Page 97 of Vicious Sentiments

“You do too,” I say, hoping he’s offering some sort of olive branch. Maybe he’s finally realizing he’s been acting, for lack of a better word, like a weirdo. I just hope that Marney is mistaken about him liking Margo.

Julian claps Dillon on the shoulder and pulls him closer into thegroup. “See? One big happy family, Ma.”

“Hah! For tonight at least,” she jokes and hands Julian a beer that I didn’t see she had tucked in her arm. She pulls out another and gives it to Cape.

“Don’t leave those lying around.” She looks the boys in the eyes. “These kids are scavengers. I’m pretty sure there’s a spiderman with a flask somewhere.”

“Let ‘em have fun,” Cape says and leans over, popping the top off his beer on a side table that earns him a glare from Margo.

“You don’t have to look their mothers in the eye at PTA meetings,” she says and then her eyes bulge when he hands me the beer he just opened.

“Caperson!” she hisses and looks around. “She’s underage! What if one of these little shits tell their parents I was passing out alcohol.”

“Relax.” Cape pushes the cold bottle into my hand. “She doesn’t look underage.”

She gives an exasperated sigh and stalks away from the little group we’ve formed.

“I don’t have to drink,” I say and try to hand it back.

“It’s fine.” Julian takes his beer and cheers’ my bottle before I can turn to Cape.

“Margo’s right. It will look bad,” I say and tuck the bottle against my stomach, trying to shield it.

“Yeah? Then what’s it going to look like when I do this?” Cape drawls behind me and then slips a hand behind my neck. Before I know it, he has his lips on mine and my knees go weak.

I can’t think about what it looks like, it probably looks really bad, but all I can feel are his lips between mine and his strong grip holding me up. My stomach swoops as he dips his tongue in my mouth and he tastes like something a little stronger than a beer.

My cheeks are burning pink when he releases me and Isurreptitiously glance around. Julian is scowling at his brother, good-naturedly though, and Marney is looking at me like,we’re going to talk about this later.I’m reluctant to see Dillon’s expression but when I glance in his direction, he’s gone. I breathe a sigh of relief.

Two beers later and I’m being handed my third in the sand on the beach outback. The boys did their obligatory laps around the house with Marney, letting her take pictures and show off to her friends but then they guided me outside, plucking out their fangs and tossing them in the trash on our way.

They still have on their ears and face paint though, the tiny vests accentuating their lean bodies, and the alcohol is preventing me from having the control to stop staring.

The alcohol has also made me very hot and I’m laid out on the cool sand, one hand propping up my head. I take another sip and ignore the fact that I have a four-hundred dollar dress with beads getting filled with sand.

It’s the dress that Rose wears when she slips on the back of the Titanic and Jack has to save her. I find it funny that I’m laying in the sand right now, with the water probably as cold as Jack explained to her. Would my guys jump in after me?

I examine them, sitting side by side, their shoes kicked to the side. I’m laying in front of them long ways and I have a perfect line of sight to take both of them in. Their profiles are back-lit from the lights of the house behind them but the moon is bright enough that I can still see how achingly gorgeous they are.

“If I ran out into the water right now, would either of you come in after me?” I ask, feeling relaxed and bold and not the least bit ashamed of hoping that they would.

Julian answers first, his elbows resting on his knees. “You jump, I jump.”

I dip my head back and laugh, pleased that he knows what I’mreferring to. I’m beginning to think he’s seen the movie as many times as I have.

When I look back, Cape’s eyes are dark and he looks at me from under his brows. “I wouldn’t let you run out into the water in the first place,” he warns, as if I was truly thinking about it.

“You don’t think I could outrun you?” I push his buttons a little, feeling playful and light.

“You could try.” He licks his lips and a warmth spreads through me. “You won’t get very far.”

“Promise?” I flirt with him. At least, I think it’s flirting. There has never been a guy that I felt this way with. Safe enough to banter with, attracted to enough to want his hands on me.

“She’s teasing me,” Cape growls and dips his head to look at Julian in complaint.

“Two more days,” Julian reminds him.

I twirl a lock of my hair, liking that I’m getting Cape flustered. “What? Are you having a hard time resisting me?”

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