Shallow (12 page)

I heard the slam of a car door, and then another, so I leisurely stretched out on the lounger with one of my legs bent so he could see exactly how long my legs were. I tilted my face up toward the sun but not enough that I couldn’t peek from behind my sunglasses to see his reaction when he came through the gate.

I heard the squeak of the iron gate as it swung open and I peered over to see him. Rats. Jessie and Claire met him when he walked through and blocked my view.

I held my position and waited. And waited. And then at the very moment I was ready to get up and strut over to him, I saw a beautiful brunette appear next to him.

Claire told him to bring someone with him, but I never considered he would after our kiss last night. What a tool! I saw Jessie hug the girl and that made it even worse because it meant he brought a Collinsville whore to my house.

I was glad to be wearing dark shades because they disguised my reaction to the brunette beauty, not that any of them were looking at me. I waited another minute or two and when Nick still didn’t look my way, I grabbed my cover-up and went inside.

I slammed the door on the way in the house. Yeah, very toddler like I know, but I was pissed. I couldn’t believe he brought a girl to my house. Who does that kind of thing? I’ll tell you who...A guy that doesn’t give a care in the world about me.

I wanted to kick or punch something, preferably Nick Hawke. Ugh! Why did I like that guy? He couldn’t be more wrong for me. I didn’t date guys without money or a place at the top of the social ladder. He didn’t even have a spot on the bottom rung and he didn’t care because he was unaware of the ladder’s existence.

What was I thinking? I was still the one in control here. If Nick hurt me, it was because I let him and that was not the way this was about to go down. I had been there and stupidly done that with Cooper and I wasn’t going to play that game again.

That was it. I was not going to sit in this house and feel sorry for myself while everyone else was outside having a great time. I was going out there and I was going to do it with my head held high, so I took off my cover-up and draped it over my arm.

I remained true to myself and made my grand entrance like I always did while I wore my best poker face. He wasn’t going to see the wild card coming his way. He had another thing coming if he thought he could bring a girl to my house after he kissed me.

I strutted from the house to the pool and tossed my cover-up over the back of a patio chair. I glanced at Nick as he peered over his shades to check me out and he gave me that incredibly sexy grin that had become all too familiar but I didn’t have a smile in return for him.

I turned my back on him and bent over to spread my towel across my chair. I bent a little further than I had to and it made my bikini bottom ride up a little so when I stood again, I slid my fingers just inside the edge of it and tugged as I wiggled my butt a little...just for him.

I stretched out on the lounger and tilted my face up toward the sun to show my lack of interest in Nick or his brunette companion, which had apparently done a disappearing act while I was inside the house formulating my plan of action.

My eyes were closed tightly and I willed myself not to look in his direction but I heard someone sit on the lounger next to me so I waited for the voice to identify its occupant.

“Hey, Doll Face. How’s it going?”

I didn’t make a move to look in his direction and I blandly answered, “It’s going.”

“Is something wrong?”

I detected confusion in his voice. “Nope. What could possibly be wrong?”

“I don’t know. You act like you’re mad at me.”

How perceptive of him. “Why would I possibly be mad at you?”

“I don’t know.”

Oh, come on. Really? “Where did your guest go?”

“She’s in the pool house changing into her swimsuit.”

Did he really not find this awkward? “Planning to introduce us?”

“Absolutely. I was planning to when we got here, but you went inside. I’ll introduce you when she comes out.”

Miss Beautiful Brunette walked out of
my
pool house in an awesome red bikini and stopped to get her sunscreen out of her bag on the table on the other side of the pool where Dane, Jessie and Claire sat. I looked at how beautiful she was and I realized anger wasn’t the only thing I was feeling. I was jealous and hurt and I despised it because I had no control over it.

I wasn’t going to bask in the sun because of the two of us, I wasn’t the snake here. “It’s too hot for laying out. I’m getting in the pool.”

“Want me to come in with you?”

“Look, I don’t know what kind of game this is, but I’ll play. So sure, join me in the pool if that’s what you want.”

“What is up with you?” Nick reached for his shirt to pull it over his head and I got my first look at the amazing body hidden beneath his shirt, along with the huge black tribal tattoo wrapping around the left side of his ribcage to just below his heart and I couldn’t tear my eyes away because it was so hot.

He stared at me, waiting to hear me tell him what was going on with me, but all I could do was study the black ink wrapping around his torso. “What is it with Collinsville guys and tattoos?”

He looked down in the direction of his tattoo as if it might have changed from the last time he saw it. “You don’t like it?”

“No, I sure don’t.” Liar, liar, pants on fire and boy were they.

“Girls always think it’s sexy.”

“Well, I don’t so I guess I’m a first. It looks skanky.” Maybe lightning wouldn’t strike me for telling such a boldfaced lie.

“Wow, tell me how you really feel.”

I rolled my eyes and then headed for the pool with Nick hot on my heels. “You act like you don’t want me here. Has something happened since you invited me?”

I whirled around on him. “I didn’t invite you and I certainly didn’t invite your date. It was all Claire’s idea. Remember? That’s who you talked to, not me.”

He laughed at me. He freakin’ laughed at me. “
My date?
Is that what’s going on here? You’re mad because I brought a date?”

“Does she know you kissed her hostess last night?”

He was amused, but I wasn’t. “No, I didn't tell her we kissed.”

“
We
didn’t kiss. You kissed me.”

“I recall you kissing me back.”

Yeah, I did, but it was such a mistake on my part. “If I did, and I’m not saying I did, I shouldn’t have.”

