Page 156 of A Little Secret

“Me, too,” Raine adds.

Ophelia drags her fingers along the edge of the towel. “Me, too.”

“We should get in the water,” Dylan decides. She peeks at her bare shoulders growing pinker and pinker with every passing second. “I’m roasting.”

On a laugh, Ophelia repeats, “Me, too. Come on.” She stands, wiping the sand off of her, and offers her hand to pull me up.

As I take it, she yanks me to my feet, and I grab Dylan’s hand on my opposite side. Catching onto the trend, Dylan loops her arm through Raine’s, and we all race toward the water’s edge, our feet digging into the sand with every hurried step. Cold water licks at our ankles within seconds, but we don’t stop there. Instead, I yank everyone further into the waves until the last thing I hear is Dylan’s protests.

“My glasses!” Her words are swallowed by the water as I tug us under. Warm, salty ocean envelops us in an instant. When our heads break the surface, laughter ensues, and it’s music to my freaking ears.

“Pickles!” Someone yells. “My pickles!”

What the hell?

I look over at the guys, finding Reeves jogging toward us.

“Dude, we’re in the middle of a game,” Everett calls from behind him.

“Gotta avenge my girlfriend first!”

“Ah, hell.” Griffin drops the volleyball and chases after him, kicking up sand with his footsteps. Gotta give the man credit. He’s good at knowing when he’s needed, andgiven the fake death glare Reeves is directing at me, I’m gonna say I could use Griffin’s protection.

Dodging Griffin’s pursuit, Reeves argues, “This doesn’t concern you!”

“My girlfriend. My concern.” He lunges for Reeves again, both of them laughing as they play a game of tag like a couple of kids.

“I’m only gonna splash some salt water in her eyes. That’s all,” Reeves quips.

“Yeah, and I’m only gonna make you eat a little bit of sand,” Griff volleys back.

Giving Dylan the side-eye, I ask, “Do you think they’ll ever grow up?”

“Says the girl who just dragged me into the water,” Dylan counters.

“Touché.” I cup my hands around my mouth. “Hey, boys!”

“Yeah?” they return in unison.

“How ‘bout we settle this like grown adults.”

Reeves must be intrigued by my suggestion because he stops his little game of tag with Griffin and crosses his arms, his biceps bulging. Not gonna lie. He's a good-looking dude, but the poor bastard doesn’t hold a candle to the man next to him. Yup. Griffin Thorne has my whole heart, and I’m not sure there’s anything I could’ve done to stop him from stealing it. Not that I would’ve, mind you. He’s pretty freaking perfect, and despite the last few months we’ve endured, I wouldn’t have wanted to survive it with anyone else.

Sporting a lopsided grin making my chest swell every single time it’s directed at me, Griffin prods, “Go on.”

Oh. Right.

“How ‘bout a chicken fight?” I suggest. “Me and Griffagainst Reeves and Dylan. First girl to land in the water loses.”

“Hey, I wanna play!” Lia interjects. “Mav! Ev! Get down here!”

“You sure you wanna go against me and Ev?” Raine teases beside her.

With a wink, Lia replies, “Yeah, I think I can take you.”

The waves lap at our waists as the boys race toward us like a group of water buffalos, the ocean splashing around them with every step. Okay, describing them as water buffalos is probably a little dramatic. Pretty sure they could star in Baywatch, thanks to their rippling muscles and sunkissed skin, though there’s no need to inflate their egos even more than they already are. But, I digress. Reeves reaches us first. Wrapping his arms around Dylan’s waist, he tackles her into the water like he’s a professional linebacker, and I squeal with laughter.

Okay, now that was funny.

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