18. Callie
Chapter 18
Callie
Sun baking me, the sound of gravel crunching under tires, and the feel of wind between my toes draped out the window make for a picture-perfect moment frozen in time.
Maverick’s been driving the last forty minutes, Colt in the back shouting directions over the music, between singing his heart out. Well… more like shouting the words.
It’s hot.
Head-in-an-oven hot.
Inferno-of-hell hot.
Sweat slicks the back of my neck and drips down my collarbones to where it disappears into the V of my dress.
Even with the air conditioner cranked on full blast, it doesn’t stand a chance when our windows are open, letting the cool air escape and the hot air enter.
I’ll take the heat if it means I can keep my legs hanging outside, crossed at the ankles. Time moves slowly here, all dirt roads and narrow lanes.
The country girl in me hadn’t realized just how much I missed this.
My life’s the polar opposite of this, all honking cars, impatient drivers yelling at each other as they follow the racing pace of urban life.
I adjust the hem of my skirt, holding it firmly in my fist as the wind tries to push it higher.
Pretty sure, having my dress fly up would give them the show of a lifetime.
Colt hits a particularly high note, making me wince, but that’s just who he is.
Impossible to embarrass when he’s having a good time.
I’ve always been envious of his ability to not care what other people think and just lean into his happiness like it’s the most natural thing in the world and the rest of us aren’t being pressured to conform to society.
Although that’s not true for him anymore, is it?
He wears his own mask now, an aw-shucks smile that gives nothing about his opinions away. The perfect country boy, never disappointing his fans.
When did he start hiding himself like that?
The way Maverick keeps glancing in the rearview mirror pulls me out of my thoughts.
I turn my head, but there’s nothing back there but open road. He wouldn’t expect a car to come out of nowhere, and I wouldn’t be surprised to hear we’re the only ones who’ve been out here for days.
The song changes, and Colt’s head rests on the back seat, voice lower but still lost to the world.
Turning back, I’m just in time for Maverick to check that mirror again, gaze lingering a little too long.
My neck tingles, a thrill skating over my skin, when the corners of Maverick’s lips twitch, a hint of a curl tugging at the end.
My chest constricts as his expression melts from stern, revealing that boyishness I remember.
Whether he knows it or not, something’s changing between them.
“Fuck! Turn right there!” Colt shouts from the back, the turn only feet ahead.
Maverick slams on the brakes, causing the truck to lurch with the change of momentum.
I’m flung forward, my seat belt ready to catch me, but Maverick’s faster.
His arm shoots out, catching my sternum and holding me in place.
Reminding me that feet out the window is a bad position if we get into an accident.
I’ve seen enough ER nurses make posts warning about this to have me pulling my legs in, placing my feet firmly on the floor.
“What the actual fuck?” Maverick growls, and there’s enough menace in it to have me shuddering.
As if sensing my response, his hand drops to my thigh, his calloused thumb arching across my bare skin in calming strokes.
I’m tingling for a whole new reason, his touch sending heat licking up my inner thigh.
I choke back a moan when my clit pulses in response.
“Sorry, man, I didn’t see the sign,” Colt says sheepishly, leaning over the console. “We’re almost there.”
“Better be,” Maverick grunts out, that boyish look nowhere to be found.
If it wasn’t for the fact that he’s left his rough palm on my thigh, I would think he’s firmly back in stern old man mode.
My nipples harden, and it has nothing to do with the cold air pumping out of the vents, and my breath grows shallow.
If he notices, he doesn’t show it.
Instead, his focus is straight ahead.
He almost looks cold while he’s setting me on fire, and I want to punch that look off his face.
It’s not fair that I’m going through this while he’s calmly unaffected.
“Turn left up ahead.”
Maverick’s forced to release me to turn the wheel.
Good, because any longer and my panties will be soaked.
His hand doesn’t return, and I refuse to admit that I’m just a teeny bit disappointed.
