Page 71 of Always Been You

“We are heading to the water,” I say as we walk past the guys.

It’s a nice summer day, the sky is cloudless and a light breeze comes off the water. We make the walk to the beach and slowly make our way into the cold Pacific Ocean. I stand there and close my eyes, taking in the sounds of the water lapping at the shore, the birds overhead, and the people around us. I’ve always enjoyed spending time in nature. It’s been so nice to do that again this summer.

After a few minutes, we see the guys making their way toward us. My eyes immediately find Josh and make their way down his body as he walks toward the water in his swim trunks. Starting at his dishevelled hair, I make my way down his face to his broad shoulders and down his chiselled chest, his abs, and the defined v that leads to his board shorts. I can feel my mouth go dry and my chest is rising and falling faster. I know what it’s like to run my hands down his body, what he smells like as I nip at his ear and pull the lobe between my teeth. How his abs tense as I run my fingers over them. I squeeze my thighs together, feeling myself get wet.

Hannah elbows me, letting me know that I’m staring. No matter how long we’ve been together, how many times I’ve had fun running my hands down Josh’s body, kissed him, or slept with him, I am always going to stare at him because to be perfectly honest the man is hot, but also because I am still in awe that he chose me. He wants me. He loves…me.

Somewhere along the way, I convinced myself that I had to settle. I think that’s why I let my relationship with Drew get to where it was; I felt like I had to make concessions in the relationship because of my size, like I had to let him get away with things because he was with a big girl and I was lucky to have someone interested in me. Josh has shown me how wrong that mentality is. He has shown me what it is like to be cared for, cherished, and loved. He makes time for us, and not just by accomplishing my summer list, but also by being home in time for us to enjoy dinner together. We watch shows together; he answers my texts during the day and if he is going to the store on his way home, he checks if I need or want anything. It’s the little things Josh does that I didn’t realize I was missing in my last relationship.

I look toward the beach just as the guys rush toward us.They all seem to have a target. Matt is running toward Zoey, Josh towards me, Caleb to Hannah, and Grayson to Eliza. The girls notice just after me and we try to make our way out to the sides, away from the direction they are aiming, but we aren’t fast enough. The guys grab onto us and drag us under the water with them. The water is cold as it rushes up my nostrils as Josh pulls me into his chest and completely under the surface.

I wiggle against his body, trying to free myself and get to the surface, but Josh’s grip tightens around me and I can feel him hardening against my ass. I freeze for a second and then decide that I am going to make this fun for myself. I reach behind me and grab the waistband of Josh’s swim trunks and shove them down. He releases his grip on me and I surface and swim away as fast as I can, laughing.

Josh surfaces just as I begin to swim away. “Olivia, you are going to pay for that,” he shouts after me. I swim faster, feeling the burn in my arms and legs as they move faster and harder, trying to gain distance from Josh. I can hear him behind me getting closer and closer.

“Faster Liv,” Zoey calls while laughing behind me.

“You can beat him,” Hannah calls. I try to move faster, kicking my legs harder behind me when I feel a hand wrap around my ankle. I scream as it’s yanked back, dragging me with it.

The force of the pull brings my head underwater and I try to twist to force him to release his grasp, but he doesn’t. I now have my hips twisted as I force my face to the surface of the water. When Josh has me pulled all the way to him, he reaches out for my shoulder to dunk me again, but I quickly manage to wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him in with me. He releases my ankle from his grip, and I wrap mylegs around his hips, pulling me flush to him. I can feel his erection pressing between my legs.

When we surface Josh is standing with the water landing around my waist and I have my legs wrapped around his hips, Josh’s hands gripping my ass, and my arms around his neck as we throw our heads back laughing.

As my laughing dies down, I hear a throat clear from behind me. I look back at Josh with a smile on my face and say, “Now, Josh, what have we learned about dunking me?”

He grins back and chuckles. “That you’ll pants me and run.”

“Yup, every time!”

“But, Olivia, remember that I’ll always come after you,” he says with a grin and squeezes my ass before I release my legs from around his hip and jump into the water.

“I’m sure you will Josh.”

I turn around and see everyone watching us. The girls are standing to my right with knowing grins on their faces and the guys all have questioning looks at our interaction. Matt quirks his brow as he asks, “Did you really pants him?”

“Yeah,” I shrug. “Figured cold Pacific Ocean straight to the balls with no barrier might force him to let me go. Bet it would work on you, too. Should we test the theory?” I say with a mischievous grin on my face.

Matt throws his hands up and takes a few steps away from me, creating more distance. “I’m good, thanks though Liv. Appreciate it.”

I chuckle as I make my way over to the girls. “I’m going to dry off and read on the beach. Who’s joining me?” I ask.

Zoey loops her arm through mine and Hannah and Liz do the same as we make our way slowly out of the water and toward the beach. We grab our blankets and books and liedown. A little while later, we hear the guys come up and move behind us to the campsite. As I lay there, I hear them start the audiobook and I look at Zoey and Liz, who nudges Hannah, who is listening to her audiobook. She pulls out a headphone and looks at us and smiles when she hears it. I close my Kindle and listen.

After a few chapters, I get up, shake my towel out, wrapping it around myself before making my way up to the campsite. I dip into my tent leaving my towel and make my way toward the fire the guys have started. Grayson and Caleb are sitting sipping their beers watching the fire, Matt is scrolling on his phone, and Josh is sitting with his ass on the edge of the chair, his legs straight out with his ankles crossed and his head resting against the back of the chair.

Josh looks up as I approach like he knows it is me, and a soft smile appears on his face. I grab a chair, pull it between Matt and Josh and settle in, watching the fire as I listen to the book with them.

I remember the first time that I read this series; I powered through the physical books. I loved them and the characters. I have heard bits and pieces online of the audiobooks, but listening to it now, I’m falling in love with the book all over again.

The girls slowly join us. Zoey and Hannah grab a blanket and two chairs and settle between Caleb and Matt, while Liz passes me a blanket before settling between Grayson and Josh.

We all watch the fire as we collectively listen to the audiobook. At one point, someone brings over the cooler and roasters, and we all start roasting hotdogs and marshmallows for s’mores as the sun sets and the only light we have left is the fire. As chapter twenty-three comes to an end and chapter twenty-four begins, the girls and I look at each other withgrins and I get comfortable so that I can watch the reactions of the guys. It takes a little bit before we get to the spice, but as it begins, I can see the changes on all the guys’ faces. Grayson is grinning like a fool, Caleb looks cool as a cucumber in his seat, Matt is adjusting himself in his chair, and Josh is giving me side glances as to avoid staring at me. I think they are beginning to realize why we read these books. We don’t read them just for the smut, but it is a nice addition to the romance story.

After a few more chapters Josh reaches over and pauses the book and we begin to clean up, putting things away in the cooler and gathering the garbage. I grab the plates to be washed and Josh grabs the dish soap and the two of us make our way toward the dishwashing station near the washrooms using the flashlights on our phones.

The fire provided a lot of light, but as soon as we leave the area close to it, it’s completely dark. Josh and I silently make our way down the pathway. The only sounds are the light breeze in the trees and the crunch of sticks and leaves beneath our feet. When we get close to the washing station, Josh grabs my hand and pulls me into a cluster of trees off the path and turns his flashlight off, grabbing my phone and doing the same. He pushes me up against a tree and kisses me. It’s an urgent, hungry kiss, like he couldn’t go another second without his lips on mine. I drop the plastic plates on the ground as I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him close to me.

It’s hard being this close to him and not being able to touch him when I want to. Not being able to give him a quick kiss when I walk past him.

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