I tried to turn away, but he caught me by the hand and pulled me toward him. “Well, I’m gonna kiss you again and next time you won’t call me ‘friend’ afterwards.”

Oh, that was why he brought a date to my house. He was mad about being called ‘friend’? “That’s it. You’re mad because I addressed you as ‘friend’ in my text?”

“I don’t know what’s going on here but one thing is for sure. I didn’t like being referred to as a simple friend after our amazing kiss.”

What the hell? “Well, I don’t know what’s going on here either but I sure think it’s wrong for you bring a date to my house after last night.”

“You’re jealous.”

Damn skippy I was jealous but I would die before I admitted it. “I’m not. I just think it proves what a
Playah
you are and confirms all the reasons why I’ll never go out with you.”

He was smiling, or maybe it could be called some form of gloating. “Dallas,” he called out as he waved over the brunette and I immediately wanted to cringe because I remembered that name.
Stupid
! Why had I been too dumb to consider that he brought his sister? Because I was too wrapped up in my own hurt and preconceived notions to consider the possibility that maybe he wasn’t trying to play me after all.

12 Cracked Glass

Nick

Payton Archer had a jealous streak when it came to seeing me with another girl and I couldn’t be happier about that. She was caving whether she wanted to or not and that meant I was one step closer to having her. “Payton, this is my sister, Dallas.”

Payton’s face was red, but it wasn’t from the sun or the heat. She was blushing because her jealous anger had revealed more than she intended. “It’s really nice to meet you, Dallas.”

“Thanks for inviting me.” Payton’s eyes shot to mine and begged me to not say otherwise. “Your house is gorgeous and this pool is to die for. This is where I would spend every minute of summer if it were in my backyard.”

“I’m glad you were able to come and please make yourself at home.” I pointed in the direction of the pool house. “There’s plenty of drinks and snacks in the kitchen, so help yourself to anything you want.”

“Thanks, but I wouldn’t care for anything right now. I’m dying to get in the water.”

“Me, too,” Dane yelled as he ran toward the pool to do a cannonball. After his big splash, he came up and ran his hands over his hair from front to back pushing the water away from his face.

Payton shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Very mature, Dane.”

“Warning...if you didn’t think that was mature, you probably won’t think this is either.”

“What?”

“This.” I surprised her and she let out a loud screech when I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into the pool with me. I held her against me as we fell into the water and then bobbed up to the surface.

She came up and gasped for air. “I should put my knee in your nuts for that.”

I didn’t let go of her, but I twisted my torso to protect my jewels because I wasn’t sure she wouldn’t decide to go for it. Who knew with this wildcat?

Jessie got up from the table where he and Claire were sitting and pulled his shirt off. “Next.”

Claire put a death grip on the arms of the chair she was sitting in and looked up at Jessie. “Just what do you think you’re gonna do?”

“Oh, I know exactly what I’m gonna do and you should, too. It’s not like I’ve never thrown you over my shoulder before, Princess, so let go of the chair.”

Dane yelled out across the pool. “Awww, yeah. Free show. This oughta be good.”

I saw the challenge in Claire’s eyes daring Jessie to try to pull her from that chair and knew she wasn’t going easily. Jessie squatted in front of her so they could be eye level with each other. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Your choice.”

She leaned forward and stared him in the eyes, challenging him to try to forcefully move her. “You know I always choose hard.”

He nipped her on her bottom lip with his mouth and she yelped. “And that’s only one of the many things I love about you, Princess.”

“How is it that you think you’re gonna get me to let go of this chair without prying my hands free?”

“I’m not prying anything. You’re going to take your hands off the chair using your own free will.”

She suspiciously narrowed her eyes at him. “What are you going to do to me?”

“I’m going to help you let go.”

She gave him a stubborn grin. “You just think you are, but it’s not happening, Dude.”

“Okay, have it your way.” He reached up and very slowly began to pull the tie to her bikini top behind her neck. “You’ve got about five seconds before your top drops to your waist. What’s it gonna be? Let it drop or let go of the chair to grab it before it falls?”

“Jessie Dewayne Boone!”

“I’m not worried about Dane or Hawke seeing what’s mine because I know you’re gonna be a good girl and grab your top before it falls. When you do, I’m throwing you over my shoulder and hauling you into that swimming pool.”

Claire kicked and squirmed as he pulled and slowly counted. “Three. Two. One.”

I turned my head, just in case Claire proved to be as stubborn as her bestie and the whole thing happened as fast as lightning. Claire apparently reached for her top before it fell so Jessie grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder just like he promised with one exception. He walked past the pool without tossing her in. “Sorry to interrupt the show, but we’ll be inside for a few minutes because there’s a little business we need to take care of.”

Claire slapped him across his back and it made a loud sound. “Jessie!”

I knew the type of business they were about to take care of. Boone was about to find out how good Claire’s little black bikini looked when it was tossed on the floor. He was one lucky bastard, but I was certain Claire’s crumpled black bikini was no comparison to how the white one in front of me now would look.

≈ ≈ ≈

It had been at least an hour and a half without any sign of Jessie or Claire, but I didn’t care because it wasn’t their company I craved.

Dane and Dallas slowly migrated from us on the pool steps to the seat in the deep end of the pool and I strongly suspected we were witnessing the beginning of something starting between the two of them. That was cool by me because I liked Dane. He was a nice guy and we would get along fine as long as he didn’t do anything to hurt my sister.

“I’m a little hungry. Wanna grab a snack?”

“Sure.”