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“Hey,” I say, giving her a noncommittal side hug. I dislodge myself when she holds on. Then, I greet Anita. “Where’s Paul?”
“He’s helping his dad with some things tonight,” Anita answers.
I nod and move aside so they can enter.
I follow behind them, nearly running into the back of Jessica when she stops suddenly at the sight of Willow leaning into the refrigerator to grab another beer. My hands go to the sides of her waist to avoid crashing into her. Willow looks up, her eyes stopping on the place where I’m touching Jessica.
“Hi,” Willow says cautiously. She nods at Jessica and then shifts her gaze to Anita. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“I didn’t realize you’d be here tonight,” Jessica says with an obvious edge to her tone as I drop my hold on her.
I walk closer to Willow.
“Surprise,” my girl says with the hint of a smile and a challenging expression.
There’s that fire I saw in the beginning. The one that attracted me to her initially. Her confidence is understated but unmistakable. I can see the fight in her, and I love it. She’s not going to let Jessica or anyone else walk all over her.
“Do you want a beer?” she asks each of the newcomers, playing the role of hostess.
I turn my back and open the fridge to hide my smirk as Jessica’s frown deepens.
“Sure,” I hear Anita respond.
I grab three IPAs, twisting the top off each one before handing them over. Anita and Jessica walk outside with their drinks to say hello to Wyatt and Benji.
“She hates me,” Willow murmurs before taking a sip from her longneck. She’s watching the foursome on the deck.
“Yep,” I say, not bothering to deny it. “But in your defense, it’s not you personally; she hates most women.”
Willow’s emerald-eyed gaze flits over to me. “Especially women who date her man, huh?” She phrases it as a question with a slight tilt of her head, but it’s more of a statement.
“That would imply that I’m her man,” I say with a smirk, leaning back on the counter. “I’m not.”
“No,” she says, taking a step closer and then another.
We’re standing so close that the tips of her breasts are touching my chest.
My free hand curls into a fist as I resist the urge to grab her, the other squeezing the cold bottle of beer. I wait her out instead.
“You’re not,” she finishes her statement.
Her expression is smoldering as she watches me. Waiting. Anticipating my next move. When I can no longer stand the distance, I grasp the back of her neck and crash my mouth into hers. The kiss isn’t slow or simmering. It’s a full-throttle collision. A claiming. She moans against my lips. I taste the beer on her tongue and bite her lower lip, tugging on it before I pull away.
Benji starts cheering from outside, whooping and hollering. Willow laughs, resting her forehead on my chest. I meet my friends’ gaze through the glass and see all four pairs of eyes on me and my girl. I tip my chin at all of them. Benji is grinning. Wyatt and Jessica are scowling. And Anita looks worried.
“Go get your suit on,” I say, slapping Willow’s fine ass.
She nips at my lips one more time before walking into the bedroom, where she stashed her stuff. I smirk, watching her go.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
WILLOW
Part of me wanted to tell Zane to uninvite Jessica. But the other part wanted her to see us together. Me, here, at his house. My things in his space. The two of us hanging out with his friends. I’d brave the tension and the arrows being aimed at my chest all night just to get my point across. Jessica might have been here first, but I’m here now.
The water is boiling in the hot tub, and it’s spacious enough for all of us. I’m wearing my yellow bikini again—the one that Zane and Wyatt seem to like so much. Wyatt is sitting to my left, and Zane is on my right with his arm slung over my shoulders possessively. All the guys look good in their board shorts. Toned physiques and washboard abs.
Benji is entertaining us with stories from their snowboarding days. Zane’s laughter is rich and deep, vibrating in my ear. The fire is blazing in the corner. The air is cold now, and it’s dark out. There are a million stars twinkling in the sky, and the moon is nearly full.
