Page 31 of Sweet Temptation
Dad never stands, but he stops me, all the same. “Tread very carefully, Lucky.”
“I always do,” I tell him and walk away, but not before I hear him murmur...
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
LEXIE
I no longer have time in my life for things that don’t fuel my soul.
If it doesn’t bring me peace, I’m not interested.
—Lexie’s Secret Thoughts
“Dude, it’s two nights at the beach house. Not nine months in France. What the hell do you have in this thing?”
I stare at my brother as he carries my suitcase downstairs.
It’s not that heavy.
Linc drops it on the floor in the foyer, and I cringe.
In my defense, it’s my little suitcase.
“A girl needs options, Lincoln. Don’t be a baby.” I grab my purse and my pink Kings baseball hat and follow him downstairs. “I ordered food to be delivered in two hours. The girls and I should be there by then. What time are you guys getting there?”
He shrugs.
I swear men suck at planning.
At least the ones in my life do.
“I’m not sure. Lucky texted that he had to meet Sam for breakfast this morning, so we’ll probably head down after that. Ryker and Jamie are coming too. Last weekend of freedom before the grind of the season. I think everyone wants a little downtime.”
We both smile because once Lochlan is there, it will be the first time all three of us will be together at the same time in over a year, and I doubt any of us can wait.
A car horn beeps as Brea walks into the house. “Get that cute ass moving, Sinclair. The beach is calling our names.”
I look between Linc and myself. “Which one of us are you talking to?”
She grabs the handle of my suitcase and grimaces. “I’m talking to you. Your ass is better than Linc’s. But I’m going to need him to carry this for us. What the hell did you pack?”
“Everything,” Linc answers as he carries my suitcase like it doesn’t have wheels.
Big. Baby.
“Have I ever told you how much I love that your family has a compound at the beach, Lex?” Saylor looks at me through the rearview mirror, her blonde hair pulled back in a scarf and her Ray-Bans glowing gold in the sun.
“Your family owns an island in the Caribbean.Like the entire island. Pretty sure that beats our compound.” She’s not wrong though. Our family does own a compound. It started with myuncle’s parents’ house and grew from there. Basically, all my aunts and uncles own houses along this private strip of beach, and when Mom and Dad bought the house next to Grandpa’s a few years ago, it basically solidified it. It made for great summer breaks. So much fun. So many stories. And maybe a little tiny bit of trouble, not that we ever got caught. Well, not that I did. Linc and Lochlan were a different story. “And it’s not like a few members of your family don’t have places down here too.”
“I know, but it’s not the same,” she argues as we drive over the little bridge that leads to my favorite island on the Jersey shore. Tucked away between two bigger, family-friendly towns, this one is left alone for the most part. You can’t rent for weeks at a time. It’s full summers or owners only, so it’s not as crowded.
Less people.
Less noise.
Less stress.
It’s my favorite place in the world.
