Page 60 of Fault Lines
“Again!” I yelled.
This time, our hands slipped and we were practically brawling, arms and legs tangled until I got a lucky push and April toppled down, surfacing with a wild laugh.
Her bikini top had shifted, exposing everything to the sunlight and our wide stares.
“Sorry guys,” she said, without a hint of embarrassment, straightening herself.
I’d already come off Cam’s shoulders, but I saw his eyes darken, locked on the bare skin he’d just glimpsed.
I glared at him.
“Let’s switch teams,” I blurted.
He wanted April? He could have her, for the length of a stupid game.
“Wait, what?” Cam started, but I was already climbing onto Jake’s shoulders.
Cam didn’t argue; he went low for April. They surfaced, April perched high and proud, Cam’s hands bracing her hips. They looked like they belonged together: strong, athletic, beautiful. My stomach twisted.
Jake’s hands on my thighs were gentler, almost cautious. I locked my legs around his neck. Cam watched us, jaw tight.
April attacked first, determined. I pushed back, holding my own as long as I could, until Jake’s hands edged up my thighs. Cam broke, shouting, “Enough!”
April blinked, laughing. “What’s wrong?”
Cam sounded calmer now, backing down. “Just had enough, is all.”
I slid off Jake, lingering a second before wading away. I half-expected Cam to gloat, but he looked more unsettled than anything.
He turned to me. “We need to get back to the cabin. Sorry, guys, gotta get the grill started or we’ll be eating at midnight.”
I followed him up the beach, gathering my towel. He grabbed it and dried me off, rougher than usual, not meeting my eyes.
Jake and April caught up, gathering their things.
“Will you take these to the rental booth?” Cam handed me the jet ski keys.
I nodded, pulled my coverup on, and walked slowly to return them.
When I looked back, Jake was still packing up, but Cam was deep in conversation with April off to the side. I watched her hand him something, then both of them waved briskly as Jake joined her and they headed out.
Cam and I walked back to our cabin in silence. His mood was a thundercloud. I didn’t dare say a word.
It shouldn’t have surprised me, the hypocrisy, but it still did.
Inside, I made a beeline for the shower, turning the water just shy of scalding, letting it turn my skin pink.
Cam came in after. We washed, silent, until I noticed he was hard. Of course he was. Probably playing back every moment in the water.
I left first, toweling off with sharp, angry movements. He followed, never one to let a fight hang in the air too long.
“What are you mad about?” he said finally, his tone clipped. “I’m the one who should be angry.”
I turned to him. “Why’s that? Because Jake touched my thighs, once, after you basically groped his wife half a dozen times in front of me?”
His jaw flexed. “Stop it, Livi.”
“No,” I said, voice shaking. “You doing that right in front of me was not part of the agreement.”