Throat thick, I swallow hard and force my attention to the scenery passing us by.
A canopy of trees lines the road, leaving splashes of sunlight peeking through between the leaves.
The truck slows as we roll up to a dead end.
Getting out, it feels like the world ends right here, in this quiet, nowhere spot.
Colt’s already ahead of us, arms filled to the brim as he walks right through the trees.
“Come on, you two,” he calls back over his shoulder, not slowing his stride.
Maverick falters, brows rising, before going after him.
The space opens into a wide-open field that looks like it goes on for days.
My breath catches as I take it all in.
Wildflowers of every color grow so crowded they overlap each other as they fill the air with their sweet scent.
They stop where the ground grows sandy, only a light covering of grass as it leads down toward a lake.
The water’s a deep blue, sparkling where the light catches the surface, and a long wooden deck reaches out into the center.
“It’s good, right?” Colt asks from where he’s spreading a large blanket in the shade of an old oak tree.
“More than good.” I can’t help but smile at him.
He really outdid himself with this one.
If he keeps up, I really am going to fall for him.
Who wouldn’t?
Maverick helps him lay everything out, popping open the cooler and holding out a bottle of water to me.
I swipe it from his hand, cracking the top and drinking over half of it in one go.
It goes down easy, cooling my dry throat.
Both boys are frozen in place as they watch me.
Colt holds a tray halfway in the air, like someone hit pause on the world as he went to put it down.
Maverick’s own water is hovering where he stopped midway to taking a sip.
The weight of their attention is hot against my skin, a smothering intensity that makes it hard to breathe, like being submerged into a bath.
Colt clears his throat, and the world spins again, all of us jolted back to the present.
My chest rises and falls as I get myself together and take my seat on the blanket, legs crossed ahead of me, elbows supporting my back.
The shade provides just enough shelter to cut through the blistering heat, providing bliss on a summer day.
Something drops on my stomach, and I peel my eyes open to find a container filled with fruit, the plastic sides wet with condensation.
“Thought you might be hungry.”
Colt’s charming the socks off me right now, and I don’t know what to do about it.
I fall back on the safety of our usual teasing. “Is this how you seduce all the ladies?”
His brows shoot up. “I’m insulted that you think I have to seduce them.”
An exasperated breath huffs out of me. “Oh, sorry… I’ve yet to witness this magic of yours.”
“You’ll know when I seduce you.”
When.
Sparks start at my toes and race upward until they buzz in my entire body.
He goes back to pulling stuff out of the cooler like he didn’t just rock the foundation I’m sitting on.
It’s Maverick who pulls me out of it.
He’s standing at the end of the blanket, only a few feet from me, when he lifts his shirt to wipe sweat off his face, revealing stacks of carved muscle.
Deeply tanned skin from days spent in the sun shines with the sheen of sweat.
Mouth watering, all I can think about is how he’d feel beneath my tongue as I ran it along the hollows between his abs.
I crisscross my knees in an attempt to ease the ache building between my thighs.
Maverick’s dark eyes roam over me, devouring my reaction, a devious smirk slicing his lips just before he removes his shirt completely.
I inhale sharply, lungs constricting at the delicious view he’s given me.
Muscles seem to multiply as I progress from his large chest, down his abs, and follow the corded line that disappears into the waistband of his jeans.
All I hear is static, as every inch of him is displayed.
“Y… you’re hot?” I stutter unintentionally, my brain completely melted.
Maverick huffs out a laugh, looking altogether too pleased with himself. “Yeah, that’s why I took my shirt off.”
“You’re not playing fair, asshole.” Colt reaches back and pulls his white T-shirt over his head in one fluid movement.
He’s only inches away, beside me on the blanket.
He flexes under my attention and leans in close enough that I can feel the heat wafting off him.
Frozen in place, I can’t look away. Any rational thoughts have left the building, and I’m seconds from spontaneously combusting.
He reaches over me, his arm brushing mine, and it feels like he’s branded me with his touch.
