Page 66 of Just Between Us

“Come on.” I gestured through the trees toward a chain-link fence that lined the property. ANo Trespassingsign was stapledto a tree, and I shielded it with my body. “We’ll hop it over there.”

“We’re hopping a fence?” Veda hissed at MJ.

My little sister raised her shoulder. “It’s fine. Definitely not illegal ... I don’t think.”

It definitely was.

Under the cover of darkness, we crept through the brush toward the fence. There was a familiar opening where the chain link was pulled back.

I gripped it and stretched the fence wider as MJ slinked through. “Watch your noggin.”

Annie went next, and I gave Lee a break by not pretending to stare at her ass. He bumped my arm and threw a friendly head nod before he climbed under and joined the two women on the other side.

Veda was last. She stared at me with her arms crossed and a hard look on her face. Her guard was up. Arrogance and confidence rolled off her as she stood her ground. I’d come to learn that it was her way to believe that she always knew best and that her way was the right way.

I licked my lip. “You coming, Precious?”

Her nostrils flared. “This is insane.”

I glanced over my shoulder, noting our group had started walking toward the cliff. “Your tits look amazing, by the way.”

Her eyes went wide, and she looked toward the others. “You can’t say that shit to me,” she hissed. “Someone could hear you.”

My soft laugh broke through the sleeping forest. “Sure I can. I’m not afraid of you, and you love it.”

A smirk dragged across her face. She sighed and her hands fell, slapping against the bare skin of her thighs. I couldn’t wait to trace the hem of her shorts and feel the softness of her skin against my fingertips.

Veda ducked and stepped through the opening in the fence. When she was nearly through, I smacked her ass and she yelped. Maneuvering my large frame through the chain link wasn’t easy, but once I was past it, I tucked the fencing back into place.

I held my hand out to her. “Let’s go.”

Veda’s small hand slipped into mine, and I squeezed. Side by side we walked through the brush toward the main footpath. I could hear the voices of our group up ahead and knew as soon as they came into view, Veda’s aloof, detached demeanor would be back. I paused, stopping us on the crushed-limestone path. With a gentle tug, I pulled her body flush with mine.

Her jade-green eyes were smoky under the night sky. I smiled down at her, tucking a loose strand of her black hair behind one ear. “Hi.”

Her smile widened as she softened in my embrace. “Hey.”

There she is.

It was all I needed—the confirmation that the woman she hid below the surface, the one I was lucky enough to know, was still there.

We reached the cliff and Veda stood next to MJ, eyeing the drop-off and the black water that loomed below.

MJ looked over the edge. “Dang. I forgot how high it was.”

I slipped out of my shoes and stripped off my shirt. Anticipation tittered under my skin.

Annie clung to Lee. “So we just ... jump?”

Lee looked lovingly at his woman and tucked her under his arm. “I’m shocked you’ve never done this.” He pointed down. “There’s an eddy just below us. The water pushes against the current, making it really calm. Once you dive in, we swim to the shore and do it again.”

She held his arm tighter. “I think once might be enough for me. What about rocks?”

“Think of it this way ... ,” I offered with a shrug. “If you get crushed to death, you won’t feel a thing.”

“Dude.” Lee spread his hands and I cackled. “There aren’t any rocks below us either. Royal’s just joking.”

“One at a time or all together?” MJ asked.

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