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“What are you doing?” she asks with a laugh, but I don’t respond, merely guide her toward the pool.
Sensing what I’m about to do, she tries to fight me, but she’s laughing so hard, she has no more energy to be stronger than me. I throw her in with ease, watching as the water envelops her within seconds.
Val and Gabriel snicker.
Nevaeh resurfaces, sucking in a sharp breath.
“Adrian, I think I scraped my knee when you threw me in. It burns,” Nevaeh says, her face pulled into a pain-filled grimace, making a wave of panic crash through me.
“Fuck,mon ange, I’m so sorry,” I say, stepping toward the edge of the pool to help her out.
She lets me, but as soon as she’s out of the water, she turns us around and pushes me in instead. A laugh bursts out of me underwater, but I push up to reach the surface and get back to Nevaeh.
“You play dirty,” I say, wiping my face to get my hair off my forehead.
“You started it,” she reminds me as I push out of the pool and stand in front of her. She swallows hard once I’m barely a centimeter away, my chest brushing against hers.
“Yeah, and if it were up to me, you’d be the one finishing,” I say low enough to make sure only she hears me. Her gaze attaches to my lips, her chest brushing against mine with every fast breath of hers.
“I think you missed a word there,” she replies, so I flash her an innocent smile.
“Well, English isn’t my first language,” I explain, and she nods several times as if that explains it. “Then again, I grew up bilingual from the age of three.”
A nervous laugh bubbles out of her as I reach behind her for the towel she was lying on, wrapping it around her shoulders. Her cheeks are pink, but she’s still grinning at me, and it’s at this moment that I wonder if buying all ofGriffin Sportsto get rid of the no-dating-driver's rule is a little too extreme.
“I’m sorry I left this morning. It won’t happen again,” is what I apparently decide on instead of telling her I’m thinking about buying the company she works for so she can date me, which would be highly inappropriate for many reasons.
“Yeah, because I’m never sleeping in your bed again. It’s unprofessional,” she says, holding the towel closer to her body.
“We’ll see,” I reply with a wink before making my way inside and allowing myself to take a deep, full breath.
I’m about to go upstairs to shower when my sister’s voice fills my ears.
“Nevaeh?” she starts, sounding serious. “It’s great to prioritize your career, I did too, but you shouldn’t fight your feelings either. Life is about more than work.”
My sister is my favorite person for many reasons. This is one of them.
“Plus, secrets can be fun when they don’t harm anyone,” Val says, the sound of her and Nevaeh’s chuckle making me smile.
I’d be Nevaeh’s secret any day of the year.
Chapter 33
Nevaeh
Papahandsmesometape for the box I’m holding shut at the bottom. I release the flaps to find the beginning of the tape on the roll, groaning when I run my fingers over it five times without any luck. I give it back to Papa, who smiles at my incapability to do such a small task when a moment ago I was basically lifting half of my bed off the floor to look for a missing sock.
He instructs me to close the box again so he can fasten it for me. An unspoken question lingers on his features the entire time.
No, you started without me?Aileen signs, running over to me and wrapping her arms around my neck. I hug her back, smelling the familiar vanilla scent emanating from her.I can’t believe you’re leaving me alone with that sister of yours,she playfully complains, and I let out a short laugh as sadness creeps into my chest while she pulls me into another hug.
Leaving my family is the only bad thing about this move.
You’re always welcome to visit me when she gets on your nerves, I offer after stepping out of the hug to look at her. Her brown eyes filled with tears. Guilt consumes me in return. This is the most selfish thing I’ve ever done, but I hope they will forgive me for it.
How many times can I come to visit?she asks, and I chuckle. She spins around to look at my father, her black, curly hair almost hitting my face.Rob, you promised I could turn this room into a Nevaeh shrine, and I need you to keep your word,Aileen signs, and I almost choke on my own breath.
“Oh my God, what?” I ask, but my sister’s girlfriend waves my words away with her hand. She’s waiting for a response from Papa.