The bastard just smiles, sitting back in his place.
It takes me a second to realize he’s grabbed the container of fruit, and now he’s pulling out a triangular piece of watermelon.
I close my eyes and groan when his teeth sink into it in a last-ditch effort to maintain any sense of sanity.
There’s rustling, but I refuse to look.
These dickheads know exactly what they’re doing to me, and it’s so not fair.
Damn their competitive nature.
What happened to harmless teasing?
When did it change to who can cause me to soak my panties first?
“Alright, leave her alone for a bit. She looks like she can use a break,” Maverick says, amused.
I glare at him through slitted eyes, not trusting whatever he’s up to.
Colt rises first, grabbing two fishing poles and a black rectangle that I recognize immediately.
“Where did you find it?”
“Stuck under the back seat.”
I gasp, cradling my missing Kindle to my chest like a lifeline. Not having it during the long drives has been a special form of torture. Grateful that I got it back, I kiss the device. It’s the best chance I have to dissociate enough to ignore the fact that these two are halfway to being naked.
Thank you, fictional hot hockey players. Thank you.
Even with my book to distract me, I still can’t help but look up.
They’re fishing, but I’m not sure you could use the word together.
Each of them are on opposite sides of the dock, facing away from the other.
At this point, I can’t imagine spending that much energy just to hate someone.
Not that I think they do.
They’ve made it entirely too obvious that wanting to hate someone and actually hating someone are two completely different things.
Which is why seeing them try so hard has amusement bubbling in my chest and a soft chuckle escaping my lips.
Colt glances toward me, his head tilted to the side as if asking what’s so funny, but I shake my head.
Not a chance I’m explaining any of this to him.
Calm settles over us as time disappears. The only sounds are the birds singing in the trees and the leaves rustling overhead.
When I finally look up again, the sun’s warm evening light dips around their silhouettes, making them glow.
I groan into my palms, dropping onto the blanket, eyes squeezed firmly shut.
How the hell did they manage to look like gods out here?
Meanwhile, my hair is stringy with sweat, sticking to my skin where it’s escaped my hair tie.
My dress is rumpled from hours lying on the ground, and I can’t be sure, but it’s likely my makeup is doing its best to wander in the heat.
I’m just grateful for waterproof mascara since it’s the only thing stopping me from looking like a raccoon right now.
I don’t look, even as Maverick and Colt’s footsteps grow closer, until they’re standing over me, causing my senses to come alive.
At this point, I’m not above begging them for mercy.
I’ve kissed them both, and it would be so easy to fall into them.
God, I want to.
The ground practically shakes as they collapse on either side of me, their proximity so close it raises the hair on my arms.
It’s entirely too awkward to lie here with them sitting so close, and I know there’s zero chance I can pretend to be sleeping.
So I pull myself up to a seated position.
There’s a pop and hiss of a can opening, and then Colt’s head lands on my shoulder, hair tickling my neck.
I squirm, but he catches me around the waist.
“Stay still. I’m enjoying this.”
Maverick hums in agreement, long, thick fingers entwining with mine.
“What?” I choke.
Colt chuckles, lifting so that his breath brushes my ear, sending goose bumps prickling down my neck.
“Thank you.”
Molten heat brands me, stealing my breath.
It takes several moments before I’m recovered enough to process what he said.
“U-uh, but you’re the one that brought me here.”
Maverick circles my jaw with his fingers, turning me toward him.
“Yeah, but it wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t here.”
He’s so close, nose brushing mine.
My mouth opens slightly, and I desperately want to close the distance between us, to feel those hot lips on mine.
It’s like being dropped into a volcano and then asked to swim.
It would be so easy, simply lift my chin and let him take me…
My nipples tighten as I fight the temptation, and I know if I don’t do something now I won’t be able to stop.
I gulp in a lungful of air, ignoring the delirious mix of their scents, and thrust myself up to my feet, jostling the boys from their positions.
