Chapter 6
Jared
Sweat drips down my brow and runs down the side of my face.
I pull off my hat and run my fingers through my wet, thick hair a couple of times before readjusting it back on my head.
My hair isn’t long like Joey’s, but long enough that it can be ruffled up.
The smell of hay and sweat lingers on the light breeze cooling off my body.
Taking a sip from my water bottle, I lick my lips, tasting the salt from my sweat.
Joey and I finished the porch renovation, along with putting a good dent into the paint job for the outside of the barn.
We cleaned most of the inside out last night.
There’s only a little left to do today before we move our gym equipment out here.
To say I’m excited is an understatement.
Working out isn’t just a release for me.
I truly enjoy how it makes me feel afterwards.
It’s the endorphins, or some bullshit, I’ve been told.
I ran into Greg during his shift at the hardware store earlier when we stopped in for supplies, and he invited me out to the river later this afternoon with his friends.
I desperately wanted to ask if Kailey would be there but opted against it.
I didn’t want to seem obsessed or anything.
Instead, I played it cool by simply saying I’d stop by.
But in the back of my mind, I was praying that she would be there.
With my truck windows down, elbow resting on the window seal, my left hand coasts against the wind in a relaxing rhythm while “Round Here” by Florida Georgia Line plays loudly through my speakers.
An earthy smell fills my nose the closer I get to the location Greg wrote down for me.
I know I’m close when a faint whiff of charcoal and fish hits my nostrils.
Several vehicles are parked near the river bank.
I park in the obvious designated area. Kailey’s Indigo Camaro catches my eye right away—sparkling racing stripes make it stand out among the other cars.
The spark of hope in my chest has quickly shifted into nerves.
My palms are now cool and sweaty as I open the door to get out.
What the fuck is happening to me? This is new. I don’t get nervous around women.
After slinging the strap to my fold out chair over my right shoulder, I grab my cooler filled with ice and drinks.
I follow the makeshift path of rocks, leading me toward sounds of laughter and splashes of water.
My cheeks are starting to hurt from the smile plastered on my face, continuing to grow the closer I get to the cheerful sounds.
I readjust my hat—today’s choice is a gray soft mesh one—that I intentionally wore, knowing Kailey has a thing for guys in hats.
She may or may not have let that slip the other night, when I wasn’t supposed to be in hearing range.
Greg and Steffan notice me first and run up the path, each giving me a fist bump, asking how the renovations are going at home, so I fill them in on all we got done today.
“I will deny this if you tell her, but Kailey has been keeping an eye out, hoping you would show up,” Steffan whispers into my ear before taking a big gulp of his beer.
My heart starts pumping faster. I feel a blush creeping up my cheeks before I can stop it from giving away how happy that statement makes me.
I glance around, making sure no one is close enough to hear the question that’s been on my mind all week.
Taking a step closer, my words are soft.
“What’s her story, anyway? She was giving off mixed signals the other night.
And dude, she is so hot.” Dismissing me, he waves a hand, continuing to walk.
I follow Steffan and Greg down to the rocks and place my stuff down with theirs.
Steffan shuffles his feet back and forth, appearing uncomfortable and unsure of what all he should tell me about his friend.
“Kailey is great, don’t get us wrong. We love her on another level.
But she has always been the tease of our group, pushing guys to their limits but never wanting to take the jump.
” Pausing, his grip tightens around the beer bottle he’s holding.
“That is, until Brandon—he kind of swept her off her feet and then single-handedly ruined her view on relationships.”
Greg chimes in, eyes never leaving the spot where Kailey is laying out by Brittney on what appears to be a blow up mattress covered with beach towels. “And then he fucked it up for the rest of us.”
The sound of crunching against rocks fills the air as I push my chair into the ground, making sure it’s steady before I set my black cooler next to where multiple colorful coolers are already arranged there.
“What a tool. Sounds like she dodged a bullet.”
“Me & U” by Cassie is playing on a nearby radio. Kailey’s hips start grinding into the mattress, in sync with the beat.
As if she can sense people are talking about her, she sits up and looks directly toward us.
Her big black sunglasses cover half of her face.
I try to keep my eyes on the dimples that accompany her smile, unable to when I notice the sweat lines dripping from her neck down into her very thin neon pink top.
The drops continue down to the matching bikini bottoms peeking out of her cutoff jean shorts with the top button undone.
Her nipples harden right before my eyes. Damn.
I’m craving Kailey. I want to chase one of those lines of sweat with my tongue while exploring her body.
Okay! I have to stop thinking about that, or I’ll be sporting a very hard bulge in my trunks.
Yep, at this exact moment I regret my choice of going commando for this outing.
Boxer briefs could’ve contained him, at least, a little bit.
Greg taps Steffan’s shoulder, alerting him that all the girls are now looking at us and patiently waiting.
The three of us walk toward the girls. It’s only then that I notice it isn’t just Brittney laying out by Kailey.
A taller blonde with really big boobs is currently shotgunning a beer next to the dark-haired beauty I can’t seem to forget about.
Brittney’s wearing a dark blue halter bikini top with a tie skirt that hides her bottoms. I make sure not to stare at her body for too long as she hops up from the blow up mattress and makes her way toward me.
Brittney looks back at Kailey trying to hold back a smile, before looking back up to me with her bluish-grey eyes.
“Hey, Jared! What a surprise!” she says sarcastically. “Where’s your bike?” Her eyes look past me, toward where I parked my truck. I can’t help but smile at how friendly she is.
I gesture toward the water. “I figured the old red Chevy would be better suited for driving on the riverbank. Too many rocks and pebbles for the bike.”
