Page 27 of Letting it Ride

Maybe that is who I am. A bombshell kind of girl. Woman. Whatever.

For the record, I think this is a bad idea. He should like you for you and all that. And isn’t he going to notice if you start to be all sexy and stuff? Haven’t you known him for years?

I feel like I need to try something. Right now, it’s just me sitting on the sidelines watching the two of them. And I want to show him there’s more to me than just being Maddox’s kid sister.

If it’s really what you want, here’s what I’d do:

Put on that little bikini, the white one we bought last week.

Figure out a way to get him to come in the pool with you, and a way to be near him.

And then your bodies will be all wet and slick and pressing against one another and… fuck, this is turning me on. It’ll work.

Remember, show skin and touch. But still be yourself. Seriously.

Perfect. Thanks. And thanks for watering the plants. :)

I slip my phone in the side pocket of my spandex shorts while I stomp away, back down the stairs and down the long hallway to our cabin.

The bikini is at the bottom of my duffel. It’s a white string bikini, with two tiny triangles of fabric to hold in my average-sized boobs. Annika helped me pick it out. It doesn’t have much in the way of underwire, but the coverage is so little that it doesn’t matter. I was almost too shy to come out of the dressing room wearing it.

But if this is what it takes, I’m ready to wear it in public.

I pull on the bottoms and adjust the ties high onmy hips before turning in front of the bathroom mirror, which gives me a view of everything above my pierced belly button. From what I can see, it’s pretty darn nice.

Cam won’t know what hit him.

And if he ignores me now, I might actually hit him. In the balls.

I rest on a lounge chair in what I’m hoping is a seductive pose, my knee bent and my breasts pushed out so they look larger than they are. I’m pretty sure it’s a good look for me, with the appreciative glances I’ve gotten from a few guys, but they’re not the ones I’m after.

Cam walks up a few minutes after I settle myself on the lounger. He still has his shirt in his hand, and I’m glad I’m wearing mirrored sunglasses as I check him out.

Chiseled abs glisten with sweat. His sandy hair is wet, making it look a shade darker than usual, and it’s pushed back in a way that makes it even hotter than normal. His running shorts hang low on his hips. I bite my lip; I want to lick him all over.

For a second, I wonder if maybe he’s out of myleague. Maybe that’s really what’s going on here. He and Harper are playing the game at a whole different level.

No. I push that thought away before I can get self-conscious or start to doubt myself. I’ve always been proud of who I am and proud of my body. I’m not going to change that now. But if he wants a flirty, sexy woman, that’s what he’s going to get.

“Hey, Cam,” I say, pulling my sunglasses off slowly.

He looks uncomfortable, which I’m enjoying the tiniest bit. Welcome to my world, Cam. “Hey, Addie. What are you up to?”

I casually lift a shoulder. “Not much, just getting some sun. About to jump in the pool to cool off. Want to join me? You look like you’ve been working out.”

He runs a hand over his jaw. “Uhh… sure,” he says, pushing his Nikes off and tucking them under a lounge chair.

I stand and place my sunglasses on my chair. It feels more exposed to walk around like this than when I was lying down, so I slip into the deep end quickly and duck my head under water, holding the bikini in place to prevent a wardrobe malfunction.

I want to seduce him, not flash him. Or… anyone else.

When I surface, there’s a splash as Cam joins me in the pool. I float on my back, loving the weightless feel of water. This has always been my happy place, even before I started swimming competitively when I was eight. I didn’t learn to swim until well after I was adopted, but I was young enough to take to it easily.

I do a surface dive to duck under the water, flipping my feet like the mermaid I wanted to be as a kid, and swim over to Cam. I surface right next to him and brush the water off my face. “Want to play Marco Polo?”

Okay, maybe not the best way to be a mature, sexy woman, but it’s a fun game. And bonus—it gives me a reason to get close to him when I tag him. See? I thought this out. More or less.

Cam flashes me a genuine smile that has warmth spreading through me.

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