Unbreakable(46)

“Violet, Axel needs a partner!” Peyton calls, a scheming glint in her eyes. “Get in the water.”

“Not happening,” Violet says, tugging the towel tighter. “I’m a little bit too big to be riding around on someone’s shoulders.”

Lilly lets out a tiny giggle, and it takes every bit of restraint I have not to shove her off of Will’s shoulders and into the water myself.

Axel swims over to the dock and pushes his wet blonde hair away from his face. “Too big where, honey?” His eyes do a slow perusal of her body. “You’re gorgeous. Curves for goddamn days.”

I can’t hide my grin. Take that, Lilly.

A look of stunned surprise crosses Violet’s face, but then she smiles at Axel. And damn if that smile doesn’t light up her whole face.

She drops the towel on the ground in front of a very captive audience. I glance over at Sully and see his gaze rake appreciatively over her body. I can barely contain my glee. She’s been noticed and appreciated.

The purple bathing suit hugs her in all the right places. She’s tall and curvy and totally beautiful.

Axel lets out a low wolf whistle. ”Damn girl. Get in the water with me right now.” He tugs at her hand, and she falls into the lake with a splash. But when she surfaces, she’s laughing.

“Hey, no fair!” she complains, flicking water at him.

“Totally fair. C’mon doll, slide on my shoulders,” Axel says in his cute Swedish accent. “Let’s take them down.”

My brother’s watching this scenario carefully, and if I’m not mistaken, he looks a little bit jealous.

Peyton grins at me behind Sully’s back. “Mission accomplished,” she mouths.

“Peyton and I will play the winners,” Sully mutters as Will and Axel face off.

Lilly lets out another ear-piercing shriek after I yell, “Go.” She grabs on to Violet and soon, they’re really wrestling.

After two minutes of listening to Lilly scream in frustrating fury, Violet puts our ears out of misery and topples her. Lilly falls—ungracefully, I might add—from Will’s shoulders and belly flops into the water. She surfaces, sputtering and glaring at Violet.

“Well, you’ve certainly gotten quite aggressive since taking up roller derby, haven’t you, Violet?”

“Be a good sport, Lilly. She took you down fair and square,” I point out.

Lilly pouts and moves closer to Will. “I’d hardly call that a fair matchup,” she sniffs. “Violet’s a lot bigger than me.”

Peyton’s eyes narrow as she floats toward Lilly. “You’re such a bitch when you lose at anything. It’s not Violet’s fault you suck at this game.”

Violet waves a hand dismissively, letting Lilly’s insult roll right off. “Let it go, Pey. You know how she gets when she loses.”

Sully slides in front of Peyton and splashes water at Lilly, who lets out an indignant shriek.

“What the f*ck, Sully?” she snaps. “What the hell was that for?”

“For being a sore loser,” he tells her. “Suck it up, buttercup.”

Sometimes I really love my brother.

He turns and gives Violet a curious look. “So you’re playing roller derby now, eh?”

Violet reties her damp ponytail and nods, a blush staining her cheeks. “Yeah. It’s fun. I’m only fresh meat right now, though, so I’m not on an actual team yet.”

“Fresh meat?” Axel asks. “What’s that?”

“Rookie,” she explains. “I’m just learning.”

“Yeah, learning to be a bully,” Lilly mutters. “Roller derby? It’s so…”

“Awesome? Amazing? Cool as f*ck?” Will finishes. He wrenches away from Lilly’s grip on his arm and high-fives Violet. “That’s totally badass, Vi. Good for you.”

“Thanks. I really love it,” she says, smiling.

Sully’s looking at Violet like he’s never seen her before. “How long have you been playing derby?”

“Only a few months. One of the derby girls comes into the pizza shop regularly. She invited me to a game last season, and told me I should try out when they have their Fresh Meat program.”

“Sweet. Let us know when you join a team,” says Sully. “We’ll come see you play for sure.”

“Oh, okay. Cool.” Violet’s eyes meet mine. She’s just as stunned by Sully’s reaction as I am.

I glance over at my brother, and he’s still staring at Violet. Between the hot bathing suit and finding out she plays roller derby, she’s really shocked him today.

It’s about damn time.

Dylan drives past us and pulls Sully’s SUV into the parking space next to the cottage. He leans out of the driver’s side window. “Beer’s here!”

“Guess a rematch will have to wait,” Peyton says.

Lilly tugs on Will’s arm. “Isn’t it almost time to start dinner? It’s late, and I’m starving, Will-Will.”

Will-Will?

Ugh. I’m going to puke-puke. And, judging by the look on Will’s face, so is he.

“One Will is plenty,” he says to Lilly as she climbs the dock ladder. She pauses to adjust her bikini bottom, making sure that he gets an eyeful of her ass.