11. Chapter 11
Jake
“You got it, little man!” I cheered as Cai threw the rugby ball like a pro. And by pro, I mean as much as a tiny-legged human can be.
“Again, again!” he muttered as soon as Nate caught it. “Cai, do it!”
“Oi, give the rest of us a chance.” Nate laughed, but he tossed it straight back anyway, because none of us were about to be the one to tell him no. He’d quickly wrapped all of us around his little finger with those cute blond curls and big green eyes, just like his mama’s.
Speaking of his mama…
Seren was standing a few feet away, arms folded loosely across her chest, sunglasses perched on her head, watching us with that same look she always had when Cai was involved—soft, but alert, like she was half a second away from stepping in if she needed to.
Her gaze flicked to me, and we were both busted, caught in a duel of eye contact that dripped with intentions of the non-friendly kind, at least on my part.
Then I watched her eyes travel down to my thighs.
I know she’d joked about them before, but when she trapped her bottom lip between her teeth, I had to physically stop myself from going over to her.
Instead, I gave her the same treatment. Those long, toned legs that seemed to go on forever, dusted lightly with sand.
The yellow shirt she’d thrown on perfectly complemented her light hair and pale skin, showing off her cut shoulders.
And her shorts cupped her ass just fuckin’ right too.
I was seconds away from having to hide a hard-on from everyone here.
Not the time or place, but my body didn’t care.
I exhaled slowly, dragging my focus back before Nate noticed. Which apparently wasn’t soon enough because something slammed into my face hard enough to snap my head back, my hat flying off and a sharp sting blooming across my cheekbone as I stumbled a step in the sand.
“Jesus—” I hissed, hand flying up on instinct. “What the hell?” I muttered, blinking through the sudden watering of my eyes as I pressed my palm to my cheek. When I pulled it away, there was a thin line of red across my fingers.
Nate came to my side. “Dude, I said eyes up.”
Before he could continue, a ponytail of blonde brushed past him, clutching my hat.
“Are you actually serious right now?” Seren’s voice interjected, all softness gone in an instant as she stepped straight into Nate’s space.
I barely had time to register the switch before she was right in front of me, her sunglasses pushed up as she reached for my face without hesitation.
“Let me see.”
“It’s nothing,” I started, but she ignored me completely, her fingers already tilting my chin slightly toward the light.
Her touch was careful, warm against my skin, and suddenly I was very aware of how close she was and how her sunscreen smelled like coconuts and pina coladas. Jesus, who was I? The girl had the ability to turn me into a feral wolf searching for her scent.
“Nothing?” she repeated, glancing at the cut before shooting her brother a look that could’ve taken him out faster than the ball. “I know you didn’t do this on my behalf.”
“It’s a scratch,” Nate said defensively. “He’s being dramatic.”
“I’m dramatic?” I scoffed. “You’ve got a cannon for an arm and zero aim. God knows how we’ll cope this season with you.”
Cai, completely unbothered by any of this, toddled over and patted my leg. “Jakey ouchie?”
Seren’s lips twitched like she was trying not to laugh, but she kept it together, her focus still on me as she brushed her thumb lightly under my eye, checking the cut again.
“Yeah, buddy,” I said, crouching down to see him, hoping it didn’t look as bad as it felt so I wouldn’t scare him. “I’ll be okay, but we need to get your Uncle Nighty to practice more, I think.”
Nate scoffed above me, but I clocked Seren digging her elbow into his side.
“Mommy kiss Jakey’s boo-boo?” Cai asked and looked up at Seren.
Everything in me stalled, my gaze snapping to Seren at the exact same time hers found mine, both of us wide-eyed.
Did he really just say that? I gave her a look to try to convey that I was down with that as she hid her smile behind her hand and coughed, while Nate made a choked sound.
I didn’t look at him; I wanted to see how the other Davis was reacting.
“Yeah, Mommy’s gonna help him, baby. Why don’t you and Nighty go play in the water for a second, hm?”
He didn’t need telling twice, grabbing his uncle’s hand and speeding toward the shoreline. I tried to hide my disappointment that I wouldn’t get her lips on my skin.
“You’re going to bruise,” she whispered.
“Adds to my rugged handsomeness, no?”
Her smile hit me full force, brighter than the fucking sun and just as blinding. “Do I need to do concussion protocol here?” she asked, one eyebrow lifting. “You’re talking nonsense.”
“Only if you play nurse for me.” I leaned in just enough to make it a problem. “Kissing it better is my preferred method of your qualifications. Cai highly recommends it.”
She huffed, shaking her head like she was trying not to smile. “I can’t with you, Jake.”
Unbothered, I grinned. “Oh, I’m pretty sure you can.”
There was a beat where my fingers flexed against my thighs, wondering if she’d be brave enough to cross that friendship barrier I stupidly erected between us. Shit, don’t think about erect things. But it was fucking impossible not to want her.
“Evie,” she called out suddenly. “Did someone bring a first-aid kit?”
“Yeah, in the cooler,” came the reply from somewhere behind us.
Seren didn’t hesitate. “Stay here,” she told me, already turning.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I muttered, watching her jog across the sand, ponytail bouncing. I trapped my lip between my teeth and swallowed another groan as I tortured myself with the sight of her ass in those shorts again.
My head lolled back between my shoulders. “Fuck me,” I hissed, feeling dizzy, but not from what just happened.
Seren was back in seconds, kit in hand, telling me to sit on her chair she brought with her. She dropped to her knees in front of me, and I couldn’t contain my whimper. What was she doing to me today?