Kailey’s sunglasses hide her expression as she watches two guys down the riverbank do a backflip off a cliff. Splashes erupt from their impact. Whistles and cheers surround us as more people head to the cliff top. Followers.
“Hi, Dimples.” I nudge her calf with my foot, causing the mattress to dip slightly.
Only after brushing her shiny black hair off of her bare shoulder, causing it to flow freely down her back, does she give me her full attention. “Oh, hey, Cap Guy, what brings you to the river?”
Oh, so we’re gonna pretend that she isn’t excited to see me. Well, game on…
“Greg invited me earlier, and how could I turn down an opportunity to get wet on a hot day? We could probably fry an egg on these rocks.” Taking my shirt off, I don’t miss the way her tongue dips out to lick her bottom lip, eyes trailing down my abs to my defined V.
The laugh she lets out goes all the way to my dick, causing it to stir, and she catches me staring. What is happening?!
Kailey abruptly stands, brushing the dirt off of her bare legs, then points to the blonde. “Jared, this is my sister, Beth. Beth, this is Jared. We met over the weekend at the cruise strip.”
Beth pushes her sunglasses down to the tip of her nose, eyeing me, casually sizing me up from head to toe.
“So, this is Cap Guy? The same one I heard so much about over our lunch date?”
A light peach blush starts at Kailey’s neck and spreads to her cheeks, as she tries to poke her sister’s rib cage. Even embarrassment looks sexy on this woman. Beth anticipates her finger and is too quick, already stepping up into my personal space.
“You really are very handsome, Jared. Please tell me you have a brother hiding in your truck bed?” I notice a slight slur in her speech as her gaze goes over my shoulder.
My eyebrows raise an inch when I realize she’s wearing a purple thong bikini with a matching top.
Alright, so Beth is way more blunt than her sister.
She’s at least five-foot-ten, with a small waist, and a dimple piercing in her right cheek, and she’s definitely got breast implants.
I’ve never seen one of those piercings in person before.
Beth is pretty, but her looks can’t compete with her sister’s.
Grabbing the bill of my hat cautiously, I admit, “Actually it’s funny you ask me that. I do have an older brother. But no, he’s not hiding in my truck bed. At this second, I’d say he’s probably finishing up with cleaning out our barn.”
Beth juts out her bottom lip into a dramatic pout. Her arms cross underneath her bikini top, pushing her boobs up and out even more. She turns her attention to Kailey and Brittney and points to the cliff.
“Guess I’ll have to go say hi to those guys, the ones who’ve been trying to impress us with their flips off of that cliff.”
Kailey and Brittney are smiling while shaking their heads, waving her off. We all watch her ass shake as she quickly makes her way over to the cliff top. Her walk causes several guys to do a double take. Whew, a true spit fire, that one. Perfect for Joey...
“Sorry about that. Beth is very…” Her nose scrunches up before she shakes her head slightly. “Outgoing is the word I think I should use.” Kailey sneaks up right beside me, her bare shoulder touching mine, and our skin-to-skin contact sends a riptide of feelings through me.
I smell the coconut of her tanning lotion and the faint smell of pears.
Her skin is glistening with sweat. The neon pink swim suit on her skin makes her appear even more tan than she already is.
Internally kicking myself, wondering how long they’ve been out here already. Had she really been waiting for me?
“It’s really okay. My brother would actually enjoy her personality. Maybe we could do a double date?” I say, hopeful, looking into her whiskey brown eyes that have a hint of green dancing on their rim in this sunlight.
While patting my bare shoulder, Kailey whispers, “Let’s see if you survive today, Cap Guy, then maybe we can have that date.”
We all take our seats surrounding a makeshift fire pit. Opening my cooler, I hand Kailey and Brittney both a Jock’s Strawberry Lemonade can, remembering that’s what they were drinking the night of the bonfire. Bonus points for me, I hope. Small pieces of ice slide down the sides of the cans.
When Kailey’s small hand skims mine as she grabs the drink, I feel a radiating shock go up my arm. It makes my whole body feel warm. Her lips formed a small O, like maybe she felt it too, and I’m not going crazy.
“How did you know we like these?” Kailey holds the can, knocking the ice from the cooler off of its bottom. She attempts to shake off the blush that’s now tattooed to her rosy cheeks. I love it.
She looks like a Greek goddess with her long black hair that flows down her right shoulder, hiding half of her bikini top, her sun-kissed tan, long legs, and that damn toned belly I want to nibble on.
When flashbacks of my dream start to clog my brain, I have to force them out before a raging boner makes an appearance.
“I remembered from the bonfire.” My words come out huskier than intended. My body slowly gravitates toward hers, succumbing to an imaginary pull.
As the night goes on, it feels like I’ve known this group of friends forever.
They tell me about all of the cool places to hang out in this area, and that this riverbank is a frequent spot.
Kailey mentions that a woman named Sarah would also normally be here, but is on a summer vacation with her parents.
Greg and Steffan tell me their personal stories of how they both had crushes on Kailey and Brittney but realized they didn’t want to lose them as friends.
Their bond is strong, and it appears unbreakable.
Brittney and Kailey laugh as their story time comes to an end, throwing BBQ chips at the guys’ heads.
Steffan catches one in his mouth, raising his eyebrows at Brittney as a challenge.
Feeling at ease, I rest back into my chair, taking it all in.
Closing my eyes, the sound of the river splashing onto rocks, fish jumping out of the water, and the fire crackling is what I focus on, and I realize that this right here is what I want for my summer.
Finally feeling a sense of peace, like this place could be my new home.