13. Isaac
13
“Icannot believe you agreed to this,” Vienna says as we walk the short distance to the Book it just feels right.
And the longer I let this go on, the harder it will be to let her go. Thoughts of selling the bar or maybe opening a second location close to where Reece lives flit through my head, the latter taking hold with enthusiasm.
It’s crazy.
But not that crazy.
Taking a sip of my wine, I stare at the glass in horror as I swallow the cool, crisp liquid. It’s delicious. Shamefully so, and I instantly feel like I’m cheating on my brews down the street while also wondering if I can get a bottle of this to go.
“It’s good, right?” Reece’s eyes sparkle as she watches me, taking a sip of her own drink.
“I really hate that I like it,” I admit.
“I can see that.” She laughs. “What do you think about this one?” Reece asks, holding up a book with a ripped, sweaty guy on it.
“I think I should probably start hitting the gym,” I say, looking down and patting my abs through my short-sleeve Henley. Reece picked it out, admitting she liked how the seafoam-green color looked against my tan.
Giving me a wicked smirk, she steps into me, placing her hand on my chest and popping up on her tiptoes to whisper in my ear.
“I licked every dip and line of your abs last night. I think you’re doing just fine.”
Suppressing the groan, I wrap my arm around her back and pull her flush against me, her eyes dancing with amusement.
And lust.
“You can lick a lot more than my abs tonight with that mouth.”
She giggles, but I’m not kidding.
Not even a little.
“Y’all know you can’t whisper, right?” Vienna says, eyebrow raised and lips quirked as she pretends to read a random page in the book she’s holding.
“Man, she’s nosy,” I say, burying my face in the crook of Reece’s neck.
“Um, not nosy, just standing here.”
“We need to find her a man,” I tease, pulling back to look at Reece, but Vienna snorts and shakes her head.
“I’m doing just fine, Nowak. Don’t you worry about me.”
“What?!” Reece hisses, lightly smacking Vienna on the arm. “You’re seeing someone and you didn’t tell me?”
“Seeing someone is kind of a stretch. We’re just hooking up.” She shrugs.
“Hey, good for you,” I say, earning a smirk from Vienna and a glare from Reece.
“Who is he? Where did you meet him?” Reece presses, and I stifle a laugh as Vienna closes the book, tucking it into her arm before pulling another from the shelf.
“I went to visit my sister, and she took me out in Magnolia Point and I met a guy.”
“And? Oh my God, why are you making me pry this out of you?”
“Stop being so dramatic. We met, we talked, we hooked up, and decided that hooking up until he moves at the end of the summer is perfect for both of us.”
“Are we going to meet him?” Reece asks with a huff, making Vienna narrow her eyes at her.
“What? No. Why would you meet him? I’m not dating him, Reece. We’re just engaging in mutually beneficial orgasms.” Reece opens her mouth and then closes it as Vienna’s expression softens. “Sweetie, it’s okay that that’s not you.”
“Damn straight it’s not you,” I growl and pull Reece tight against my side.
“Y’all are disgusting, but I love you.”
“I’ve never appreciated anyone more than in this moment,” I say, my tone amused, but I’m serious. Vienna has kept our secret, and it’s been nice not to have to pretend around her.
“That’s gonna cost you another book, Nowak.”
“Sold.”
She smirks but I just shrug, taking another sip of my wine because I’ll take a thousand nights like this over a lifetime with anyone else.
Like she’s reading my mind, Reece turns and places a lingering kiss on my cheek. “Thank you for the perfect night.”
“It’s perfect because you’re in it.”
“Aaaand now you owe me three books,” Vienna says with a wave over her shoulder as she moves farther down the shelves. “I’ll be over here when you’re done being gross.”
“It’s amazing you’re friends,” I say on a laugh, but I’m not serious. In fact, I’m so damn thankful that they’ve had each other all these years and that I get to now be privy to the chaos they create.
Add Marigold into the mix, and those three are bound to get into trouble in Love Beach. My smile falls because it’s just one more thing—one more person—she’ll be leaving when the summer ends.