Chapter 5
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Present day
I lock my fists under my chin, elbows on my knees, as I stare unblinkingly across the lake toward where Aisling and Fallon are ‘getting ready’ for their first night out. The log shifts beneath my quads as Austin settles down beside me but I keep my eyes on the right side of the girls’ porch, my concentration unwavering.
They’ve made a make-shift girl den so that they can put their make-up on in ‘natural light’. Only problem is, Hunter’s sitting protectively by Fallon’s side, casually sipping on a beer and being the human embodiment of a door, meaning that I can’t actually get a glimpse of Aisling because she’s hidden behind his back.
Austin holds a longneck toward me with his left hand. “Beer?”
I shrug. “Sure.”
I accept the bottle while leaning down so that I can swipe a rock from around the unlit campfire. Then I lift my eyes back to the girl den across the lake while I align the rock beneath the cap. I smash it swiftly upwards and the top pops clean off.
We sip in silence, the rest of the guys a little farther down the water.
Besides my harmless try anything on with her and I’ll break your fucking jaw morning brawl that I had in the lake with Tristan regarding a certain Irish cheerleader, Caden and Winter are the only ones who have been dipping in the lake.
I flick my eyes over to where they’re standing knee-deep in the water, Caden in a pair of shorts and his girl wearing one of his t-shirts. It’s now one-hundred percent transparent and showcasing the little bikini that she’s got on beneath it.
With her back against his chest and his chin resting on her shoulder, he leans them slightly forward and skims a pebble across the surface. Then he wraps his tattooed forearms around her waist as they watch the rock glide soundlessly across the water, golden and sparkling because of the midsummer sunset.
The whole moment is perfect.
I look away, sipping on my beer.
Austin gives me a light shove with his elbow and gestures the neck of his bottle toward the lake house.
I follow his line of sight, barely catching a glimpse of Aisling’s ankle as she swishes through the front door, and Fallon pads in behind her, Hunter hot on her heels.
“They must be ready to go,” he says, draining the last of his beer. Then he looks for the smallest rock that he can find and carefully sets his bottle down on top of it. “You gonna grab her before we head? I’ll join the guys. We’ll meet you in five.”
“Yeah,” I say, finishing my drink, and then waiting for Austin to kick a rock my way.
He nudges a small, shiny pebble in front of my boot, making me breathe out a laugh as I slowly place my bottle on top of it.
“You’re insane,” I tell him as we both get to our feet.
He jerks his thumb towards the two bottles. “Tell me that isn’t satisfying as hell.”
I shake my head, smirking, and we go our separate ways.
As I round the head of the lake I call out to Caden, “Y’all coming tonight? We’re about to head.”
Technically Caden and Winter are too young to go to the bars, but Caden is so goddamn built that no-one would ever ask him for ID. His cheruby, pink-haired girlfriend on the other hand, I’m not so sure.
Caden turns to face me as I make my way down the girls’ side of the shore and he gives me a subtle shake of his head as he splays his palms protectively over Winter’s stomach.
Fair enough.
I keep my head down as I mount the porch steps, eyes glancing briefly toward the railing currently in pieces on the ground in front of it.
I scrub my knuckles over my jaw. They really oughta have that fixed.
Just as I reach the top step, Hunter, holding Fallon’s hand, ducks out of the front door, his free hand shoved through his hair and his breathing uneven. There’s a lipstick print on his cheek and Fallon is smiling naughtily up at him from under her long black lashes.
He meets my eyes and gives me a shake of his head, which really could mean any number of things.
“Is Aisling ready?” I ask him, crossing my arms over my chest.
Knowing that she’s in there, barely ten feet away from me, probably looking like the prettiest thing that I’ve ever seen, is kind of getting me excited, even though I’m trying not to show it.
“Uh…” Hunter says, his expression conflicted. He looks down at Fallon and then unthinkingly hauls her up, hitching her around the side of his waist and tightening his hold beneath her behind. “I guess,” he rasps finally, completely distracted.
I huff out a laugh and nudge his shoulder with mine.
“Right. See you in a minute, man.”
I trudge up to the open front door and rap two knuckles against the wood.
