8. Charli
CHARLI
My clothes stick to me, making weird squelching noises as I walk back to the house.
Sawyer is right behind me, and I can’t help laughing to myself.
He got me so good! That chocolate sauce prank was genius, and I’m already thinking of ways I can get him back.
My mind is racing with possibilities, going over past pranks and rejecting them.
This one needs to be messy. I can’t go for a simple scare or something humiliating.
That boy behind me needs something epic.
Something that will force him to shower or plunge into the lake again just to get clean.
I’m kind of glad he pulled me in after him because I got most of the chocolate syrup out of my hair. Think I’m still going to need a shower, though.
Patting the back of my thick, quickly matting hair, I internally groan.
I’ve always struggled to manage it. When I was a kid, I hated brushing it, and Mama had to force me to stand there after every hair wash while she patiently worked on it with a wide-tooth comb.
As I got older, she forced me to learn all about hair care and the power of a decent conditioner.
I hated it, but I’m kind of grateful now.
Thankfully, I packed my conditioner and will slather it on after I’ve washed my hair.
But first…
I spin with a smirk that quickly disappears when I notice Sawyer stripping off his wet shirt.
I’ve been around the guy most of my life, and I’ve seen him shirtless plenty of times, so I have no idea why over the last year or two, I’ve been feeling this flash of attraction.
I mean, gross!
He’s practically my brother.
But… damn. He’s fine.
Estás para mojar pan.
It’s one of my mom’s favorite phrases. Apparently the first time Dad said it to her, she had no idea what he was talking about, but once she started picking up Spanish and speaking it fluently, she worked it out, and now she’s the one who says it to him.
It means good enough to eat, and I usually gag when she whispers that to my father, because… ew!
But maybe I get it now.
My eyes trail down Sawyer’s tall, muscular frame, and I’m hyperaware of every taut muscle and every defined ridge. It doesn’t help that he’s now stripping off his shorts and standing there in a pair of navy blue boxer briefs that hide nothing.
Yep, the boy’s packing.
I quickly dart my eyes away and turn toward the glass door.
Holy shit!
Stop checking him out, you big perv! He’s your brother.
But he’s not.
But he is! Metaphorically, he is, so stop being disgusting!
Clenching my jaw, I pull open the sliding door and spot my brother and Nix locked in an intense battle of Mario Kart. Nice. Might have to join in later. Darian thinks he’s king at that game, and, much to my annoyance, he kind of is. But I’ve beaten him a couple of times.
Come on, Nixy Girl. Kick his ass!
“’Scuse me,” Sawyer murmurs, shunting his way past me.
His wet body brushes against mine as he moves into the house, and a shiver runs right through me.
Stop it.
I shake my head, kind of glad that Mac’s invited a bunch of people around to party tomorrow night. I need to get with a guy, have myself a hot make-out session, and kill this reaction to Sawyer.
The only reason I can’t stop watching him is because I haven’t had a boyfriend since high school. I’ve had a few casual hookups, but they haven’t turned into anything, and my body is obviously craving a little attention.
Sure, I service myself when the need arises, but there’s something about the touch of a man that gets me going in ways I can’t.
So really, that is the only possible explanation for why my body’s behaving this way around Mr. Dick.
Sawyer’s my best friend. There’s no way I’m attracted to the guy. My libido is just off because I’m starved of a little physical contact. I’m definitely gonna do something about that tomorrow night.
Bring on party time!
Following Sawyer’s trail of wet footprints, I head for the stairs and notice Ben walking into the kitchen.
I’m at the first landing when I glance back down and spot him grabbing a towel. Oh shit, is he gonna…?
Yep. He is.
Crouching down, he mops up our wet footprints.
Oooo. Points for Ben Evers!
Maybe Boring Ben is more useful than I thought.
He could be a great addition to our house if he’s gonna go around cleaning up after everybody. I’ll have to mention it to Darian.
As I wander up to the second floor, my brain starts ticking over, wondering who else in this place will be joining us for the school year. Living with Darian and Sawyer is gonna be a blast, and maybe if Ben’s there to keep us from getting too crazy, that’ll be a good thing.
That leaves two more spaces.
Pausing at the top, I stare over the railing and look down into the room of guys, and Nix. My lips curl into a smile. With her and Darian hitting it off, maybe she can move in. That’ll leave one spot open.
Which one of you guys is it gonna be?
I check them all out, weighing the pros and cons as my eyes dart from one person to the next. Hopefully by the end of this weekend, my gut will tell me for sure who else we’ll be inviting into the house.