He nods, his body shifting toward me more as though the next statement is only for my ears. “Well, I had a lookat your portfolio. It’s more than impressive to put it lightly. Any company would be lucky to have you.”
“Thank you,” I respond. My hand itches to reach out toward Theo, but he pulls back, the look shifting to something of concern on his face.
“We’re filling up the balloons now. We usually wear swimsuits, and I think the guys mentioned we’ll wear our tie-dyed shirts this year. Feel free to wear whatever you’re most comfortable in,” Theo says, changing the subject.
“We’ll go get ready and be right down,” I say as I stand and pull Beth with me.
Walking into the house, I can’t help but be slightly frustrated by the mixed signals I’m getting from Theo. The hug was warm and congratulatory, but his tone and the shift in his face were enough to tell me he seemed almost disappointed that I’d received a job offer.
Most days, I think he’s fine with our arrangement, and other days, he gives signals that he might want more. When we are together in front of his brothers, he can’t keep his hands off me, but at night, he keeps that wall of pillows built between us.
Then there are small, private moments when he shows affection when no one is around. That first day we arrived, I thought he was going to kiss me, but maybe I misread the signal. He only uses the nickname Angel when it’s just the two of us, but maybe he has a nickname for all his friends.
Theo strikes me as the type of man who would go after what he wants, despite some arbitrary rules I have in place. Yet he hasn’t once broken a rule. That can onlyleave me to conclude that he has no interest beyond being friends who help each other.
But then why would he seem disappointed I’ve received an offer?
The mixed signals are maddening.
“Bikini, or shorts and a tank? What are you going to wear?” Beth asks, breaking me from my thoughts once we’ve reached her room.
Her question sparks an idea. I’ve been keeping Theo at a safe distance this whole trip. Not knowing if he feels the same attraction I do is plaguing my mind. Today gives me an opportunity to get some responses to my questions.
Not that we’d act on anything, but at least I’d have answers.
“Bikini. Definitely,” I reply.
“Good answer.” I meet her smile with one of my own as I head to Theo’s room to change into the sexiest blue bikini I own.
19
THEO
It’s official, Sienna is trying to kill me. The murder weapon? The blue-striped string bikini hugging her hips and the curves of her perky breasts.
“Oh fuck,” Alex says on a breath from my right.
“I willfuckingkill you,” I say to him through clenched teeth, not able to take my eyes off Sienna.
“Wasn’t talking ’bout your girl, bro. Relax,” he whispers back.
I can only assume he was talking about Beth, given she is the textbook definition of his type, but I can’t be bothered to look anywhere other than Sienna’s direction as she slowly descends the steps of the back porch. She’s moving in real time, but my mind must be playing tricks on me because I swear she’s moving in slow motion.
When she reaches the bottom of the steps, the warm summer breeze blows her way. It picks her curly dark hair off her shoulders, bringing my attention from her body to her face. Something is almost flirtatious about her sly smile that makes me wonder if she chose thisbikini specifically because it’s my favorite color. Erasing the thought from my mind, I remind myself that we are only friends.
Friends don’t get irritated when other friends receive job offers.
The thought floats through my mind against my will. It’s true, I wasn’t exactly ecstatic when Sienna told me she received the job offer earlier. We’re only a week into our vacation, and I can’t reasonably ask her to stay another week if she has a new job to prep for. Even if it does lessen my chances of getting a job myself.
Staring at her as she walks toward me, I get an idea. I’d hate for our agreement to be the only reason she stays if she accepts the job offer. If I can convince her how much fun we can have on this trip, maybe she’ll decide to stay longer. Not because she feels obligated, but because she wants to.
My idea excites me as I let my eyes trail down her slender, toned frame. The dark and light blue stripes of her bikini perfectly complement the light brown of her skin. She’s covered in gold accents from her earrings and the layered necklaces, down to the thin anklet she wears. The way her jewelry and soft, glowing skin hit the sunlight, I feel like a lost pirate at sea hearing a siren’s call. I know that answering the call is only going to end in my demise, but I’m doing it anyway.
Shamelessly, as she gets closer, I take full advantage of her proximity and continue to blanket her body with my eyes. My eyes roam the expanse of her thin neck, wondering what she would taste like if I trailed my tongue from her collarbone to her ear. My eyes scan evenfarther down to her breasts, perky from afar, and even bigger up close. Her nipples are noticeably hard under the thin fabric covering them despite the warm weather outside. Her bikini top has me resisting the urge to reach out my hand to cup one breast and pinch her nipple through the fabric until she begs me to rip it off her.
I keep my hands clasped in front of me, hoping to hide the growing erection in my swim trunks. Thank God I had the foresight to wear underwear underneath them today, anticipating this. The guys and I took a more modest approach by wearing our tie-dyed shirts to avoid making the women uncomfortable. I guess the women had a different idea, but I’m certainly not complaining.
I’m not the only one with wandering eyes as I notice Sienna’s gaze is locked on the small sliver of skin showing just above my swim trunks. She still has the original shirt I tie-dyed, leaving me with her smaller one that fits like a crop top. I’ve never been happier to have free access to my brother’s gym than I am today.
