Page 18 of Wildest Dreams

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 harmlesstry anything on with her and I’ll break your fucking jawmorning brawl that I had in the lake withTristan 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.

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