Covertly Strong (The Strong Series Book 1) (4 page)

Sloan sat inside her bedroom, ducked below the window, and animatedly chatted with Stephanie. “Can you believe these idiots?” she exclaimed into the phone. “They are camped out in my front yard and ready to pounce the moment I step onto my porch!” Her voice began to rise in octaves. “Ugh! I can’t believe Nix is in on this too! I swear to God, Steph, I am going to make him pay for this,” she declared as she peered above the windowsill, assessing the current situation that was waiting for her outside.

Stephanie laughed loudly into the phone. “Just give up now, Sloan. Those dumbasses have you cornered and you can’t risk being late or else Momma Alani will have you on dish duty for the next year.”

“Oh, hell no
,”
Sloan responded adamantly. “There is no way I’m giving up. I just need to think of something…” she trailed off as she started to tick through the NW rules one by one.

“Oh. My. God!” Stephanie yelled into the phone. “Please don’t tell me you’re about to do what I think you’re going to do?!” she questioned.

“You bet your sweet ass I am,” Sloan answered as a devilish smirk formed at the corners of her lips. There was only one rule that would save her from getting knocked out of the game…

“Nix is going to have a heart attack.”

“He should have thought about that before he formed an alliance with the only people left in the game. I’d say it’s payback time, wouldn’t you?” she asked with amusement.

Stephanie chuckled into the phone. “God, I wish I were there to see this.”

Sloan glanced at the clock on her nightstand and realized that she didn’t have much time. “I gotta go! Bye, Steph!” she abruptly voiced into the phone and then hung up.

She ran down the stairs that led to the foyer of her house, thanking God and everything holy that her parents were out of town for the next couple of days. John Walker would definitely not appreciate what she was about to do. Sloan stood with her back pressed against the wall by the front door, staying far out of view from the guys milling about outside. She completed a quick wardrobe change, held her Nerf Blaster behind her back, took a deep breath, and opened the front door.

Here goes nothing…

All four guys stood up with their plastic guns in hand at the click of the knob. The door slowly opened as their trigger fingers itched to press down, ready to take out their only female opponent.

“
WHAT. THE. FUCK?”
Nix shouted, completely stunned.

The other guys stood frozen in place. Their Nerf Blasters hung loosely at their sides, and their jaws were unhinged—practically hitting the ground.

Nix’s cerulean gape made a slow descent down her body, taking in every single inch of the girl standing on the front porch in her birthday suit. Her brunette locks hung loose and wavy down her breasts, her russet eyes staring at him with a confident edge. His eyes continued the deliciously painful trail as he took in her olive-toned skin, bared and beautiful, practically glowing under the Hawaiian sun.
Damn, she’s beautiful.
He could neither pull his gaze away nor find the ability to think with the brain that rested inside of his skull.

With one hand on her hip and the other behind her back, Sloan raised an intrigued eyebrow as she looked towards Nix and his buddies. There they stood like statues. Complete and utterly still. Not a single movement. Not a single word.

“Fancy seeing you here,” she announced with a sarcastic tone. Her heart-shaped face showed the faintest hint of a smile as she stood butt-ass naked on her front porch in the middle of broad daylight.

She got a lot of ums and uhs, but nothing that could be comprehended as English—or any language for that matter.

“Well…” She glanced around her front yard, noting each guy’s position. “I guess I should be heading off to work…” she trailed off.

Her eyes shone with a mischievous edge as she lifted her Nerf Blaster in their direction.

Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop.

All four guys were hit square in the chest.

“Holy shit!” Billy shouted. “Your girlfriend just fucking schooled us, Nix!”

The other two guys joined in, shouting obscenities and cursing Nix with creatively crass words. But Nix could only continue to mindlessly gawk in her direction. He watched her lips turn into the most breathtaking smile. Her brown eyes twinkled in delight as she started laughing in absolute hysterics.

And there she stood, completely naked, laughing her ass off, and more beautiful than any girl he’d ever laid eyes on. She was so goddamn sassy and, hands down, the feistiest girl he’d ever met.

I love her.

He couldn’t help himself. He loved everything about her. The entire world—hell, the entire universe—just faded away whenever she was around. She stole his focus and all he saw was
her
. And Jesus, he’d imagined her naked more times than he’d probably ever admit, but none of his fantasies even came close to the real thing. Sloan naked is… His mind stopped mid-thought once he realized,
Holy shit! She’s still fucking naked!

Nix ran towards her like a bat out of hell, draping his large form over her petite frame.

“Nix!” she shouted as her body jolted back in response to the strong, insistent arms that were thrown around her back.

He quickly leaned back, ripped his T-shirt over his head, and promptly placed it over her naked body. The cotton material nearly reached her knees. “No way in hell am I going to let anyone else see my gorgeous, badass, unbelievably ridiculous girlfriend naked,” he practically growled through gritted teeth.

