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He's wearing swimming shorts. And nothing else.
His upper body is on full display. Dom's glorious tattoos are glistening with droplets of water, his hair dripping with the salty liquid. His eyes are in such sharp contrast to his tanned skin, I'm pretty sure I might just faint on the spot.
"Oh, nothing," Susie slurs instead of me, and I give her a stern look, which makes us both erupt in giggles. "Cassidy was just telling me –"
"NOTHING!" I yell at the top of my voice as Dom looks at me curiously, and Susie dissolves into another fit of giggles. "I was telling her absolutely, boringly, NOTHING."
I pull her after me towards the house as Dom throws down his surfboard. He shakes his wet hair out and stares after us, looking more confused than ever.
"Phwoarrrrr," Susie comments. She makes a paw-like gesture in his direction, for which she earns a slap on her butt. Then, I pull her inside the beach house, giggling like crazy.
Chapter nine
DOM
I've been doing my best to avoid the beach house at all costs. When I come across Cassidy and Susie by the pool, I'm struck by just how much the distance made my heart grow fonder. Just seeing Cassidy in those goddamned cut-off shorts and a see-through top makes me go wild.
After we kissed, I did something that was necessary, but at the same time, definitely not what I wanted. I decided to keep my distance, realizing that as soon as we took this attraction further, it would be hard to go back. Because while I still want to win that bet, I'm afraid of what I feel around Cassidy.
I've never been in love, never even gave a girl a second thought after sleeping with her. I fuck them, then I'm gone, and because of my reputation, it's what girls have come to expect. The fact that I don't want to do that with Cassidy scares me.
So, seeing her and her friend – who I was talking to at the concert and who pales in comparison to my stepsister – on the patio… It makes me long to touch her again.
I'm thankful when they disappear back into the house, giggling about something or other. I don't have the energy to pretend I don't care about her when my head is screaming at me to just make her mine once and for all.
To hear them giggling in the room right next to me might drive me crazy, so I decide to cool off in the pool, wash off the salt from the ocean. While I swim laps, I replay the events of the last few days in my head.
I've been going to the beach every day, spending time with my new friends. The worst thing is, I've been hanging out with Adrian, and I've come to realize he's a great guy. If he were a douchebag, this whole thing would be much easier. But there's a big thing keeping us apart ? the bet regarding my stepsister. It makes our every interaction guarded, my actions calculated.
The bet. That stupid fucking deal I made with him, which he's desperate to go through with.
I don't know why, but he's intent on making this bet work for him. Well, that's a lie – one look at Cassidy tells me why he'd want to win. I also think it's a pride thing for him, needing to prove that he can beat me. And obviously, he doesn't want to lose his car.
I know he'll go to Cassidy with the truth eventually, I'm just hoping I get to be the one to tell her about the bet beforehand.
But until then, there's just one thing on my mind.
I need to get Cassidy before Adrian does. For her own sake as much as my enjoyment.
I take a quick shower after swimming, listening to the noises coming from Cassidy's room while I do so. When I'm in the bathroom we share, there's a wall separating us, and knowing that drives me insane. But I can't hear shit, so I figure her friend left.
When I get out, it's already time for dinner, so I get dressed in shorts and a tank, heading down into the kitchen. Cassidy and Mom are already there, and I linger by the door, listening to their conversation.
If there's one thing I've realized by now, it's that Cassidy is a tough nut to crack. She curses like a sailor, acts like a rebel and is a general pain in the butt.
So, it shocks me to hear her talking to my mom pleasantly, even giggling and laughing along with her. After a few minutes, I can't take it anymore, so I walk into the kitchen to check out the scene.
Mom and Cassidy are sitting close together, like friends. They're giggling about something, whispering to one another. And for some reason, that makes me so fucking happy. I'm glad my mom and Cassidy like each other, so I smile, too, sitting down next to Mom at the table.
