Page 29 of Letting it Ride

All I’d need to do is—

Wait.What the fuck am I doing? Letting Maddox’s little sister press her scantily clad body up against mine? That’s a quick way to hell for sure, even ignoring the thoughts I’m having now. Because he’s told me, oh, a million times that Addie is off limits.

And worse, I’m realizing I want to do more than hold her close, which is absolutely out of the question. I can’t kiss her. I can’t run my hands down her body, no matter how hard the thought makes me. I can’tpicture her naked or imagine doing all the things I’m imagining doing right now.

Maddox is my best friend, practically my brother. I owe him more than to scam on his little sister.

And Addie is way more than a rebound.

That thought is what snaps me out of it. She’s off limits in so many ways, but the reality is, Addie Anderson is not the type of girl you have a rebound fling with. She’s the kind of girl you fall in love with, the kind you want by your side forever.

For that kind of girl, you take things slow. Not like this.

I overcompensate by moving her arms and pulling myself away from her a little more forcefully than is necessary. “I’m going to sit in the sun for a bit,” I say gruffly, heading for the edge of the pool.

Addie follows me, climbing out of the pool just after me. I have both the pleasure and pain of watching her lift her body out of the water, droplets cascading over her gorgeous tits that are barely contained in that scrap of fabric she’s trying to pass off as a bathing suit. She looks like a goddamn Sports Illustrated swimsuit model.

I look away, then peek back. Just for a second. Because I can’t help myself.

Addie settles on the lounge chair to my right, stilldripping wet. Her bikini is practically see-through, but it wasn’t exactly covering much in the first place.

Dear Jesus fuck, I really can’t get a boner right now. I was already starting to get hard in the pool when Addie pressed up against me. Thank God for the cool water, because I’m back down, but one look at her and I’m sporting a semi.

“You okay, Cam?” she says, peering over at me.

“Yes,” I say, but it comes out sounding strangled. I cough to clear my throat. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

If a completely inappropriate case of blue balls counts asfine. And putting aside the fact that I’m a terrible person for the thoughts I still can’t chase out of my head.

Addie perches on her side, facing me. Dear God, please don’t let her breast fall out of her bathing suit. I’ll never be able to get that out of my mind. “You just seem… strange, I guess. I thought we were having fun.”

We were. And God knows I’ve wanted to touch Addie like that for a long time. But she knows we can’t, right? Not because I don’t want to. Because if I start, I won’t be able to stop myself. And we just… can’t.

From the way she’s looking at me, though, I can tell she’s not going to let it go.

Then again, I’ve known Addie practically forever.If she’s on a path, there’s no dissuading her or subtly changing her mind. Being direct is the only thing that works, and even then, the chances are about fifty-fifty.

I let out a sigh. “Addie, you’re a sweet girl.” More than sweet. She’s fucking perfect. “I just… we can’t play that way.”

She arches a perfect eyebrow. “What way, Cam? We can’t play in the pool together? Or you just don’t want to touch me?”

Fuck. This is not going well. I can’t think about touching her. “Addie, Maddox is my best friend.”

“And?” she presses, not backing down.

I blow out a breath, leaning forward to put my elbows on my knees. Can’t she have mercy and put me out of my misery? “And I feel like I owe it to him to look out for you, as his little sister. That’s all. And part of that is making sure guys don’t take advantage of you.”Including me.

Addie doesn’t respond. She lies on her back, one knee up. She slides her sunglasses on and leaves her hands above her head. This move pushes her chest forward, in case I wasn’t already doing everything in my power to avoid looking at her breasts.

The worst part of all of this is that I know Addie. I’ve seen her in this mood before. Under her innocentexterior, she’s stubborn and won’t give up on what she wants.

She can try, but she won’t get away with it on my watch if I have anything to say about it. But I know that even as I think that, this might be a losing battle. Because I’m not fighting this because I don’t want her. I’m fighting it in spite of the fact that I do.

This was supposed to be a reset. Maddox and me on the open seas, just two bros having fun. Not me and his sister embroiled in a tangled web of emotion that can only end with one or both of us getting hurt.

I let out a sigh as I settle into my own lounge chair, hoping I’m reading too much into this. Maybe Addie is just messing around or hoping for some fun while we’re on vacation. Maybe there aren’t real feelings mixed up in this, which is just even more reason to stay away from her.

Addie Anderson is not the kind of girl you hook up with. She deserves more.

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