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“I can’t tell you.”
“Why not?”
“Because she made us all swear to run interference between you two today. Although, I can’t say I blame her after that shit you pulled last weekend…”
“We moved past that,” I said quickly. At least, I thought we had. “Please, Brie. I really need to talk to her.”
“Why?”
I blinked, surprised. Brie had always been the quietest of the Delatou sisters, which I presumed to be a personality trait developed by being the last born into a family of outspoken women. I’d approached Brie because I thought she’d be the easiest to crack. So the way she was looking at me now? Pure malice shining in her eyes, arms crossed over her chest, feet planted firmly into the sand? Expression telling me I better give her a damn good reason for breaking her sister’s trust?
This was an entirely new side of Brie, and I had to admit, I was impressed.
Even that day I’d cornered her at her bakery, she hadn’t been this animus.
“That shit I pulled last weekend?” I began, using her own words. “I was mad. She’d taken shots at me during that interview, and…I felt my control slipping. I did the one thing I could think of to get it back. IknowI fucked up, butyouhave to know I would never do anything to intentionally hurt her. At least, not like that…not again.”
Lips pursed, Brie continued to stare me down, as though carefully weighing my words.
It wasn’t until I’d spoken them aloud that I realized the truth in them.
This entire time with Amara, our whole work relationship had been a classic power struggle.
And guess what?
I was fucking tired of fighting.
I just wantedher.
At last, Brie said, “She’s down the beach a ways. Just keep walking that way”—she pointed toward the west—“and you’ll find her.”
I did as Brie directed, following the curve of the point until I caught sight of Amara at last. She sat on a blanket alone, closer to the beach grasses than the water. The nearest group of her family was a few hundred feet away and around the corner, completely out of sight, though we could still see the dock from here.
I hated that she was hiding from me, the knowledge that she thought she couldn’t just talk to me about whatever was eating at her.
Well, not any longer.
“Why have you been avoiding me all day?” I asked as I dropped down onto the blanket beside her.
Amara scoffed. “I haven’t been.”
“Mar, you won’t even look at me right now. What the fuck is going on?”
“I’m mad at you, okay!” she burst out, careful to keep her voice low so as to not attract any attention.
“For what?”
“The whole boyfriend thing!” she hissed.
“I thought we got over that after the game,” I said, willing my body not to react, forcing my mind away from thoughts of how she looked in that mirror, my cock in her pussy, my hand at her neck and fingers on her clit.
Christ, Ryder,I thought as my dick twitched.Get it together.
“Yeah, well…then I had to come back to work on Monday and deal with my entire staff and family giving me the goddamn third degree about how long we’ve been together and if it was serious and what that meant for the company. Not to mention the assholes on TikTok tearing me to shreds in the comments on our latest marketing video for the RTDs and”—she inhaled deeply—“it’s all your fault!”
Goddamn, she was sexy when she was angry. I wanted to kiss that scowl off her face.
“I’m sorry,” I said, though the sincerity of my words was undercut by the snort I let free.