“Last one in is a loser!” I yell over my shoulder, knowing I need every inch of a head start I can get.
I smirk, the guys quick on my heels, unable to withstand a challenge.
My lungs burn as I run at full speed, nearly tripping as I rip my dress over my head, tossing it to the side.
Matching groans and the stumble of someone behind me follow.
“So not fucking fair, Callie.”
“Who said anything about playing fair? I want to win.”
And with that, I unclasp my bra, the wood planks of the dock digging into my soles as I clear the remaining few feet.
Air rushes by me, followed by splashes of water. My forward momentum doesn’t allow me to stop, so I jump into the water after them.
I splutter as I come up, frustration coating my voice. “Oh, come on.”
“Loser!” Colt sticks out his tongue, and I snap out a hand, nearly fast enough to catch it.
His mouth snaps shut, eyes wide on me in shock.
Maverick’s laugh echoes in the wide-open space, the sound so free it has my chest aching.
I’m not the only one affected. Colt’s staring, his mouth dropped open as he treads water.
Warmth takes over Colt’s features as he watches his friend like he hasn’t seen him in a long time like he missed him.
Colt catches me and dunks me under the water, holding me down as I pinch his sides.
We’ve done this countless times before, but I’m older and sneakier now.
I twist his nipple, hard, and he flinches back from me.
“Who are you calling a loser, loser?”
It’s probably the most immature thing I’ve said in my adult life, and I welcome the laughter that breaks free from my chest.
It takes over me, filling my veins with coursing electricity, making me feel alive.
I’m still smiling when I open my eyes, finally getting myself under control.
I laughed so hard it hurt not from the laughter but from how badly I knew I’d miss this.
When I open my eyes again, I’m met with matching hooded expressions.
I swallow hard. Not even the spring-fed water cools me down as they circle me.
“Stay back,” I warn, palms smacking against the surface, spraying them as I kick my feet, swimming into deeper water, putting some space between us.
“Chicken?” Colt calls out, but I don’t rise to the bait.
Instead, kicking my feet, I lean backward until the lake cups the back of my head.
The last rays of sun cling to the sky, painting it in deep reds and oranges.
A calm weight settles over me, making my limbs feel heavy as I tread water, even as the cool depth calls me under.
Maverick’s a few feet ahead of me, his body haloed in the fading amber light.
His mouth is parted, chest rising and falling like he’s trying to steady something unruly inside him.
I follow his gaze.
Colt’s floating on his back, the water lapping softly around his waist, hips just beneath the surface.
Every movement is effortless, slow and deliberate, like he knows he’s being watched.
Like he wants to be.
The tension crackles across my skin like static before a storm, humming through the space between them.
Colt turns his head, locking eyes with Maverick.
There’s no animosity, no challenge.
Just something slow and charged. Curious. Open.
Something that makes it hard to breathe.
Maverick glances away, and I can’t tell if the pink covering his cheeks is from the sunset or him blushing, but for the first time since I’ve been back, I think they really will be okay.
Colt swims up to me, a lazy smile curving his lips, as he grips my foot under the water and tugs me to him.
I gasp as skin touches skin from my hip bones along my side, pressing into the curve of my breast.
My entire body ignites, flames branding where we touch.
Maverick cups the back of my neck with one hand, startling me, and splays his fingers along my stomach with the other.
Unable to stop it, I moan, turning into a whimper when their hands begin to move. Realizing where we’re heading way too fast. I’m not quite ready for lake sex.
That doesn’t mean I can’t have a little bit of fun.
Shoving them backward, I use the force to propel myself to the dock, gripping the edge, and pulling myself up and out of the water before they can do anything.
I don’t look back as I lean over and grab my thrown-off clothes from the ground, giving them a nice view.
“Fuck,” echoes from the water, the sound rough and wanting.
My grin grows into a smile, so wide it takes over my face.
Who’s the loser now?