AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“They’ll love it.”
I told myself I only capitulated because I knew Eugene and Heather probably would love to meet Duke. It had nothing to do with the glorious pleasure-pain that came with the prospect of seeing Nate’s broad, bare chest across the tub from me.
Okay, maybe it was that. Just a little. I was only human.
We headed to the Braddock family home together. When we arrived, Heather greeted us with a massive smile and a plate of freshly baked brownies. She insisted we help ourselves to them before getting changed. They were delicious, as usual, although I caught Tess trying to sneak some to Duke and had to explain that chocolate wasn’t good for dogs—a fact she seemed horrified by. It was only once Tess and Nate had gone to change into their swimsuits that I realized I had nothing to wear.
“You can borrow something of Summer’s,” Heather said, waving me toward Summer’s childhood room.
“But she’s half a foot shorter than I am,” I protested.
She rolled her eyes. “Height doesn’t matter much when it comes to bikinis.”
I pulled a face. I didn’t have a comeback for that except that I preferred one-piece swimsuits. I went to Summer’s room and sorted through the drawers. In the back of the top drawer, I found a selection of barely there bikini tops and briefs that would cover almost nothing. I grimaced and pulled everything out. Surely there must be something less revealing. But no, five minutes later, I hadn’t found any other options. With a sigh, I chose the least startling swimsuit of the bunch and prepared myself to sprint for the hot tub as quickly as possible.
11
NATE
Tessand I had nearly defrosted by the time the French doors opened. I glanced over, wondering what had taken Grace so long, and my mouth fell open. My best friend’s svelte body was almost entirely exposed, goosebumps erupting over her skin as she emerged into the cold winter air. I’d seen Grace in swimsuits before, but she usually wore one pieces or more modest two pieces that concealed her lean torso, graceful curves, and legs that seemed to go on forever.
Now, it was as if learning her secret had made me see her in a new light—as a stranger in some ways—and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Her cheeks were flushed pink, and she was nibbling her lip, clearly uncomfortable with the outfit. It was only because of that that I was able to tear my gaze from her—but not before I’d noticed a flash of something dark on her right hip.
She hurried over and climbed into the water, easily clearing the edge of the tub. A vision of her wrapping those elegant legs around my waist flashed into my mind, and my dick started to thicken in my trunks. I shifted uncomfortably and reminded myself my daughter was present. Yep, that was enough to solve the problem.
“What’s that on your hip?” Tess asked. Thank god for curious kids.
Grace glanced down as if she didn’t know what Tess was talking about. “Oh, that’s a tattoo.”
My cock came back to life. Grace had a tattoo? How had I never known that?
“Is it new?” I asked.
“No.” She angled her hip so we could both see her ink. It was of a sun and moon bound together with intricate mandala designs that was somehow a perfect complement to her classy beauty. The whole thing was only the size of my palm, and considering how low it sat on her hip, with the bikini knotted just beneath it, I understood how I’d never had cause to see it before.
“I got it years ago,” she explained, tracing the outline with a fond smile. “Ryan drew the design. You know how awful my drawing skills are.”
My stomach clenched. It was ridiculous, but I didn’t like the thought that someone else had etched a part of themself permanently onto her body and I hadn’t. For some reason, I wanted to know and have more of her than anyone else.
Don’t be a dickhead, I mentally scolded myself.You’re her friend, that’s all. Of course her ex knows her more intimately than you do.
But I had to admit, it was getting more difficult to lie to myself. After years of viewing Grace strictly as a friend, I couldn’t unsee the things I was noticing about her now.
“It’s so pretty,” Tess breathed, looking as closely at the fine lines of ink as I’d like to. I forced myself to hold back. My daughter could stare, and it was innocent. If I gave Grace’s sexy tattoo the same attention, there would be nothing innocent about it.
“Thank you.” Grace smiled at Tess, then dropped her hip back beneath the water. Her eyes flicked toward me, then darted away quickly, as though trying to gauge my reaction.
Considering how I’d blown up at discovering her secrets recently, I couldn’t blame her for being cautious. I looked away from her, staring at a smudge on the wall until my body had calmed down.
What the hell was wrong with me?
It wasn’t as if I didn’t know Grace was a woman. I’d seen her dressed to kill on more than one occasion, and I’d always been able to acknowledge how attractive she was without my insides getting tangled in knots over her.
This was different.
It reminded me of the months during high school when I’d wondered whether she’d say yes if I asked her out. We’d been great friends even then, and I’d passed a lot of nights dreaming about how she might feel in my arms, but she’d been so different from the girls I usually dated that I didn’t know how to read her. I’d eventually decided not to make a move in case she shot me down and I ruined our friendship. The way I felt now reminded me of how mixed up I’d been over her then. But I was a thirty-four-year-old man. Not a teenager. There was no excuse for my reaction.
Still, as Tess splashed around and Grace rested her legs across mine, I couldn’t help wondering how things might be different if I hadn’t been too scared to take a chance. Of course, no matter how enticing the idea, I’d never go back, even if I had the choice. Being with Maddy had given me Tess, and that meant everything. My daughter was the single most precious thing in my life.
