Chapter 7 Liam #3
He hesitated for just a second before peeling his shirt over his head, tossing it onto a chair.
And, okay.
Maybe I took a second longer than necessary to start applying the lotion.
Sam had the kind of body that didn’t scream gym rat, but damn if he didn’t look solid. Broad shoulders, strong back, that soft line of muscle running down his spine. Not overly sculpted, but sturdy in a way that made your hands itch to hold on.
I rubbed the lotion into his skin, my fingers lingering a little longer than necessary, feeling as the tension in his shoulders relaxed.
The group kept passing the sunscreen around. Renzo made a big show of dragging his palms over his own chest, flexing unnecessarily.
“Alright, alright, we get it, you have pecs,” Avery deadpanned.
“And they deserve to be protected, too,” Renzo shot back, striking an exaggerated pose.
Around us, everyone else had paired off, taking turns applying sunscreen to each other.
Harper and Avery were laughing about something, their heads close together as Harper helped rub lotion onto Avery’s arms.
Ezra stood next to Max, laughing as Max made a big show of rubbing in sunscreen like it was a performance.
Sam shook his head, mumbling under his breath about this entire friend group being a disaster, but before I could fire back, he held out his hand. “Turn around.”
I shot him a look, half challenge, half intrigue. “Bossy. I like it.”
Sam rolled his eyes. “You made sure everyone else got sunscreen. Someone’s gotta make sure you don’t fry.”
I laughed but turned anyway, bracing my hands on my hips as he squeezed a generous amount of lotion into his palms.
The first press of his hands against my back was not warm. It was cold. Shockingly cold.
“Jesus! Warn a guy next time!” I jolted, twisting slightly as the chill hit my skin. “What, were you storing that in an ice chest?”
Sam grinned behind me. “Sorry, did I forget the five-star spa experience?” His hands smoothed over my shoulders, now considerably warmer. “Next time I’ll light a candle and warm it with my breath.”
I snorted. “Next time I’ll handle my own sunscreen, Casanova.”
He laughed softly, rubbing the lotion in with a little too much satisfaction. “You say that, but you’re standing awfully still.”
“…Shut up.”
I’d had plenty of people touch me before, friends, hookups, strangers I barely remembered. But this? This was different. Sam’s fingers spread wide, smoothing the sunscreen over my shoulders, working it down along my spine. His touch was firm, focused, just shy of too careful.
And, fuck. I shouldn’t be noticing it this much. Shouldn’t be hyper aware of the way his fingertips skimmed the edge of my ribs before moving back up, every nerve suddenly online, loud and insistent in a way I couldn’t tune out.
I swallowed. “You moonlighting as a massage therapist now?”
Sam snorted, but his hands didn’t stop moving. “Just trying to keep your ass from turning into beef jerky.”
“Thought you liked beef,” I shot back over my shoulder.
And that’s when it happened.
With a loud, unmistakable smack, Sam’s palm landed right on my ass.
For a second, just a second, everything froze.
His hand snapped back immediately, his eyes going wide like he hadn’t meant to do it. Like his body had acted before his brain could catch up.
“Shit… ” he started, looking almost horrified.
And me?
Well.
I could make this awkward. Or I could make it a Liam moment, lean into the instinct before the overthinking caught up.
I turned, sneering slow and wicked, throwing my arms out.
“Sam, if you wanted to spank me, all you had to do was ask.”
His entire face went red.
I winked, grabbing my drink and stepping toward the pool like nothing had happened, my pulse pounding in my throat.
Because, holy shit.
That felt way too good.
One by one, people stripped off what they were comfortable with.
Harper and Renzo? Completely nude without a second thought like it was just another Sunday back in Havenwood. Ezra, naturally, followed suit and was already striking a dramatic pose on the pool steps, his tan catching the light like he was in some queer cologne ad.
Max, Avery, and Tess? Still in their perfectly coordinated swim trunks, drinks in hand, feet dangling in the water at the shallow end as they laughed about something one of them had said, their legs kicking like kids at summer camp.
