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They take a photo of my phone and talk amongst themselves. I blow out a breath and move away. The need to seek Tate out is strong, but I follow Jackson to the spot the staff hang out at when things are slow. I rub at my chest, swallowing roughly.
It doesn’t have to mean anything. I grew up with her following us around the neighborhood. I helped her learn how to ride a bike without training wheels. I’ve guarded her shell and rock collections at the beach. I’d protect her no matter what. That’s all.
A whisper at the back of my mind calls me a big fucking liar.
Tatum passes by and pulls a goofy face at us. A faint smile tugs at my lips.
Jackson grabs the dish towel from his apron and messes around with it, snapping it at me. I grunt under my breath when he catches my leg.
“Dick.”
“Don’t zone out then.” He grins, unrepentant. “That chick from last night got you daydreaming? I don’t blame you, bro. The girl I met at the beach yesterday is burned into my brain—sucked my soul out through my balls, I swear to god.”
“Nice.” I smirk, laughing along with him.
Jackson pauses, raising his brows. “And?”
“What?”
“Dude. Don’t play it like that with me. You’ve got nothing to say?”
I lick my lips, skating my gaze to the side. I shake my head. Jackson snorts and elbows me. We’ve never faced this before. We have no problem telling each other this stuff. Obviously, if I tell him I was with his sister, I’m a dead man.
“Come on, what are you hiding it for? I know I heard a girl riding the Cooper Vale pleasure train last night when I got home.”
My stomach sinks. That nickname sends a wave of displeasure through me. When he says it that way, all I picture is how used it makes me feel. Any guy I know would call me an idiot and question my masculinity for not wanting to get off as much as possible, but fucking sue me for wanting more than to just get my dick wet without feeling like I can talk to a girl about my day after the transaction is over.
It never used to bother me this much, but it casts the memory of all the ways I had Tatum crying out last night in an awful, harsh light.
“It wasn’t what you think. I didn’t know my porn was connected to the bluetooth speaker system. Parents are out of town for the weekend, you know how it is.”
He frowns at me for evading his question, eyes narrowed in suspicion. I’m saved from his pestering when the sound of Tatum’s uncomfortable laugh by the bar catches his attention. We both swing around and move at the same time.
Those out of town guys looking to party are bothering her. The one in the Braves hat has come around to lean in her space while the other two grin at her flirtatiously.
“The Shady Palm. You know it?” One of them asks, swirling his fingers through condensation on the bar close to her.
“Of course.” The curve of Tatum’s mouth is friendly enough, but her body language is tense. She uses a serving tray to guard herself, hugging it tight against her body. “I live here. I pass it on my way to work.”
“When’s your shift over, sweetheart?” Braves hat guy asks. He’s clearly the ringleader of his friends. “You should come hang out tonight.”
“Thanks for the invite, boys, but I have plans.”
“We’re only here for a couple more nights. Come on.” The guy in her personal space traces his knuckle down her arm.
I release a feral sound beneath my breath and cross the Tiki Taco Shack in record time. Jackson presses between them, nudging his sister behind him. It directs her right into my chest as I come to a stop at her back.
“Is there a problem, Tate?” Jackson’s voice is hard.
It matches the protectiveness that has roared back to life inside me. My fingers twitch at my side with the desire to curl around her hip and pull her into my arms. I ball my hand into a fist instead, casting a fierce look at the two guys seated at the bar.
“No, I had it covered,” she says with a sigh.
“Now you’re extra covered. You know we’ve always got your back, T,” I mutter. “These guys bothering you?”
She angles her head to peer at me from the corner of her eye. I choke back a curse at the desire in her eyes and the subtle hitch in her breathing. Her words say one thing, but she leans into me a little.
“We just wanted to invite her out. No harm.” One of the guys at the bar lifts his hands.
