Page 100 of Sweet Ruin

“I’m going to pretend that’s a compliment,” he said.

“Oh, it’s definitely not,” Anna replied.

“So, you guys want to go?” I asked.

“It might be nice,” Cress shrugged. “But only if you feel comfortable going.”

“It does seem like the lesser of two evils,” Anna suggested. “Luther really will bug us all day.”

The girls had given in quickly, so I knew they must be keen to accept Luther’s invitation. I didn’t like the idea of going to the boys’ house when there was a risk I'd see Noah, but the thought of dipping my aching muscles in the warm hot tub was hard to resist. I also didn’t want to let the girls down, and I knew they would only go if I did.

“Come on, newbie,” Luther pleaded. There was a hopeful look on his face, which was reflected in Anna’s and Cress’s eyes.

“Okay, fine.” I let out a sigh. “I guess we’re going in the hot tub.”

Luther clapped his hands together and jumped up from the couch. “Brilliant. You grab your bikinis while I go get the hot tub ready.”

He was gone before I could reconsider.

Anna shook her head as she watched him leave. “All I can say is he better have good tequila.”

“And there better be no sign of Noah,” I added.

CHAPTERTWENTY-NINE

“There’s only one problem with this plan,” I said to the girls as we went back inside. “I didn’t bring a bikini.”

"What?” Anna looked shocked.

“We were coming to the mountains. It’s the middle of winter. How was I supposed to know I needed swimwear?”

“Okay, I guess that’s valid,” Anna replied. “But never fear, I have a spare bikini.” She went off in search of it before I could object while Cress went to change into hers.

I still had an uneasy feeling in my gut about going over to the boys’ house. The girls had made a pretty convincing argument for the hot tub, but Wes was so on edge about anything to do with Noah right now. I believed Cress when she said Noah wouldn’t be there, but what if Wes freaked out all the same?

I considered texting Wes to check, but I didn’t want to make him worry for no reason. The thought also made me feel a little silly. I didn’t need his permission to hang out with my friends. It was the last day of our trip, and he’d left me to ski with his brother all day. Was it really so bad I wanted to have some fun with the girls?

Anna fetched me her spare bikini, and I quickly changed into it before putting my clothes back on over the top. The swimsuit was far skimpier than my own bikini, and it revealed so much of my butt I decided I was going to have to make sure no one was ever standing behind me.

It didn’t help that the bikini was red, so it was hardly inconspicuous. It made me want to skip the hot tub altogether, but the girls were so excited, and I knew if I bailed they’d feel pressured to miss out with me. Hopefully I’d be able to jump in the water before I flashed anyone too much skin.

I left a note for the twins, telling them where we’d gone and to come join us, just in case they arrived home early. When I was ready, Anna and Cress were already waiting for me by the front door, so we headed over to Luther’s house together. The niggling feeling in my stomach still told me this was a bad idea, but I did my best to ignore it. I kept repeating to myself that I wasn’t doing anything wrong and Wes would understand.

Luther was already stripped down to his board shorts when we arrived, and he waved us into the house, a bottle of tequila already in his hand.

Anna had been chatting away as usual on the walk over, but she went completely silent when she saw Luther standing there in all his shirtless glory. He was strong and muscular, and Anna certainly seemed to be noticing. Her gaze traced over every inch of him.

“Welcome, ladies,” Luther said in greeting. “Please come in.”

Anna walked right past him, swiping the bottle of tequila from his hand before taking a swig.

“Shoes off at the front door, please,” Luther instructed. “Don’t they teach you manners over there, London?”

Anna didn’t look at him but kicked off her shoes and continued walking into the house, not at all bothered she had no idea where she was going. “So, where’s this hot tub?” she called, disappearing down a hallway that led deeper into the house.

Cress and I hurried to take our shoes off so we could follow.

“It’s out on the balcony,” Luther shouted back before focusing on Cress and me.

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