Page 65 of Just Between Us

MJ

Define stupid.

JP

I’m working.

Abel

Same.

One by one, Kings and Sullivans all chimed in, relaying their Saturday-night plans ... everyone except for Veda. I clicked on her contact and directly messaged her.

*ahem*

Veda

Can I help you?

You’re ignoring my texts. Come out and play.

I’m not sure that’s a good idea.

No funny business, I promise.

That’s the problem. I think I might like the funny business.

I grinned at my phone and flipped back to the group chat.

It’s a starry night. We’re going dune diving.

Riskinglife and limb by jumping off the sand dunes and into the lake was reckless, and I fucking loved it.

The constant hum of anticipation pumped through my veins as I quickly dressed and headed toward the quiet stretch of beach inside of Van Buren State Park.

It was a secluded, hidden gem on the shores of Lake Michigan. The park’s beach wasn’t attached to any of the local tourist towns, so it was rarely crowded. Technically it was closed after sunset, but I was willing to overlook that small fact in order to have some fun.

I parked my truck along the roadway, not far from the hidden path where we could access the beach.

Lee and Annie rolled up in his truck, and I suppressed a smile. He was a turd but, like me, he knew how to have a goodtime. It still struck me as odd that Kings and Sullivans had morphed into some kind of strange blended family, but it made my sister Sylvie happy, and for me, that was good enough.

I walked up to Lee’s truck as it parked and opened the passenger door. “Annie.” I held out my hand. “You’re looking ravishing, as always.” I pressed the back of her hand to my lips and didn’t release her hand.

A vein in Lee’s forehead bulged, and I grinned at him. “Oh, hey, man. Didn’t see you there.”

Annie stepped down from the truck and tucked herself into Lee’s side. MJ pulled up in her car, and I grinned when I saw Veda sitting in the passenger seat beside her. I tried not to let it bug me that I had offered to pick Veda up and she had turned me down. The girls hopped out, and MJ and Veda joined us in front of Lee’s vehicle.

Veda’s dark hair was pulled back in a braid that draped over one shoulder. She wore black denim cutoffs, and her top was a see-through white linen. I could just make out the strings of her red bikini top. Dirty, delicious thoughts danced through my head at how fun it could be to take my time removing it with my teeth.

“Just us?” MJ asked.

“Looks like it,” I said, unable to tear my eyes from Veda. Her skin was luminous under the starlight.

Annie rubbed her hands across the backs of her arms as she looked at the towering dunes in the distance. “It’s so big.”

My eyebrows waggled at Lee. “Bet that’s the first time you’ve heard her say that.”

Annie and Veda laughed, but Lee rolled his eyes and tried to hide his smile. “You’re such a dick.”

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