Page 32 of Late Nights

Jax got out of the car, his mouth hanging open as he looked around. “Whoa. I thought this whole time we were going to some cozy cabin in the mountains. This is unreal.”

Kate and Halle had similar expressions to Jax. I’d had the same one the first time I’d come here too.

“Wait until you see the view,” I told them.

It was my favorite part about this place. Yes, the house was unbelievable, with its gourmet kitchen, eight bedrooms, each with its own fireplace, a theater, a gym, a game room, and a sauna. But it couldn’t compare to the view from the lakefront property, with a private dock, firepit, hot tub, and patio equipped with ample seating and an outdoor kitchen. Summer nights looking out over the water had always been something I looked forward to with the Vanderhalls.

West walked backwards toward the door leading into the house from the garage. “Let me give you three a tour, and then we’ll come back and get our bags.”

The four of them made their way into the house, leaving Demi and me alone.

Heading to the back of the Escalade, I opened the back to help Demi with her bags. I grabbed the two heavier ones, while she took two smaller ones.

“You okay?” she asked warily, as we made our way to her bedroom.

She, West, and I used the same bedrooms every time we came here. Hers was across the hall from mine.

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” I said, hoping I sounded nonchalant.

She stopped in the hallway, standing between the two doorways that led to our bedrooms, giving me a skeptical look. “You barely said more than two words to me on the way here.”

I set down her suitcases just on the other side of her door and rubbed the back of my head, feeling sheepish. “I’m sorry. I don’t know how to be your friend and West’s friend.” My excuse sounded lame even to my ears.

Her brows creased. “Does it have to be different? Isn’t being his friend the same as being my friend?”

Ha! I wanted to laugh. No, it definitely was not the same for me. I did not want to jump West and kiss him until we were forced to come up for air.

Instead of telling her that, I went with a partial truth instead. “I don’t want West to think there is more going on between us than there is,” I attempted to explain. “He’s known me for a long time, and I’m worried he’ll notice things and read more into them than he should. As you’ve pointed out before, I don’t have friends. Especially not female ones.”

“But we’ve known each other for a long time, been on multiple vacations together. I don’t think he’ll be that surprised that we’ve gotten closer after living together for two and half weeks,” she said, sounding ridiculously logical. “Although I wouldn’t recommend a tickle session. Not sure we could get away with that twice,” she teased.

One side of my mouth tipped up in a mischievous smile. “I haven’t tickled you since then. I’m thinking it’s way overdue.”

Her eyes went wide. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh, I dare.”

She spun on her heel, letting out a yelp before ducking into her room, me right behind her.

I raced after her, but she turned around, her back to the king size bed, surprising me as she held out her hands to stop me, a look of anticipation on her face. “Cannon, this isn’t fair. You’re way bigger than me, and I can’t truly defend myself.”

I slowly continued to stalk toward her. If she really didn’t want me coming after her, she wouldn’t be smiling at me like that. “I thought women liked it when a guy was bigger than them.”

Her eyes darkened at my words, a flushed look pinking her cheeks. “That may be true, but…” She paused, seeming to be at a loss for words, before finally saying, “For other activities, not tickling.”

I raised a brow, interested in where I could take this conversation. “What are these other activities?” I slowly took another step toward her. I was being reckless, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. I was wrapped up in Demi and this game we were playing.

Her cheeks were now red, the blush extending down her neck as her breathing visibly picked up speed. “Other activities, like hugging, cuddling, carrying us,” she rattled off.

“Hmm,” I mused with a wicked grin. “Sounds like you’re leaving out some other important activities.” I was now only a few feet away from her.

She put her hands on her hips and gave me a pointed look. “I am not talking about those types of activities with you.”

In one swift motion, I stepped forward and dipped down to grab the backs of her legs, lifting her up and dropping her back on the bed. She let out a squeal as her back hit the mattress. Her look of surprise had my lips twitching as I tried to hold back my laughter.

I slowly climbed on the bed, hovering above her, keeping eye contact. “What’s so wrong with talking about—”

Her hand shot up and covered my mouth, effectively cutting off what I was about to say. “We’re not talking about that.”

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