“Aisling?” I call inside. “Aisling, are you ready–?”
The second that she steps in front of me, perfect eyebrows arched and delicate hands on her hips, I stumble back a step and then force myself to turn one-eighty.
“Sorry, sorry,” I rasp quickly, thrusting one hand through my hair. I roll back my shoulders and fold my arms back over my chest, eyes on Tristan across the lake as I block Aisling’s doorway like a bodyguard. “I’ll wait until you’re dressed.”
I can’t believe that she just answered the door wearing nothing but a freaking nightdress.
I swallow hard, reeling from the sudden surge of testosterone after seeing her in that outfit. Short, tight, and baby pink, with two sexy straps draped off of her shoulders.
No wonder Hunter looked like he’d just been tortured. Is this what Fallon had gotten ready in too?
Do all girls get ready in their secret, private, definitely-not-to-be-seen-outside-of-the-bedroom pyjamas?
A finger prods roughly between my shoulder blades but I stay obstinately still, not about to risk another glance at her.
“What?” I grit out, my jaw muscles bunched. If she asks me to help her out of that thing I will fucking die on the spot.
“Uh, you’re in the way?” she says, before two small palms grip into my back, a squeal leaving her throat as she tries to shove me forward.
I blink, confused, before turning around to face her.
Aisling stares up at me, her judgey little eyebrow arched like I’m insane, but my eyes only hold hers for two seconds before they drop back to her nightdress.
Soft breasts rising and falling fast against the neckline, nipples rasping under the thin fabric, and a tight waist that I could fit both of my palms around. Hot damn.
“What is it?” I rasp, my voice growing deeper. I lift my forearm to the doorjamb, wanting to ensure that no-one across the water will be able to see what she’s wearing right now.
Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if she asked me to help her out of this thing.
But before I can sink any further into that dream she shoves her palms into my pecs, making me grunt roughly and stumble back a step. I’m so stunned by the amount of contact we just made that it takes me a full five seconds to register that she’s already halfway down the porch steps, walking straight toward my teammates who are now rounding the head of the lake. Wearing that. In front of them.
I slam her front door shut and clear the steps in two strides flat.
“Aisling,” I bark out, picking up my pace as she hobbles over the rocks, wearing a pair of sexy five inch heels that she could fucking break her neck in.
She glances back at me over her shoulder, eyes widening when she realises I’m chasing her.
“Woman,” I growl, catching her up in three seconds, and then wrapping my palm around her elbow so that I can spin her around. Her nipples brush right up against my pecs and I grow another five fucking inches.
“See something you like?” she teases, giving me that sharp vixen stare.
I step into her space and my cock shoves right up against her belly.
“You’re going out in a nightdress?” I ask her. “Tell me you’re joking.”
She has the goddamn nerve to look affronted.
“You think I’m wearing pyjamas?” she gasps, grabbing her breasts in both of her hands. Sweet Jesus. “This dress cost almost five thousand dollars.”
I tear my eyes away from her trembling cleavage and say, “I’ll pay you five thousand dollars to get changed and burn it.”
“Oh yeah? And wear what?”
“Something that actually fucking classifies as clothing. Not this kind of…” My eyes trail down her front and I swear her neck starts to blush. That does not fucking help my raging hard-on . “This kind of… private stuff. Indoors stuff. Literal pyjamas would be better than this.”
She gives me a vicious smile and whispers, “I didn’t bring any pyjamas.”
I clear my throat.
Okay then.
“You’re not wearing this to a dive bar,” I tell her, knowing she’s never going to listen.
She looks up at me under those beautiful black eyelashes and purrs, “Oh, but I think I am.”
“Over my dead body.”
“Sounds good to me.”
My nostrils flare as I step backwards, before shaking my head and storming past her. Our fingers accidentally brush as I make my way around her and my chest heaves, my whole body on fire.
I don’t bother looking at Tristan as he jogs toward her, saying something to make her giggle and probably sweeping her off her feet.
Austin is already passing me another beer for the road as we begin walking our way up the canopied dirt track.
I murmur a “thanks” and take it without another word.
He clinks his bottle against mine.
It’s going to be a long night.