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“Future wife, do I need to beat someone down? Are you dating one of those guys?”
“Swear to God, Axe,” Coop growls. “I’m gonna beat you if you don’t put her down.”
Axel nuzzles his nose against my hair as he whispers, “I’d think Sinclair had a claim to you if I didn’t know better, future wife.”
Damn, I wish I didn’t desperately want Cooper to have a claim on me.
I don’t tell Axel that though.
He jogs toward the back gate like I weigh nothing, and I lock my arms tighter around his neck, afraid he’s going to drop me.
“Who feels like a little night swimming?” he yells over his shoulder.
I screech, and chairs scrape against the stones behind us. “No night swimming.”
Axel runs down the beach with me in his arms, screaming.
No longer liking this game and silently wishing it was someone else carrying me.
“Breathe, man.”
I watch Axel disappearing down the sand and fight to contain my anger.
Trick’s watching me with knowing eyes as everyone else clears out of the backyard and onto the beach. Everyone but Rook, him, and me. “I’m breathing.”
“Are ya? Cause you look like you’re about to kill Axel, brother.” Rook stretches his arms along the back of the couch, wearing the same indifferent expression he always wears if we’re not on an op. “He’s pushing your buttons on purpose, you know?”
Of course, I fucking know. Telling Axel that Carys was off-limits was like waving a blood-red cape in front of an amped-up bull. I clench my jaw, fury simmering just below the surface like a pot boiling over. “She doesn’t like the ocean at night.”
“She’s a big girl. She can tell him that.” Trick drops into the chair across from me and runs his hand over Wanda’s head when she comes to stand at his feet.
Rook raises his brow. “What’s really pissing you off, Sinclair? Because you’re fucking angry. Is it with him or yourself?”
“She’s my stepsister. I’m just looking out for her. She doesn’t need to get mixed up with Axe’s shit.” Even as I say the words, I know they’re a fucking lie.
“You make it a habit of looking at all your sisters that way?” Trick kicks his feet up on the table and leans back while Rook and he wait for an answer.
Fuckers.
This woman is not my sister. She never was. Our parents are married, but I’ve never been able to look at her the way I look at Nattie, no matter how hard I’ve tried.
Trick knows he’s gotten to me when I don’t say anything. “Yeah. I didn’t think so. Be careful, man. You’re swimming in dangerous waters.”
It’s a good thing I know how to swim. “I’m gonna go see what’s going on down there. You coming with?”
Trick shrugs and lays his head back against the couch. “Nope.”
Rook stands and grabs his keys from his pocket. “I’m out, but try not to kill Axe. It’d be a bitch to train someone else on comms. See you assholes later.”
As I walk down the sand toward the dark ocean, Linc passes me with Emerson tossed over his shoulder, looking every bit a man on a mission to get back to the house. Her arms dangle down, and she squeezes his ass.
“Hey, Cooper...” she calls out on a laugh.
I turn around and watch her lift her head as she blows her thick, black hair out of her face. “I think our girl is gonna need a place to sleep or a ride home tonight.” Linc smacks her ass, and she yelps. “Just saying.”
Aw hell.
A little further down the beach, Carys sits in the sand, her arms tucked around her knees, and a white feather twisting in her hand. Her pale skin glows under the full moon, and her soft brown hair is blowing in the breeze. She’s beautiful in a way I shouldn’t notice. But there’s no way to miss it.
