Page 23 of Sweetest Hate

As the boat glided out on the open water at a slow crawl, girls stripped out their shorts and tops to the whistles of the idiot guys around me. Beers were passed around, and laughter grew louder. I was handed a beer and promptly took a long swallow.

Once we were far from shore, the motor slowed to barely a hum. It wasn't long before people were jumping into the water. Quinn winked at me as he tore off his tank and stood at the lower deck, arms wrapped around the girl's waist. And then she was squealing as he went over the edge, landing with a splash.

Intending to soak up more sun before I joined them, I sat back.

"Dude, no. You're getting in the water. Don't be a buzzkill," some guy said. I opened my eyes and saw Blake, Arsen's friend, grabbing Arsen's arm and attempting to drag him to the rail.

Piper joined the fray, gripping his other arm. "Let's go, loser."

Arsen shook them both off but laughed. He laughed. I was honestly a little shocked he had the ability.

"Later." Arsen slid into Quinn's vacated seat. "I feel like enjoying the view first."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Blake shouted just before he grabbed Piper around the waist, tossing her over the side before following behind her into the water.

Arsen was watching me again, lips quirked in a way that told me he was fucking with me on purpose. I schooled my features to look bored. He wanted me to want him, and he wanted to be a dick about it too. Arsen blew hot and cold. Fire and ice. I couldn't keep up with his sudden shifts in behavior. It had probably been a massive blow to his ego when I'd told him it wouldn't happen again. If he wanted a reaction, he would get one.

Standing, I tossed my sunglasses on the seat. Gripping the hem of my tank, I put on a show, inching my tank over my chest and tugged it over my head, flipping my hat off in the process. As I threw them both onto my seat, I glanced at Arsen. His eyes filled with molten heat as he blazed a trail over my bare chest, pausing on my nipple rings and bit his lush lip. A sudden memory of his thumbs sliding over the sensitive buds, fingers toying with the barbells, made my nipples tighten and his nostrils flared as he watched.

I grinned when he met my eyes again and flipped him off before running to the edge and diving over the side. The water slid over my skin in a warm caress that replaced Arsen's scorching stare.

"Five out of ten, fucker." Quinn laughed as I resurfaced. "My turn."

He headed for the ladder, and I moved to float on my back. I watched as Quinn came soaring over the side, legs tucked up under his arms before smacking the water, spraying everyone within a ten-foot radius.

Quinn was fun. Arsen was a dick. Out of the two stepbrothers, only one was clouding my thoughts. Too bad I hated him. So, I ignored him when I felt him staring and took turns jumping off the boat and flying down the waterslide until my entire body sang with energy from the stinging sensation of slamming into the murky lake.

Eight

Arsen

My skin was heatedand muscles loose from spending most of the long day out on the boat beneath the blazing sun.

After the sky had grown dark and my stomach was full of grilled hot dogs, and much-needed beer after watching Kellan all day with Quinn, I dragged my ass up the stairs and started down the hall. I needed a shower and then had every intention of falling face-first on my bed. As I approached my room, I paused at the sight of a curled-up body laying across the hall from my door, wrapped in my blanket.

I strode down the hall, stopping and cocking a brow as blue eyes flicked up and met mine. "The hell are you doing, Kellan?"

He simply sat up and gestured toward Quinn's door. My brow furrowed just as a moan filtered through the door. "Quinn in there with a girl?"

"Yep." Kellan flopped back against the wall, rubbing his tired eyes. "I will never be able to scrub the image of some girl popping off his dick and inviting me to join them." He shuddered, and I scowled. I didn't want to think about Kellan hooking up with someone, especially if it involved Quinn. I was also pissed my stepbrother had left Kellan without somewhere to sleep.

I hesitated as I considered my options. I couldn't leave him in the fucking hall, even though I didn't owe him shit. Grinding my jaw, I turned and opened my door that I guess I'd forgotten to lock, which explained how Kellan had stolen my blanket. "Come on."

Kellan scoffed behind me. "No thanks."

I whipped around, not in the mood to deal with his attitude. The circumstances weren't ideal for either of us, but at least I offered to give him a place to stay for the night. "You'd rather sleep in the hall, listening to that?"

Kellan's eyebrows rose. "I'd rather go in there and fuck her myself."

Without responding to the stupid comment, I ground my molars because he was being an ass. Turning, I pushed my door open and then spun back around. Gripping both ends of the blanket, which were conveniently wrapped around Kellan like a giant sling, and I hauled him across the hall.

"What the hell are you doing? Let go." Kellan growled, trying to grab at something, anything, to gain purchase on the shiny wood floors, which was working to my advantage. "Damn it, Arsen, let go."

Not bothering to reply, I dragged my burden into the room and slammed the door shut. "You can talk to my dickhead stepbrother tomorrow. Tonight, you can sleep here."

"You are so generous." He didn't sound grateful at all as he untangled himself from the blanket and scrambled to his feet. "But like I said—"

"You know what I think?" I interrupted him. "I think you got your boxers in a twist because you still want my dick, and you're pissed as hell about it." Something I fully understood. I hated Kellan as much as I wanted to be buried balls deep inside his smart mouth and tight ass.

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