“It’s the first thing that comes up when you type ‘Sterling,’” Knox explained.
“You might want to be careful,” Duncan warned.
Griffin groaned. “Please tell me you’re not going to be on my case all day, Duncan.”
“No, he won’t,” I assured him. “He wants to win. He’ll focus on that.”
Damn, was that too cheeky of me? Duncan was still my employer, after all.
The guy next to Griffin threw his head back, laughing, before saying, "I'm Wyatt. And you can go toe-to-toe with us. That's good."
Chase looked at Duncan. "Good choice, brother."
Hannah started laughing. "Oh, Riley. They can be a handful."
"They are," I said, feeling more of my sass coming back. I liked the guys. “I thought only Knox was a bit much, but clearly that applies to all of you.”
"Heard that," Knox said from the pool.
I snapped my head in his direction. When had he swum toward us?
"Yeah, he's got like a sixth sense when people talk about him," Griffin informed me, as if reading my thoughts.
"Good to know."
"What do you mean, I'ma bitmuch? I'm a lot much," Knox said.
“My bad,” I replied, fighting to keep a straight face.
He shook his head theatrically. "Come on, everyone. We've got a game to play. And if we time this right, we'll have all the single gals in the complex join us in the afternoon."
Duncan grinned. "Knox, knock it off."
"I swear to God, you warn me one more time not to hit on your neighbors?—”
"Sounded like you needed a reminder."
"No, I didn't." He glanced at me. "Riley, help me out."
I jerked my head back. "No, I won't. I'm with Duncan on this one."
Duncan's smile was totally smug.
Wyatt burst out laughing again. "All right, everyone, let's get this game started."
The next few hours were a veritable muscle fest. The guys were all hot as hell. There was no other way to describe them. They were tall, with broad shoulders and endless muscles, and moved with grace in the water. They were playing three against three. Jeremy was the referee.
"Can you even play water polo with just three people?" I wondered out loud.
"Oh, don't worry. My sons make their own rules," Bruce said. He, Susan, and Hannah were sitting side by side on chairs.
"They seem good at it," Hannah remarked.
While keeping an eye on the pool, I headed to the shade where Knox and Finn had left drinks in a cooler. Susan came with me, and we each took a Diet Coke. The fridge upstairs was stocked with beer, wine, and mixers, but Duncan said they’d only start mixing cocktails after the game was over, which I thought was smart.
"It looks like Duncan, Griffin, and Wyatt will win," I said as we stood in the shade, and I took a few sips of my soda. It was much cooler here than under the umbrella.
"You don't mind being here on a Saturday?" Susan asked, eyeing me.