“Wait, did that hurt? Do I need to call a doctor for real?” Her eyes flashed all over me, checking for further injuries.
I cleared my throat. “I’m good, I swear.”
Fuck my life.
“Alright,” she said, frowning. “Hold still.”
Her fingers came up to my face again, tilting my chin slightly as she assessed the cut properly this time, her eyebrows pulling together in concentration. A tiny silver scar blended into her hairline, and I wanted to ask about it, but I was enjoying her hands on me too much to break the moment.
I closed my eyes and let her get to work. I thought it would be safer to not be tempted to stare at her boobs that would possibly be eye level with me at some point.
“Cold,” she said before wiping something over the cut. I winced, but didn’t move much. Her touch was gentle, and I fucking ate it up. I wondered how annoyed Nate was right now, given that his plan to stop me from staring at his sister only made her touch me instead.
“Be honest,” I murmured, dropping my voice a fraction as my eyes opened. “You’re enjoying this.”
Her eyes flicked to mine, something flaring there for half a second before she schooled it.
“Enjoying you getting hit in the face?” she asked.
“Enjoying having an excuse to touch me,” I corrected. My hands itched to touch her, to pull her into my lap and feel her curves, her against me. “Pretty sure Nate’s gonna have a heart attack with you being so close.”
“He needs to remember that he isn’t in charge of anything but himself. I’m not a kid anymore.”
My gaze trailed over her body hovering above me. The swell of her breasts against fabric, the taut lines of muscle along her legs…Off limits, she was off limits. And I’d never been more interested. “No, you most certainly are not. You’re all fucking woman, Seren.”
A hitch in her breath wouldn’t have been obvious, but she was right there, so I heard it. I couldn’t tear my eyes from her complexion mottling with pink, starting at that cute fucking dip in her throat all the way up to her cheeks, making her green eyes glow impossibly brighter.
Damn, this fucking woman could have me on my knees in a second, and I’d say thank you.
“Tell me something to distract from the pain,” I managed, not specifying that the pain had nothing to do with my head. Well, not the one she was currently touching anyway.
“Are you in that much pain? Because if you are—”
“Seren,” I cut in, quieter this time, my gaze still locked on hers, “just keep talking to me. I like your voice.”
There was a pause. I thought she might brush me off.
“All right…my favorite color is blue,” she said, a little rushed. “Kinda like the blue in your eyes. I absolutely despise decorating, so I chose the apartment I’m in because it was already furnished. I’ve broken my pinky three times, and I’m pretty sure it’s going to fall off one day.”
I absorbed all of that, but my brain hooked onto the moment she said the color of my eyes was her favorite kind of blue. “So what you’re saying is,” I murmured, my mouth curving slightly, “every time you look at me, I’m basically your favorite thing?”
“What? That’s not what I said.” But there was no conviction in it, her smile evident.
“Feels like it,” I said, softer now, not letting her look away this time. “It’s okay. I like being one of your favorite things.”
She placed a band-aid over the cut. “Well,” she said, clearing her throat. “You’re all patched up.”
Standing to her full height, she gathered the items she’d used and stalked toward the back of the beach where the trash cans were. I wasn’t ready to let her run away, not after all that.
I tracked her the whole way, my attention split just long enough to make sure Nate was still distracted with Cai before it snapped straight back to her.
I shouldn’t have followed her, but I did anyway. My feet had a mind of their own as I traced every step she took.
She was slightly hidden behind a giant Jeep that had parked where they shouldn’t have, but it did me a favor to have a second with her.
“What the hell, Seren?” she muttered to herself, her fingers making circles on her temples.
I didn’t make much noise, especially with the sounds of the beach behind us, but she stilled all the same.
As though she knew I was there, her eyes briefly flicked over her shoulder, but she didn’t turn around. “Jake,” she breathed.
My desire to be near her took over as I came up behind her, just a whisper away, but close enough that she could still feel the heat of me there. “Do I make you nervous?”
Her breathing stalled. “Yes.”
“I like that.” I hummed a noise deep in my throat as goosebumps raked over her shoulder.
“Me trembling?”
I chuckled darkly. “Yes, but not for the reason you think.”
I lifted my hand, brushing my finger to the top of her spine, light at first—just enough to make her aware of it—before I started dragging it down slowly.
She inhaled sharply, the reaction immediate, as heat zapped through me. “I like the idea that I affect you enough to make a difference in your body temperature and ability to think straight.” When I got to the top of her ass, I stopped and leaned in toward her ear. “I like that you blush for me.”
She surprised me by spinning around, bringing us even closer together.
Her eyes lifted to mine, startled and wide, but bright with want. My hands twitched at my sides, wanting to steady her hips, wanting to feel her lean more toward me.
She swallowed, and I watched the movement, the way her pulse fluttered at the base of her neck. My gaze dragged back up just as hers dipped to my mouth, lingering for long enough that I thought she might close the space between us.
Her tongue swept across her lower lip just as she breathed out, “I should get back to Cai.”
It took me a second to register what she’d said because I’d already leaned in, my body primed for her kiss.
“Yeah,” I said, rougher than I’d meant. “Of course.”
Stepping back, the air cooled around us. She was right; this wasn’t the time or place. Despite what Nate might think, I liked this girl before I knew she was his sister, and there was so much more than chasing her. She deserved more than just a rushed kiss that was hidden from prying eyes.
She turned toward the beach, but not before glancing back at me over her shoulder. The look was quick but searched me for reassurance all the same. I straightened and gave her a wink and a smile, watching that color return to her cheeks as she took off.
Before anything happened between us, I had to talk to her brother.