Hold on Tight (Sea Breeze #8)(36)

Marcus nodded, and I knew he was remembering just how crazy I’d been about keeping her safe before Micah. Then the night my brother had finally made his move . . . I’d been so relieved I’d gotten trashed.

“You’re one of the best men I know. You wear your tats and piercings and those damn leather bracelets that only you could get away with. But inside you are one big teddy bear. When someone you love needs you, there is nothing you won’t do for them. When I needed you, you were always there. I’ve never questioned your heart. It’s made of f**king gold, and we all know it. We laugh at your crude jokes and snide comments because we know they mean nothing. It’s part of your shield. Underneath, I don’t know many men that compare. You’re one of the best, Dewayne. One of the best.”

If he knew my thoughts about Sienna right now, he’d change his mind.

Eight years ago . . .

SIENNA

“Hey, gorgeous. You seen Dewayne? He don’t normally get too far from you,” Preston Drake asked with a crooked smirk, his long blond hair tucked behind his ears. Most girls in school loved Preston. Not me. He was just funny. He made me smile, but he didn’t make my heart race.

“Back off, Drake,” Dewayne said as he sat down beside me on the picnic bench. He had just gotten back from alternative school and hadn’t left my side. While he’d been gone, Marcus, Rock, and Preston had watched over me so closely that not many people spoke to me. Some girls did, like Marcus’s sister, Amanda, and Rock’s girlfriend, Trisha. But everyone else seemed intrigued and scared of me. It was frustrating.

“Knew you were around here somewhere,” Preston said, amused. “I’ve got some things to handle at home. I’m out of here. Let Marcus know I won’t need a ride after school, yeah?” When he said the word “home,” his easy smile had slipped and I’d seen anger or frustration there.

Dewayne nodded. “Sure. I’ll tell him.”

“See you tonight. Rock’s place,” he said, then shoved off from the table with a wink in my direction.

They were all very close and so different. But if one of them needed another, they were all there. Marcus was the one who stuck out like a sore thumb. Unlike the other three, he came from money. His daddy owned a lot of car dealerships, but you would never guess it from looking at Marcus.

“That all you’re gonna eat?” Dewayne asked me.

It was nice to have someone to eat with me again. I had missed this. We didn’t have the same lunch, but somehow Dewayne always showed up at freshman lunch and kept me company. The past month I had sat alone. Sometimes Dustin would stop by and talk to me for a few minutes before the basketball team pulled him away to their table, but he never invited me into that world.

I was losing Dustin. It hurt. He’d been my best friend for so long, it wasn’t easy to watch him move further and further away from me. While Dewayne was gone, Dustin had almost seemed mad at me. As if it was my fault his brother had been sent to alternative school. I hadn’t asked him to beat the crap out of that guy, but I had been thankful he’d stopped him.

“I’m not very hungry,” I told him, which was a lie. My mother had decided I had gained weight lately, and she wanted to limit my food. I tried to explain it was my boobs, but she didn’t accept that. She said my fat was going there and I needed to stop eating so much. She wasn’t well endowed, and she believed I would be if I ate less.

So I had an apple and some celery sticks for lunch. My waist had gotten smaller, but it was only making my boobs look even bigger. The bigger they looked, the more panicked my mother got and the less food she gave me.

“You’ve lost weight,” Dewayne said, frowning. “Need to gain some more weight, Little Red.”

“Hey, Sienna,” Dustin said, setting his tray down on the other side of the table. Surprised, I looked up at him.

“Hey,” I replied, happy to see him. I missed him.

“You look really good,” he said, his eyes glancing down at my chest, then back up at my face with an approving grin.

“She always looks good,” Dewayne informed him.

Dustin glanced at his brother and looked guilty. “Yeah, she does,” he replied, then turned back to me. “I’ve been busy with things since school started, and I haven’t been around a lot. I’m sorry about that.”

I nodded. I understood his need to fit in with the team. It was what he loved, and I was just his friend. I had once hoped he would see me as something more, but he was Dustin Falco and I was just the girl next door. Not the head cheerleader or dance team captain. Both those girls had caught Dustin’s attention. I’d seen him off in corners with them often.

“You want to go over and eat with me and the team?” Dustin asked, keeping his gaze on me and not looking at Dewayne.

I had been secretly wishing he would invite me into his new world with him, but I couldn’t get up and leave Dewayne. He had been my friend when I didn’t have one. Dewayne was beautiful and larger than life, and he made me feel special. Dustin had never made me feel special.

“I—”

“It’s about damn time,” Dewayne said, interrupting me. Then he stood up. “Go eat with my brother. I think he’s got his head out of his ass now. But if he sticks it back up his ass, you come tell me. I’ll take care of you.”