their drinks on the edge of the pool before they lifted themselves out.
I saw what was happening before Ivy and Celeste did.
The poor girls were dancing to the playlist Claude had put on, their hips swaying this way and that, when Ace and Joel snuck up behind them. They wrapped their arms around them, dragging them kicking and screaming toward the pool. The girls had put their feet in and gone waist deep, but had avoided getting their hair wet.
Until now.
Joel and Ace launched themselves into the pool with the girls wrapped up in their arms, and when they all emerged, it was to squeals and curses and both girls swatting at them as they laughed.
I chuckled, shaking my head at the show, but then Ivy shoved Joel over to the far edge of the pool. She muttered something for only them to hear — something that made Joel smile wickedly — and then, in front of me and God and everyone else, he grabbed both her tits in his hands and squeezed.
It wasn’t a sexual advance, more like a playful boob squeeze that reminded me of something my sister would do to a friend. But it didn’t matter. Regardless of intent, he’d grabbed her somewhere he never should have, and he’d done it in front of everyone.
Ivy laughed and shoved him away, and then her hands disappeared under the water, and he bit his lip at something before wiggling out of her grasp.
Another laugh left Ivy’s lips as she made her way out of the pool, and Joel slapped her ass on her ascent.
That did it.
I wasn’t one for confrontation. In fact, even now, as I stormed over to the pool, everything inside me was screaming for me to just walk right past all of them and go downstairs, go to my room, go to bed. It was fine. He was just drunk. They were just playing.
But something had clicked inside of me.
All summer, I’d felt it niggling, a little prickle of something tickling my chest, my throat, wiggling its way into my body and soul. I was afloat, and in that state, I was susceptible to doing and saying things I never would normally.
Apparently, that included stomping right over to Joel and calling him out in front of the entire crew.
“Hey, babe,” Joel said with a goofy smile when I hit the edge of the pool.
“Did you forget I was here?”
My words were cold and harsh, and I crossed my arms as everyone turned to look at us.
Joel frowned. “What?”
“I said, did you forget I was here? Or did you want me to see you fondling another girl like I don’t exist?”
Joel’s mouth popped open, but I saw anger slip in quickly, replacing the shock. “You’re being ridiculous. We were just messing around.”
“Yeah?” I asked, popping a hip. “Well, maybe I should find someone to mess around with, too.”
I stormed off just as a chorus of ooooh’s broke out, along with a light cloud of laughter.
Emma was coming up the stairs as I stomped toward them, and when she saw me, her eyebrows knitted together. “Hey, are you okay? What happened?”
I shook her off when she reached for me, still fuming so much I couldn’t even answer her.
I was rounding the railing of the stairs when Joel’s arm caught my elbow, whipping me around to face him. Emma gave him a look before her eyes met mine, and I softly nodded, letting her know I was okay. She didn’t seem convinced when she left us, but she gave us the space to talk.
“What’s your problem?” Joel asked.
Everyone had gone back to partying, but I wasn’t stupid enough to think they weren’t still watching us.
“My problem?” I asked incredulously. “You just grabbed Ivy’s tits in front of me, Joel. In front of everyone. And then you smacked her ass!”
“I was playing. We’re just friends, we joke around like that sometimes.”
“So you’d be fine if I jokingly grabbed a guy between the legs? How about Ace, or Wayland, or Theo?”
I didn’t know why I said that last name, but I held my chin high, eyes narrowed in the challenge — and Joel folded, his jaw tensing.
“I know it’s hard for you to understand, but this is how it is on the boats. Okay? We’re all playful with each other. Yes, sometimes it can get a little flirty, but it’s innocent. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“It means something to me.”
“Ivy is literally the reason I have this job, Aspen,” Joel said, shaking his head as he watched me like I was the villain. “Stop being jealous.”
“I’m not being jealous! Why are you making me feel like it’s ridiculous that watching my boyfriend grope another girl made me upset?”