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With an annoyed huff of air, I slid off of the float. I squeaked in shock, not realizing that I wasn’t where I could touch, but Christian quickly caught me and lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist and pressed a kiss to his cheek, a wide smile on my face.
“My hero,” I whispered in his ear.
He playfully nipped at my earlobe. “Keep on, and I’ll turn into a fucking villain when I get between those thick ass thighs.”
“Christian!” I exclaimed, smacking his arm. He laughed, crouching down to set me on my feet. I stood on the steps and placed my hands on my hips, playfully narrowing my eyes at him. “I’m going to tell Caiden.”
He playfully glared at me. “You’re going to what?” he asked, daring me to repeat it.
I stuck my tongue out at him. “I’m going to tell Caiden,” I retorted. I shoved him, and in his shock, he fell back into the water. I laughed, knowing that if he’d actually been paying attention, I would have never accomplished that.
Caiden shook his head at me as he stepped out onto the back patio with a guy slightly behind him. The guy, who I assumed was Michael, had a lanky kind of build with a light, blonde dusting of hair along his jaw. His hair was the same color as his beard. Caiden easily dwarfed him; he couldn’t have been any taller than five-eight or five-nine.
Caiden cupped my face in his hands and leaned down, kissing me softly. “Stop teasing us,” he mumbled against my lips.
I giggled when I felt Christian wrapping my towel around my body. “She’ll pay when we get her little ass home,” Christian told his brother.
I tightened the towel around me as Christian held his hand out to Michael. “Christian Greene. I’m Caiden’s little brother.”
They shook hands. “Michael Cannon.”
Caiden grabbed my hand in his, leading me just a little bit closer. He gently squeezed my hand in his when I slightly tensed, suddenly acutely aware of the scars that covered me, but Michael’s eyes didn’t stray beyond my face.
“This is our girlfriend, Ally Johnson,” Caiden introduced us. He wrapped his arm around my waist, tugging me against his side, his hand cradling the side of my belly. “She’s currently four months pregnant.”
“Ally, get your ass over here!” Axel yelled. I looked at him over my shoulder. He was holding up a plate with a burger made to perfection—just how I liked it. “Your burger is going to get cold!”
I leaned up and pressed my lips to Christian’s cheek and squeezed Caiden’s hand. “My brother is summoning me.”
Christian grabbed my hand in his. “Come on, beautiful.” He looked at his brother. “Go ahead and spend some time with him.”
Caiden looked conflicted, his eyes flickering to me. I grabbed his hand again and gave it a gentle squeeze, shooting him a reassuring smile. “Once I eat, then we can all chill in the pool again,” I promised him. “But don’t let him feel left out.”
He nodded. After pressing a kiss to my forehead, he turned to Michael. My eyes locked on his face, and a shiver of self-disgust crawled down my spine when I found him staring at the self-inflicted scars on my arms.
I quickly turned away, stepping closer to Christian. He softly growled. “He fucking stares at you again, and I’ll make sure he knows just how fucking ruthless both Caiden and I can be over you,” he quietly warned.
I gently squeezed his hand. “Not today,” I begged him. I looked up at him, our eyes locking. “Please, Christian.”
He sighed. “I’ll do my best,” he promised.
That was all I could ask for.
Christian, Axel, and Julian were talking about football, and Caiden and Michael were sitting on the edge of the pool. I was almost asleep, my head resting against Christian’s side as he held my float, keeping an eye on me to make sure I didn’t fall off.
Calloused hands slid over my belly. I slowly opened my eyes, locking them on Caiden’s. He smiled at me before he leaned over and pecked my cheek.
“Hey, sleeping beauty,” he greeted. I sleepily smiled at him. “You feeling okay?”
I nodded. “The food just made me tired.” I yawned. “Meghan went to go breastfeed, so I decided to take a small nap.”
“I swear to fucking God, Caiden, if Michael doesn’t stop staring at her every time he thinks none of us are watching, I’m going to fucking hospitalize him,” Christian suddenly growled.
I lifted my head, frowning. That time, I hadn’t felt him staring, though Christian was right. He’d been staring an awful lot today. “You got a fucking staring problem, kid?” Julian suddenly barked. I sat up on my float, alarmed. Nothing ever went well when Julian got involved.
“Sorry,” Michael grumbled, looking away.
“I’ve told you numerous times not to fucking stare at her,” Caiden growled as he moved away from me. I reached out to grab him, but he slipped away too quickly. Nerves began to riot in my belly. “How many fucking times did I tell you before you came here not to stare at my fucking woman?”
