Page 53 of Cloudless
And you never will be again.
Mace’s hand lands on my shoulder as I focus on the feel of the sand between my toes. His voice betrays the anger he tries to hide from showing in his eyes. “I hope you didn’t make things worse with Colt. I’ve only known him for a few weeks, but I can already tell he holds onto a grudge like they’re going out of style.”
“Lila can handle him.”
His eyes lighten as a smile breaks out on his face. “Oh, I know she can. I’m just worried about you having to watch it.”
My muscles tighten as Colt makes his way out of the water with a smirk on his face and determination in his eyes. He rubs at the lipstick on the side of his neck as he walks.
My hands clench into fists at my side as I will my feet to stay where they are.
You’ve got this, Sunshine. Let them see your beautiful flames.
CHAPTER 25
RED ISN’T YOUR COLOR
LILA
The sun warms my back as I tap on the bottom of the bucket to release the sand. A smile blooms on my face as I slowly raise the bucket to reveal a perfect imprint of a castle.
Ellie’s hand waves over the crumbing mess she’s made on her side. “How do you get them to come out so perfect when mine looks like this?”
Posey laughs as she stands. White streaks of sunscreen run down her back to mix with the inch of sand now coating her legs. “You aren’t using enough water. I’ll go get us some more.”
I nod as I stretch my legs out in front of me to ease the stiffness from sitting too long in one position. “Tell Jasper it’s time for more sunscreen.”
Ellie’s smile falls as her eyes focus on the direction of the water. “Here comes trouble.”
The look on her face lets me know it isn’t the good kind of trouble I now associate with her brother.
I use my hand to shade my eyes as I look in that direction. My brows furrow as I zero in on the only person coming our way.
The sun gleams off his tanned skin as his curly, blond hair bounces with every step he takes toward us. His face transforms into a cocky smirk as his eyes trace over Kim and her friends asthey lounge on their towels. Their giggles float through the air as I fight the urge to not roll my eyes.
His eyes turn away from them to zero in on me. I never look away from the predatory look in his eyes as I whisper, “Don’t you dare leave me.”
Ellie’s voice lowers to match mine. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
The arrogance rolling off of him reaches me before he does. His stark white teeth are blinding in the summer sun as he smiles down at us. “Ladies.”
His eyes rake over me as I fight to not grab my dress for an added layer of protection against his slimy gaze.
Ellie’s annoyance bleeds into her tone as she straightens her spine next to me. “What do you want, Colt?”
His eyes roam down my body as he answers her. “I’m not here for you, Ellie. Don’t get your panties into a twist.”
His stomach muscles bunch as he tries to act like he’s not flexing on purpose. I draw my knees to my chest to cut off his view. His eyes bounce back up to mine as he smiles like a Cheshire cat.
Ellie huffs out a humorless laugh. “Then why are you here?”
His eyes brighten as his gaze rakes over my legs clutched tightly to my chest. “I was wondering if the new girl wanted to go for a walk. We can go down to the pier.”
Ellie opens her mouth, but I cut her off before she has time to speak. “Thenew girlhas a name.”
His eyes flare with lust as he takes a small step closer to us. “Are you going to tell me what it is, or am I going to have to guess?”
The audacity of this man. No, boy. He’s definitely a boy.
