Page 48 of Just the Tipsy
Then again, Wes and Bianca’s relationship doesn’t matter at the end of the day since none of this is real. As much as I like that Bianca feels comfortable enough to let down her guard a bit.
“Want to go down the water slide?” Wes asks, nodding toward the slide. A few of our younger cousins are on it already, climbing up the stairs to the top.
“The one that Waylon said is pretty unsafe?” She glances at me with a little smirk.
“That’s the fun part.” Wes stands up and peels off his t-shirt.
“Does everyone in this town have a death wish?” Bianca asks.
“Yep,” Rose says, patting Murphy’s exposed belly. “I’m staying right here with the dogs.”
“I’m going to put you in my lap and go down the slide later.” Wes grins at Rose and she playfully rolls her eyes.
“I know where you sleep.” Rose says.
“I also know where you sleep.” They exchange a look I’d rather not think about too hard.
“Again, does everyone in this town have a death wish? Besides me and Rose?” Bianca takes off her swim coverup, though, and I smile.
“Well, what other thrills are there in Jepsen?” I take off my shirt too. “Besides bonfires in the woods?”
I savor the way that Bianca’s eyes flick over my body before checking that Rose has a handle on Duke — Duke loves to leap into the water after me, usually missing and ending up right on top of my head. Murphy will probably bark at the water and run away if it touches him even a little bit. Sadie, as always, is taking a nap.
Bianca, Wes, and I head to the top of the slide. It really hasn’t changed all that much, except as an adult, I can see even more safety issues. Both the stairs up to the top and the slide itself are rickety and the guard rails aren’t secure. Is the slide even deep enough for us to not go flying over the ledge and into the trees?
“Um, one of you is going to have to go first,” Bianca says. “Because this looks like a death trap.”
“I’ll go.” Wes steps up and slides down like it’s no big deal. We hear him splash into the lake below moments later, waving his hand. “I didn’t die!”
“What a ringing endorsement,” Bianca says, her arms crossed over her chest.
“I’ll go next,” I say. “And I can catch you at the end if you want.”
“If I make it all the way down without flying off and breaking my back against a tree,” she says. “Go ahead.”
I grin and hop on the top of the slide. It feels wobbly as hell under my weight, but it’s still fun and fast, shooting me down and into the lake. I swim a little ways out so I’m close enough to catch Bianca, but not so close that she’ll crash into me. A few of my family members are floating around in donuts, watching people come out of the slide, so they give us space too.
I motion for her to come on, and she hesitates. For a second I think she’s going to back out, but then she sits on the slide and throws herself down it. The ride is short, only a few second, but she makes it, splashing into the water with a squeal. I’m just close enough to grab her.
“Holy shit,” she says, letting me hold onto her. “That definitely felt like a death trap.”
“But it was fun, wasn’t it?” I ask. Her waist feels nice under my hands.
“Okay, yeah, it was,” she says, shivering. “Sorry, the water is a little chilly.”
She scoots closer to me, like she’s trying to absorb my heat. Her breasts brush up against me.
“Is it?” I ask, my voice low as my hands slide down to her hips.
“Yeah.” She swallows, looking at my shoulders, then my lips. “Getting warmer, though.”
We stay there for a moment, like the simple act of me holding her hips has created a spell over us. The overwhelming urge to pull her even closer almost takes over. Do we have to do this? No. But it feels nice just to touch her without thinking about it much more. The water is dripping off her curls, making her exposed skin glisten in a way that makes me want to lick along her collar bone.
One of my uncles comes shooting out of the bottom of the slide shakes me out of my trance. I loosen my grip.
“I’m going to hop out and warm up,” Bianca says, clearing her throat and not looking at me.
“Okay, yeah.” I give her more space. “I’m going to…just hang here.”
