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A flush fills my cheeks while he opens the cooler. These flirty remarks he keeps directing toward me make my skin break out in hot and cold tingles despite the heat baking us.
"Beer me," Jackson says.
Cooper pulls out two Coronas and winks at me on his way to hand off Jackson’s drink. I squirm against the flutter in my stomach. Glancing at Simone, she waggles her brows. Now that she knows, she's been observant all day.
"I can't believe summer is almost over already." She leans back on her elbows to tan her front. "Soon the semester will start."
The reminder that my time with Cooper is running out makes me bite my lip. I peek at him and find his attention already on me. He doesn't look away when I catch him. Instead, he drags his eyes down my body, checking out my purple floral bikini. The way he looks at me sparks a throb of heat in my core. It's brazen with our friends right here.
Harris groans. "Don't remind me. I'd rather surf and sleep and party."
My brother and Cooper laugh at him. Ty, their other buddy, shakes his head, running a hand over his closely cropped hair.
"I'm with you, man," he laments. "But I'm doing a semester abroad in the spring. I'm trying to go somewhere with bomb ass waves."
"Hell yeah." Jackson raises his drink in toast to that.
"Sounds killer." Cooper’s tone is genuinely happy for his friend, but his smile doesn't quite reach his eyes. "I should've thought about that sooner."
His gaze flicks to me. I make a mental note to help him research study abroad programs, ignoring the way my heart clenches at the thought of him gone for that long. I understand better than anyone how important it is to chase your goals.
"There's time," I say.
He blinks, then smiles around the neck of his beer bottle. I nod supportively.
"You can't leave me here, bro." Jackson crosses his forearms in front of him in an X. Simone's gaze snags on the flex of his muscles. "South Bay can't lose our favorite son. You leave, and that's it."
Cooper huffs out a laugh. "Nah, man. I'd never leave you. If I studied abroad, we'd go together. Duh."
Jackson's expression shifts and clears like a new world opened up to him. "Think of the foreign chicks we could pick up."
"Now you're talking." Harris' eyes glaze over and Ty makes a noise of agreement.
Cooper doesn't chime in, but with his reputation to score, the guys take it as a given. I ignore the simmer of jealousy.
He gets up to grab the tube of sunscreen sitting on the blanket and gestures to me. I feel my shoulders and find them hot to the touch. He's paying close attention to me to realize when I need to reapply.
Or he wants an excuse to touch me without my brother flipping shit. I hide a grin while his big hands massage sunscreen into my skin.
"Um, hello," Simone drawls. "Do you think of anything other than hooking up?"
"Men are simple, baby." Jackson winks at her. "Our primary drive wants us to worship at the altar of as many goddesses as possible."
Simone squints, seeming marginally appeased. "Smooth. Nice save."
"I'll show you what else I've got that's nice."
"Dude," I say. "Sibling code. I'm right here, I don't want to hear about your dick."
Jackson holds up his hands. "Deal with it."
Simone remains suspiciously silent for a girl who loves to verbally spar with him. When I turn to her, she's got her nose in a magazine.
Cooper's thumbs dig in more than necessary to my muscles, being thorough about applying sunscreen. I smother a gasp at the divine sensation. He massages my shoulders for a minute. I'm sure the lotion is fully rubbed in, but his hands linger in the stolen touch. Making sure no one's watching, I lean back against him.
"Thank you," I murmur.
"Can't have you burning. You're a pain in the ass when you get a sunburn." I can hear the smirk in his tone.
