“To the beach. It’s semiprivate, which means there are homes spread out to the left and the right of us. We’re going to head down to the beach butt booty naked and run in a few circles and head back up. And you can tell your sister you went naked on a public beach.”
“Is that sexy enough?”
I snapped my fingers in front of her face. Since we’d exited the pool, she’d been affixed to my dick. “Hey, eyes up top, pervert.”
“Where exactly do you expect me to look? Your dick is out.”
I covered my junk with my hand.
“I can still see. Like I can see it.”
“Tilt your head up. Do you see my head … up so I can’t see anything. Be respectful.”
“It hurts my neck,” she shouted.
“Do you want to do this or not?”
“Okay.”
“That’s what I’m talking about. On the count of three, one, two …” I slapped her ass right before three and she squealed. We both made a mad dash to the shoreline and in the sand, we frolicked and skipped with Danessa laughing the entire time.
“This is damn near scandalous. I bet you someone can see us.” She gasped in delight. “We could get arrested for public indecency.”
There weren’t any other homes on this stretch of the beach, this villa was one hundred percent secluded. But if the possibility of getting caught made Danessa feel like she was living then it was worth it.
“There you are.You ready to hike?” Aldridge asked.
“Is anyone ever really ready for a hike?” Squinting at the sun, I gave my body a stretch.
“We’ve been lazy, and my muscles are mad about it. I need to get some exercise in.”
“Yeah, but what does that have to do with me? I could stay behind, and you know, snack.”
“That’s not an activity.”
“You like uphill hikes to waterfalls, and I like finger foods. Both are restorative.”
“Did you drink your smoothie?” He reached for my Camelbak to confirm it was filled with water.
“Yes, dad.”
“When we get back we’ll have a big breakfast.”
“You’re lucky I already ruined my silk press.”
We headed off to hike to a waterfall Marisol claimed would take our breaths away. After last night I kind of wanted to bury my head under the covers and hide out. What was I thinking stripping naked in front of Aldridge and jumping into the pool? It was so far out of character for me. While I was embarrassed,I couldn’t help but admit it was fun. Doing something, I didn’t plan. I mean I’d planned the skinny dipping, but the beach antics were unscripted.
Anika was probably stalking my apartment, waiting for signs I’d return. Once I did, she’d want a play-by-play and at least I had a story to tell. It’s rough being the rule follower in a family that considers rules as loose suggestions and not tips to live by. Jemini and Anika were similar in how they viewed life. While I was drafting pros and cons lists, they were screaming FUCK IT while jumping from planes.
“Do you miss Missouri?” I huffed behind Aldridge.
He slowed so I could catch up. “Parts of it. I had friends and a routine I loved. But Missouri was never the endgame.”
“Is Vegas the endgame?”
His shoulder hunched. “Don’t know.”
The contents of my stomach sank like a stone. Possibly losing Aldridge a second time was not something I’d considered. But players get traded. Damnit, why’d I let myself get attached? Was this destined to be our lives, wrong place, wrong time, for the next thirty years? When Aldridge suggested we try our hand at friendship, I knew deep down inside we were both hoping for more. I didn’t want to admit it, but I liked having him around and I liked who I was when we were together.
