Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 80314 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80314 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 402(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 268(@300wpm)
“You good?” Carlo asks, nudging my shoulder, and I pull my attention off the house as the three women disappear inside.
“I know the brunette,” I mutter while turning toward him.
“You know May?” Troy asks, and my hand tightens around my beer at the familiar way he says her name.
“A few days ago, I was pulling into one of the housing developments my dad just started building on, and she was there, dragging a kid out of a pond that had iced over.”
“Christ,” he mutters, looking toward the beach house.
“She saved the kid’s life.”
“She’s a nice girl.” His eyes lock with mine, and for the first time since meeting him, I want to punch him in the face. He’s interested in her; it’s obvious. Normally, I would shrug that shit off and let him take his shot.
But not with her.
No fucking way.
“Are you guys ready?” a woman calls out, ending the stare-down between Troy and me. We both turn, and I see Nalia and Willow walking with a woman with dark-blonde hair, and May walking a few feet behind them, the only one of the group not wearing a bikini but instead a red one-piece that shows off her curves.
“Aiden, this is our cousin Hanna,” Willow introduces. “And our cousin May.” She frowns, looking around, then rolls her eyes, and drags May from where she’s hiding behind Nalia, and loops her arm through hers.
“Nice to meet you.” I tip my beer toward Hanna.
“You too.” Hanna smiles back as she checks me out, and I see May’s brows dart together in a cute little frown as she looks at her cousin.
“May and I already know each other. Right, doll?” I prompt softly, and her eyes widen ever so slightly.
“How do you know May?” Willow looks between the two of us.
“We met once,” May tells her quickly with a wave of her hand. “I was in a little bit of a pickle, and he helped me out.”
A little bit of a pickle? She was two seconds away from falling into the ice with the kid she saved. I’d say that was more than a little pickle. Then again, she didn’t seem to want the attention she would have gotten after the whole incident, so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised she’s kept what happened to herself.
“Where?” Willow still looks confused—probably because she knows the rest of the guys live in London.
“Back home,” May replies as our group starts heading down the beach to where a bunch of jet skis are parked in the shallow water.
“In Tennessee?” Hanna clarifies.
“Yeah.”
“Well, that’s awesome. Do you live in Tennessee?” Willow asks me, and I lift my chin.
“I just moved back a little over a month ago.”
“Cool, we all live there too.” Willow’s nose scrunches. “Or I should say, that’s where we all grew up. Nalia now lives in Colorado, and Hanna lives in Paris.”
“For now,” Hanna cuts in. “I think I might be moving to Scotland soon.”
“Hanna is a flight attendant,” Nalia explains as we reach the guys manning the jet skis.
“All right, how are we doing this?” Willow asks the group, and Lincoln tosses his arm around her shoulders.
“You and I are riding together.”
“That’s only happening if I drive,” she tells him, and he lifts one heavy shoulder.
“That’s fine with me.”
“Nalia can ride with me.” Carlo winks at her.
“Sure,” she agrees.
“May can be with me,” Troy says, and I feel every muscle in my body bunch.
“I think I’m just going to go it alone,” she tells him softly, and I relax, then look down at my side when I feel a hand on my arm.
“Do you want to ride with me?” Hanna asks.
“I think I’m gonna go it alone too,” I tell her, feeling like an ass when I see embarrassment color her cheeks.
“Come on. You can hang with me.” Troy scoops Hanna up in his arms bridal-style and walks off toward the jet skis with her laughing.
A few minutes later, everyone has on their life jackets and are taking off into the water on their machines, while I stay put watching May, who is listening to a guy with long blond hair instruct her on how to use the gas and the brakes. Seeing her overwhelmed expression and the way the dude is flirting with her, I say fuck it and hop off my jet ski, wading through the water to where she is.
“I’ve got her,” I tell the guy, and he gives me a dirty look but backs away while she sits up straight and frowns at me over her shoulder.
“I don’t need you to have me. I can do it by myself.”
Ignoring her, I get on behind her and hold her stare, watching as she lets out a long sigh before turning away from me. I keep my hands to myself, which is not easy to do, as I wait for her to lean forward and grab hold of the handles. When she squeezes the throttle, we shoot forward through the water, and she lets out a cute little squeak, lifting her hands in the air.