“Who said anything about girlfriend?” she questioned as she stepped away from his hold, firmly placing that demanding hand to her tiny hip. Sloan eyed him up and down in a challenge.

“
I did
,” he declared with determination. “You’re my girl. I’m you’re guy. So cut the sass, sweetheart, because there’s not a goddamn thing you can do about it,” Nix affirmed as he swooped down, throwing her petite body over his shoulder. “I’m going to celebrate with my girlfriend, who also happens to be the first chick who’s ever won The Brophy!” he shouted over his shoulder towards his friends as he strode through her front door.

Sloan hooted in response and then began laughing in wild fits as Nix started tickling her sides.

“You’re never leaving this house again without clothes on,” he demanded with a firm tone as his long legs walked up the stairs that led to her bedroom.

“Shit! I have to go, Nix! I’m going to be late for work!” she yelled in frustration.

“No fucking way. We have some things to settle up, pretty girl,” he responded with a teasing smack to her ass.

“Momma Alani is going to be pissed if I’m late for work again!” Her shriek echoed off the walls.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure Momma Alani goes easy on you.”

“
Nix!”
she shouted in exasperation as she slapped her hands against his back.

But that didn’t stop him.
Nothing
was going to stop him.

He knew her perfect curves were only covered by the thin cotton of his T-shirt and he had every intention of using that to his advantage. He carried Sloan straight into her bedroom, threw her onto the mattress, and proceeded to cover her body with his. No words were spoken as his blue eyes gazed at her prone form. Nix’s hand cupped her face as he kissed her perfect mouth. He kissed her until their lips were swollen. His lips—his tongue—tasted, adored, and made love to her until their hearts were racing and their lungs were gasping for air. And he continued to explore every perfect inch of her beautiful body for the very first time.

NEARLY THREE MONTHS HAD PASSED since the first day they met. A day Nix had spent teaching Sloan how to surf and finding every opportunity to playfully flirt with her—to get his greedy hands on her. Since that day in the water, they had spent almost every passing moment together—doing anything and everything hand in hand. They enjoyed time together with their friends and lazy days spent alone, when they would talk for hours about life, about love, about everything in between.

They were officially together, but the labels—
boyfriend and girlfriend
—didn’t feel like enough. They were more than that. They were everything. They had found something special within each other. Something that couldn’t be described with words or sentiments or trite sayings. It wasn’t tangible. It could only be felt. Their souls, their hearts, their lives had become threaded together in an innocently beautiful way. It was first love—
true love.
The forever kind of love.

This day was perfect and made time pass at warp speed. They had skipped out of class after fourth period to lazily relax on the gorgeous Hawaiian beach known as Diamond Head. It was the very first place they’d met, and it had eventually become their private spot. Tourists flocked to other beaches, more popular beaches, and that was what made this the perfect place for them. It was small, tranquil, and tucked away from the crowds of Waikiki. There was no public parking and it was a bitch of a hike, but neither of them minded scrambling down the rocks to get there.

The beach rested in front of breathtaking seaside cliffs, and there was only a narrow strip of sand to explore between the cliffs and the sea, but it was one of Sloan’s favorite Hawaiian secrets. A secret that Nix had thankfully let her in on. He had been true to his word and made sure she knew everything there was to know about Hawaii.

Some of the most beautiful beachfront homes rested on the seaside cliffs of this serene location. She often daydreamed about getting married to Nix on that very beach and then buying a house on Diamond Head Road, where they would spend the rest of their lives taking nightly strolls across the sand, watching the gorgeous pinks and oranges of the Hawaiian sunset. Despite the short time they had known each other, she couldn’t help but fantasize about their future together. A future that would be filled with laughter, with love, with a life so full she would get out of bed every day with a giant, cheesy grin plastered across her heart-shaped face.

Sloan was stretched out on a small beach towel, her fingers adjusting her black bikini top. Her russet eyes watched Nix as he enjoyed the surf. His muscular physique even noticeable at a distance and always seemed to spur a glimmer in her eye. She loved to watch him in action—catching wave after wave. His ferocious, competitive nature was apparent every time he hopped onto his board endeavoring to find the fiercest wave to ride. She loved that side of his personality.

Hell, she loved everything about him. She even loved the way he would tease her relentlessly or go out of his way to get her riled up so that her sassy personality would shine through. She eventually found herself daydreaming the day away as her eyes drifted shut under the warmth of the sun.

Nix’s surfboard sliced through the sea and his tan skin glistened underneath the heavenly rays. After spending a good thirty minutes in the water, he strode out with his surfboard in hand. His feet passed large pieces of bleached driftwood, half logs that protruded from the sand, and lava boulders that would forever be a part of the beach. His greedy eyes took in the sight of his girl sprawled out on a pink-and-white-striped towel. Her long, toned legs. Her beautiful curves.