Page 54 of Cloudless
My eyebrows raise as I lower my legs back out in front of me.
I will not cower.
I tilt my head in a challenge as I channel my inner-Ellie that I’ve always been too scared to set free. I guess that makes it my inner Lila. “No. I’m not playing your game.”
His eyes blaze with a molten fire I have no desire to entertain. “And why not?”
“Fuck boys don’t get to know my name.”
A smirk blooms on his face as he enjoys the challenge I now represent. “And what makes you think I’m a fuck boy?”
I rise from my towel with a newfound power that feels like it belongs within my veins. Power that has been set free because of the support of my new friends. “There’s a few, actually.” I dust the sand off my hands as I walk closer to him. “First, I wasn’t the only girl you stared at on your way up the beach.”
The flames in his eyes turn from flames of lust to flames of anger as I take another step in his direction. My voice is steady. “Second, you frowned at my sister as she walked by on her way to the water.” Now his eyebrows draw down in confusion as his smile completely melts away. “And third,” a smile grows on my face as I stand right in front of him, “you couldn’t even bother to wipe the lipstick off your neck before you came to talk to me.Red really isn’t your color.”
His eyes turn into a fiery inferno of pure anger as I step around him. His hand shoots out and grabs my wrist in a punishing grip. “You can’t just walk away from me.”
I wrench my wrist from his grasp. “Watch me.”
I step around him to find a seething Kam only a few feet away, with the twins and a wall of muscle at his back. His chest rises and falls as his eyes bounce between the blooming redness around my wrist and theboyat my back.
Wyatt’s voice is barely a rumble in the wind as he whispers, “On the ice, Cap.”
Rivulets of water drip down Kam’s bare chest as I stop inches in front of him. My voice is barely a whisper as I watch thecurrent of emotions rush through Kam’s eyes. “Take me to the water, Trouble.”
His jaw ticks as his knuckles turn white from how tightly he’s clenching his fists. My hand shakes as I uncurl his fingers. His rough calluses against my smooth skin feel like heaven. He vibrates with anger as his warmth seeps into my palm.
His breathing slows as his eyes lock onto mine. The tension in his jaw lessens as he bends down and tosses me over his shoulder, and jogs toward the water.
The wind blows through my hair as my laughter bursts free. I close my eyes and enjoy the safety that comes with being with Kam. It feels like I’m flying as he tosses me into the water.
The warm water surrounds me in a quiet cocoon before my head breaks through the surface. I wipe the water from my eyes as I take in Kam’s smiling face. There’s no trace of his anger in his voice as he wades into the water. “That was for the cooler.”
The waves swallow my legs as I back away from him. “That’s not fair. I didn’t even get a chance to get away.”
A brief glance up the beach relaxes what's left of my nerves when I find our friends surrounding Jasper and Posey. Their laughing faces warm my heart as they sit around the sandcastle with no Colt in sight.
A predatory gleam shines brightly in Kam’s eyes as I inch away from him. The predatory look Colt gave me on the beach felt slimy and unwelcome. Kam’s gaze feels like a caress that soothes my racing heart.
He lunges for me right as I dive into the water behind me. The weightlessness I feel as I’m submerged in the water lasts only seconds before a strong arm clamps around my waist.
The firmness of Kam’s chest presses into my back as he pulls me from the water. His scruff tickles my cheek as he bends his head to whisper in my ear. “That was too easy.”
My smile grows as the sound of our labored breaths drift through the air. “Maybe I wanted to get caught.”
Kam’s chuckle vibrates through me. “Oh, Sunshine. I’m counting on it.”
CHAPTER 26
EVERYTHING
KAM
The flames flicker in the fire pit as the smoke reaches toward the stars. Posey’s hair tickles my neck as she shifts in her sleep on my shoulder. Her deep exhale makes me smile as she burrows further into me.
The light from the fire dances across Lila’s smiling face next to me. “I think they’re worn out.”
My laugh is quiet so I don’t wake Posey. “Playing in the water all day will do that. I’m pretty worn out, too.”
