Page 33 of Out of Place

She feels too good on my lap, though. This might not have been my best idea.

“Hey, guys. Y’all remember Olivia, right?” I say, breaking the tense silence.

She does a tiny wave that’s so out of character that I almost laugh. She seems nervous.

“Hi, Olivia. How are you?” Laura asks. Thank god one of them is going to be nice.

“Good. You?”

“Good.”

Silence.

Ok, well, that ended quickly. Usually my friends can’t shut up when we’re all together.

Cat leans forward in her chair with a beer in her hand. “Olivia, can I ask you something?”

Oh, shit. Here we go. I narrow my eyes at Cat, but she doesn’t see me. She’s focused on Olivia.

Olivia shrugs. “Sure.”

“Did you really party with The Knox Summerland Band? I saw a magazine linking you together,” Cat asks.

She laughs at the question. “I’ve partied with Knox, but we aren’t together and never have been. His parents live down the street from mine. He actually went to school with my older brother, so I’ve known him for a while.”

“That is so cool,” Cat squeals. Olivia smiles, and the conversation picks back up. The girls start talking about whoever this Knox Summerland is. Cam ignores them and focuses on me, talking about a place he heard might have some good fishing this season.

Everything feels normal all of a sudden. There aren’t any snide remarks. No one is being mean to Olivia. Everything is actually going my way. It’s going to be a good night.

* * *

Olivia takes out her phone and snaps a selfie of us. She smiles at the camera while I look at her. She’s getting comfortable with me, and I love it.

“Let’s get in,” Cam announces, standing from his chair and taking off his shirt.

Olivia turns to me, horror written on her face. “You guys actually get in that lake? You can’t even see in there.”

I chuckle and nuzzle into her hair. “Just try not to think about it.”

“You’re joking.” Her eyes are so wide.

“Not joking, sweetheart. The closest pool is a town over, so we’ve always spent our summers swimming in this lake.”

My hands move to her hips and help her stand, tugging my shirt off. Even though the sun is setting, it’s still blazing hot. Her eyes trail down my body, and I can see the want in them.

“Like what you see?” I tease.

She scoffs. “Don’t flatter yourself. I was just checking for any strange deformities.”

Her response doesn’t stop my smile. “Whatever you say.”

I reach out and help pull her tank top off, leaving her with two tiny triangles covering her nipples. Maybe I shouldn’t have brought her here in a bathing suit. I don’t need everyone in town lusting over my girl.

She shimmies out of her skirt and looks at the water again. “It’s just gross.”

I grab her hand. “You’ll be fine.”

Walking backward, I bring her along with me. She’s resisting, but I pull harder. Behind me, I hear all my friends jumping in.