Page 11 of Tequila Lime and Sunshine

“Oh, that’s. . .” He looks to Summer. “That’s kinda weird, isn’t it?”

I answer for her. “Nope. It’s been fine.” I won’t mention how fucking cute she looked when she walked out of the bathroom in her little tank top and pajama shorts last night. I’m sure neither of them would appreciate me admitting to checking her out, especially when I know she wasn’t wearing a bra.

“He’s been abiding by my rules so far,” Summer adds. I give her a big cheesy smile, and she shakes her head at me.

“Oh, ok. That’s good.” I can tell by his voice that it isn’t good, and he’s not happy about it, but he doesn’t really have a say.

Carly must pick up on the hesitancy in his voice because she asks him to go get food with her.

When they’re far enough away, I state the obvious. “He hates that we’re sharing a room.”

She shrugs. “It doesn’t matter what he thinks.”

I couldn’t be happier with her response because, as shitty as it sounds, I want her to forget all about my little brother.

* * *

After an awkward breakfast where Holden and Carly do most of the talking, Summer and I head back up to our room. She takes her laptop to the balcony, and I sit with mine on my bed.

I wasn’t lying when I told her I had work to catch up on. I’ve got several photos to edit for a campaign I shot last week, and I have some details to finalize for a shoot coming up after this trip.

Summer is on the phone most of the morning with someone named Asher. I can hear them discussing schedules and a contract for something.

I’ve always been proud of Summer and her career. She decided what she wanted to do, and she fucking went for it, not caring what anyone else thought. I, for one, have liked every single one of her posts. I doubt she notices with the number of likes she gets on each post, but it’s important for me to support her, even with something as small as a like. And I’ll continue to do it with everything she does. If she quits traveling and starts selling vacuums, guess who’d be getting a new vacuum? This guy.

I know my obsession with her can never go anywhere, not after what she had with my brother. But that won’t stop me from wanting to be her friend again. I’ll take whatever pieces I can get from her. This morning she posted one of the pictures I took last night. I felt an immense sense of pride when I saw it, too. She picked a picture I took to share with the world. I shoot high-dollar and high-end campaigns, but I’m proud of a small square on a social media app.

Once she’s done all the work she wanted to do today, she grabs a swimsuit from her bag before heading to the bathroom. I take the opportunity to quickly slip on my swim trunks, essentially breaking rule number two, but I doubt she’ll notice.

The air is knocked right out of my lungs when she walks out of the bathroom in a tiny swimsuit. It’s all white with little beaded strings holding the top up and the bottoms together.

I mask my love of the suit before she notices my gaping mouth. “Ready for some pool time? I was thinking we could play some Marco Polo. Or, hey, you could throw in a coin, and I can try to find it off the pool floor, just like old times.”

“Hawke, I will not be doing any of that,” she states matter-of-factly. I didn’t think she would, but I love to tease her and push her buttons. She throws a book, sunscreen, and her phone in a crocheted bag before we head down to the pool. She leads, and I follow like a lost puppy.

I don’t fail to notice that the chair she decides on has an empty one right next to it. It could be a coincidence, or she could have been looking for a place with two open chairs because she wanted me to sit with her. I’m going with the latter.

She slathers on her sunscreen as I lay back on my chair and pretend I’m not mesmerized watching her hands rub over her skin. Thank God my sunglasses are hiding my eyes.

“Hey, do you mind if I use your sunscreen?” I ask.

She squints her eyes at me. “Are you telling me you didn’t bring sunscreen to freaking Mexico?”

I give her a sheepish grin and shrug my shoulders. She hands me her bottle and shakes her head. I cover my arms, chest, and face before asking, “Would you mind getting my back?”

She mutters something but faces me and snatches the bottle from my hand. She squeezes the coconut-scented sunscreen on my back before rubbing it in. Her soft hands on my skin instantly heat me up—even more than I already was from the Mexican sun. She tries to be quick about it, but I feel her hands linger a little longer over my shoulder muscles. If it were any other woman, I would flex to show off, but I know Summer would see right through me and call me on my bullshit. So I sit completely still while she explores and makes sure I’m thoroughly protected from the sun’s rays.

When she’s finished, she lays back on her lounger and grabs her book with some half-naked man on the cover. I relax next to her but can’t stop my eyes from wandering down her body. She’s always been beautiful, but seeing how she’s grown into this absolutely stunning woman is killing me. Her curves, her confidence, her motivation. All of it draws me to her.

And she’s the one woman I can’t have because my little brother got to her first.

“Eyes somewhere else, buddy.”

I chuckle. “Who said I was looking at you? I have sunglasses on, Sunshine.”

“I can literally feel your eyes on me. So, focus your attention somewhere else. I’m sure plenty of women here would want to hook up with you.”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her she’s the only woman I want to be with. The only woman I’ve ever wanted to be with.