Page 28 of The Pass Protection
Sure enough, my mom and sister, Saylor, are standing off to the side near a small, turquoise shack. A wide grin spreads across my face as I close the space between us.
“Surprise!” Mom yells as I embrace her. Her face smashes against the CTU football logo on my shirt. When she hugs us, it’s obvious that we didn’t get our height from her.
She chuckles, and I fight the emotion wanting to spring free. “I can’t believe you planned this.”
“Nonsense. It’s not every day your son comes passing through town.” She smacks my stomach, creating space between us. Saylor is quick to replace Mom’s spot.
“Big brother!”
“Hey, sis.” She squeezes my middle tight before letting go of me. Standing back, I notice how much she’s changed. At sixteen, Saylor isn’t so little anymore. Her looks have morphed from awkward teen to almost adult. An ache in my chest settles as I realize how quickly she’s grown up and how I haven’t physically been here for her.
“So, where is she?” Saylor bounces on her feet, looking around at the people who are filing in line from the buses.
“Where’s who?”
“Thegirl,” she mocks.
My eyes find Mom who dares to look amused. A smirk plays across her features as if she was saying her work here is done. As soon as she told Saylor that she met my new roommate, who happens to be a female, over FaceTime, she knew Saylor would do her younger sister’s duty to pester the hell out of me until I spilled the beans.
Two days ago, there weren’t any beans to spill, but after last night, well, let’s say my poker face better be in check because Saylor will sniff out the truth like a shark sniffs out blood in the water.
And I cannot let Grant catch onto his sister and me being more than roommates. Coach, now, if he found out, Imightbe able to talk my way out of that situation. But Grant? Grant wouldn’t have secondthoughts about kicking my ass. Hell, I think he’d do it in front of everyone to prove that his sister is off limits.
“Come on,” Mom says, saving me from the interrogation she sicced my sister on. “Let’s go get you some food.”
This entire afternoon has been incredible. I didn’t know how much I needed to breathe Silo Sky air until I was here. A local cover band has been playing hit after hit as my two worlds collide. It was an incredible gesture for the Sunset Shores company to treat us as we passed through. The hometown pride showed through with every thought-out detail, from the food to the music to the CTU-colored decorations sprinkled throughout the property.
While I’ve enjoyed catching up with family and a few family friends who work for Sunset Shores, I’ve had the most fun watching Bret. A lightness has fallen over her as she roams around without a care in the world. A smile has firmly been in place since she stepped off the bus. And it’s her real smile. The one she allows to slip free when she’s in the comfort of the apartment. It’s not the fake one that she forces as she walks through campus.
It’s almost as if she’s lowered her battle shield and allowed herself to be fully immersed in her surroundings. I’ve noticed how she looks over her shoulder as she walks through campus and how she’s constantly scanning the crowd. For what? I have no idea. But I’m glad Silo Bay has given her the sense of freedom she’s been desperately searching for.
Excusing myself, I climb out of the picnic table, which is a feat for someone as tall as I am. Cutting through the crowd, I let my legs carry me to the giant manmade lake. Lake Drummond is Silo Bay. Our townrevolves around the lake as it’s the center of our town. Businesses are built on the shores, and many people enjoy walking on the shoreline. Crossing the road to the sidewalk on the sea wall, I spy a familiar jet-black-haired girl sitting with her back to the chaos. Climbing down the few steps, I slowly walk toward her.
“Penny for your thoughts, Rebel?”
Glancing over her shoulder, she nibbles on her lower lip, and it immediately takes me back to last night when her pillowy lips moved over mine. A flashback of how her teeth grazed over my skin, eliciting goose bumps to break free. Slipping my hands into the pockets of my joggers, I subtly readjust myself as my blood runs south, settling in my cock.
Bret Campbell drips with sex appeal, and I don’t even think she realizes it.
This woman is going to be the death of me.
Sitting beside her, I bend my knees as I settle on the composite dock beside her. My legs dangle near the water and I notice she’s stripped her feet bare.
“This place is incredible, Crew. I can’t believe you grew up here.” Her eyes never stray from where she’s watching boats glide across the water.
“I love this town. Although this”—I wave my hand in the direction of Sunset Shores—“wasn’t here when I grew up. The restaurant was, but it was a dive compared to what it is now.”
“It’s like a secret resort in Ohio.” I chuckle because that’s precisely what Silo Bay is. It’s an oasis only the locals seem to appreciate, or that used to be the case. “Is this where your dad would take you out on the boat?”
“There’s a boat ramp at the edge of this road.” I point in the direction to my right. “We’d launch from there and follow the lake until we reached a channel down the way.”
“He’d be proud of you.” Her soft voice whispers five words that have my chest seizing as an onslaught of emotions hits me like a tidal wave.
The sound of the tugboat horn fills the air with three rapid blows, interrupting our line of conversation. A voice sounds over the microphone where the band was performing, announcing that it was time for the buses to roll out. My shoulders sagged at the thought of leaving home, but I promise I’ll try to get home during winter break.
Pushing up off the dock, I reach my hand out for Bret to take, which she does, and I help her to her feet. Rubbing my hand down my neck, I mull over a thought. “Would you like to meet my mom in person?”
Her head snaps up, and she smiles wide. “I’d love to!”