Evan leaned against the far wall of the pool, all long limbs and easy posture, his ridiculously adorable flamingo briefs clinging just right, droplets of water tracking down his chest like they had a mission.
And Sam, bare-chested and sun-kissed in a pair of blue swim trunks that were shorter than I expected, and snug in a way that left just enough to the imagination.
He sat at the edge with his legs submerged, shoulders already catching a golden glow, his mouth curled into a smile.
Since the moment Sam smacked my ass earlier, I hadn’t been able to shake him from my thoughts. The way he smiled. The way he looked at me like he knew exactly what he was doing.
Then I caught myself and looked away, clearing my throat like that would somehow scrub the thought from my mind.
Even Elliott, predictably, had his trunks still on but lounging in the shallow end like some kind of low-key pool god, arms spread out behind him on the tile ledge, body relaxed. Oldest of the group but keeping it tight. The man looked good. And better yet, happy.
I couldn’t help the small tug at my lips. My people looked good.
Not just in the we-clean-up-nice kind of way, but the we’re-at-home-in-our-skin way. They looked like themselves. Unarmored. Open. Like they belonged here. And hell, I was proud of that.
I peeled off my shirt and shorts with a dramatic sigh. “Well,” I said, kicking them toward the nearest dry spot, “when in Rome…”
My black swim briefs clung to my thighs and ass. This is definitely conservative by this campground’s standards.
I hooked my thumbs into the waistband, met the group’s attention with a casual lift of my brows, and said, “You know what? Let’s not pretend.”
I let my briefs fall and stepped out of them like I was shedding a second skin. The sun hit bare skin and I threw on my oversized sunglasses like armor, pulling my favorite scuffed-up ball cap low over my curls. Pure theatre. I made my way to the water, unbothered, drink in hand.
“Careful,” Harper called from their float, raising a brow. “You’re about two shades of diva away from a Real Housewife entrance.”
I waded into the pool with a contented sigh, the water curling around my thighs like it was welcoming me home. “And yet you’re still fixated on me.”
Sam, from the steps, let out a soft laugh, eyes trailing briefly over me. “Are you always this dramatic?”
“Only when the moment calls for it,” I said, stretching my arms along the pool’s edge beside him. “And this? This definitely calls for it.”
Music buzzed from a Bluetooth speaker on the ledge, a Whitney Houston remix that matched the mood.
Around me, the pool pulsed with life: splashing, laughing, flirting.
Sunlight shimmered off the water. Rainbow towels draped over every chair.
Skin in every shade and curve and configuration glowed under the sky like we’d all finally exhaled.
It wasn’t just fun. It felt like freedom. And damn, my people wore it well.
The pool was not crowded at all, the kind of buzzing, lazy energy that felt like a slow deep breath. Sunlight scattered across the surface, catching in the ripples. The music overhead was just loud enough to settle into the background, the bass humming low and calm.
I slipped into the pool, stretching out against a bright pink float, my drink balanced carefully in my hand.
Sam slid off the ledge and followed me into the water, wading deeper, his shoulders finally relaxing.
“This,” I declared, tipping my head back, letting the cool water carry me, “is exactly what I needed.”
“It really is,” Avery murmured, floating nearby.
“I don’t know what it is, but this place just feels good,” Harper said, tipping their sunglasses up.
“It’s the lack of responsibility,” Renzo said, stretching his arms over his head. “No emails. No work. No deadlines. Just vibes.”
“And booze,” Max added, lifting his tumbler.
“And naked bodies,” Evan grinned, winking at me before sinking deeper into the water.
Laughter rippled through the group.
I glanced at Sam, observing as he took everything in. The way people talked freely, the way no one second-guessed themselves, the way it was all just… normal.
His gaze drifted toward me, lazy and unhurried, and when he caught my eye, his mouth curved into a small, knowing smile.
I swirled my drink absently, letting the condensation cool my fingertips, and tilted my face up toward the sun.
Whatever awkwardness had lingered from earlier, the slap on my ass, the weird little charge that had crackled between us, had evaporated like steam off the water.
I just smiled back. Because even if Sam didn’t fully let go yet, I had a feeling he would.