The Trade(61)

“Okay.” I give him a small smile, as we don’t talk about the elephant in the room. “I’ll see you down there.”

I go to walk away, but he stops me in the kitchenette, his brawny chest right in front of me. I have to tilt my head back to look him in the eyes and when I do, he smiles at me—the cutest freaking smile I’ve ever seen—and then he slowly wraps his arms around me, pulling me into a hug.

He’s warm and hard, but soft at the same time. It melts me, makes me feel gooey, and sets off this inner schoolgirl reaction of screaming desperately with excitement. Internally.

Lowering his mouth to my ear, he says, “Save me some bacon,” and then he releases me and takes off toward the bathroom, leaving me breathless and incapable of processing anything that’s happening. All I know is Cory Potter has no problem touching me. I could die a happy woman.





“Okay, what the hell is going on?” Dottie asks from the corner of her mouth.

“What are you talking about?” I adjust my bikini bottoms and angle my body away from the boys, hoping to block them out of what I’m sure will be a conversation about Cory.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” Dottie faces me as well, and we both prop our heads up with our hands. “You and Cory keep exchanging these knowing glances, and you’ve both lost the semi-scowl you’ve been wearing for the past few days.” She pokes me in the boob. “Did something happen between you two last night?”

“No.” I shake my head. “I mean . . .” I think about it and then shake my head. “No.”

“Wait.” She sits a little taller. “Why did you have to think about it?”

“Can you lower your voice, please, and act cool? I can’t have you freaking out with Cory just a few feet away.”

She lies flat and looks toward the sky, arms straight at her side. “Oh God, something did happen.” She clutches her chest. “My black heart can’t take this.” She flips to her side again, making a show out of nothing. “What happened?”

“You’re going to be sadly disappointed when I tell you. You’re too extra right now.”

“Just tell me.” She pokes me in the boob again.

I poke her back.

She pokes me.

I poke her harder.

“Hey.” Her eyes shoot open. “That hurt.”

“You started it.”

“Why are you two poking each other in the boob?” Jason asks, sitting up on the lounger, curling into Dottie, who quickly sheds him away like week-old skin.

“Get out of here. This is girl talk.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Jason says, clinging to the edge of the lounge, dodging Dottie’s legs that are trying to lodge him onto the concrete of the pool deck. “If anyone is good at girl talk, it’s me. You both know that. Now what’s the problem?”

“There is no problem and there is no girl talk; there’s nothing to say.”

“What’s going on over here?” Cory asks, sitting on my lounge chair at the very end. I feel my entire body go ramrod straight when his hand connects with my ankle.

Together, Dottie, Jason, and I all follow the path from my hip down past my knee, to my ankle where Cory is gripping me, not a worry or care on his face.

And that’s when Dottie looks back at me and a giant smile crosses her face.

Oh God.

Please don’t make a big deal about this.

Please don’t embarrass me.

Please don’t—

“Dude, you’re touching my sister,” Jason says, causing me to groan and shrink into my lounge chair.

“Gross. Does she have cooties?” Cory asks, quickly picking up his hand and wiping it on his swim trunks.

Of course, Jason thinks this is the funniest thing ever and laughs far too hard for such a juvenile comment. The entire time, Dottie keeps her eyes on me, boring holes into my soul. Silently chastising me for not spitting out whatever I was going to say faster.

“Oh fuck.” Jason wipes under his eyes and laughs while saying, “Cooties.”

“Glad to see your boyfriend has matured,” I say to Dottie.

“He’s your brother.”

I point to my chest. “I don’t have a choice. You do.”

Her mouth pulls at the side and then she shrugs. “He has a really big cock.”

“Oh . . . come . . . on,” I groan, causing Dottie to laugh out loud. “Too far, Dottie.”

Jason doesn’t seem to mind as he leans over Dottie’s body and kisses her on the lips. “Thanks, Daddy.”

“Don’t call me that in public . . . or private.”

Jason laughs some more, apparently feeling the mimosas he had this morning.

In the midst of Jason’s giggles, Cory nudges my leg and says, “Heading down to the beach, want to come?”

“Yes,” I say out of sheer desperation. “Anything to get me away from these two.”

I stand from my lounge chair, take off my coverup, and leave my belongings by my chair, including my sandals. Speaking to Dottie, I say, “I’m trusting you to not leave my stuff by itself. You owe me after that penis comment.”

She chuckles and winks. “Got you covered, girl.”

I follow Cory down the path toward the beach and breathe out a sigh of relief. “God, that was disturbing in so many ways. I almost pictured my brother’s penis.”