Page 82 of Lightness In My Dark

“My dick salutes you. It’s rarely at-ease when you’re around.” His mouth covered mine.

Em yelled, “All right, you two! Don’t you see enough of each other?”

Finn picked me up, placed me on a chair by my friends, and said, “It’s never enough with Wren.”

They all hooted and hollered at us while I buried my face in my hands. After we enjoyed the buffet, Finn and his friends loaded the boat with drinks and snacks, while the women changed. We put our swimwear under our shorts and tops, except I had no intention of taking off the shorts.

As we walked down to the boat, Jess said, “I’m so excited. I love boats.”

I rolled my eyes. “We know, Jess. You always talk about owning a boat.”

Peter stood by the ladder, taking our hands, and helping us on while Finn took to the controls, checking gauges or whatever was done to drive it. I couldn’t help admiring his glorious, tanned and muscular body. I loved seeing him relaxed.

The boat was big enough for the group with a back area to lie out on and chairs and cushioned benches in the middle. Underneath the controls, stairs went down into a small living area, a bedroom, and a washroom. Beer bottles and coolers stuck out of tubs of ice. Each of us with a drink, Finn guided the boat away from the dock. Jared and Peter stayed by him. Finn waved at other boaters as we passed.

The girls laughed at the guys. Em, Jess, and Maddie removed their shorts and T-shirts, grabbed a towel, and laid out on the back of the boat. Nat and I sat in the middle, enjoying our drinks.

Nat clicked her nails against the beer bottle. “Hmmm… does Peter have a girlfriend?”

I looked over my shoulder at him. The guys shouted out to other boaters, and talked, most likely about Kye.

“To my knowledge, no, and he’s in the market for a serious relationship.”

Her eyes brightened. “It just so happens, I am too.”

We threw our heads back in laughter. Once in the middle of the lake, Finn killed the engine, and the guys came down. Peter sat by Nat. Em, Jess, and Maddie flipped over onto their stomachs, yelling down at me to join them. I shook my head.

Jared stretched his legs out, taking a sip of his beer. “Damn, this is good. The sun, beer, and kicking back with no worries.”

Leaning over his opened legs, Finn popped the beer top off and raised it to Jared. “That it is.”

Jared gave me a quick glance, and then asked, “Are you two getting ready for the big day?”

Finn reached over, gathered my hand in his, and without hesitation, said, “Yep! I can’t wait until we’re married.”

Surprised by Finn’s response, he said, “Cool. I’m assuming Kye isn’t invited anymore.”

“Fuck no. We’re done.”

“Yeah, Kye always had a sick side to him. I’m no saint, but he is the devil.”

I listened to Jared and Finn talk, and then my attention turned to Peter and Nat. She gushed and held onto every word he said. She wore her hair in a messy ponytail. Peter’s eyes roamed her face and body, and I smirked to myself.

The women came out of the sun. Sometimes there was one conversation, and other times, several. My eyes closed, dangling the beer bottle with a finger inside it. I heard someone move next to me, and I opened my eyes to find Em. She told me to take off my shorts.

“I’m fine.”

“Don’t you want to get some sun? You have a bathing suit underneath it.”

My friends still knew nothing about what happened with Conner. Plus, I avoided exposing the scars Conner gifted me from the knife. It would bring on a slew of questions I was unprepared to answer. Besides, the scars mortified me. Finn and I had several arguments about them. To him, they didn’t exist, but to me, they were a reminder of my past. Ugly one-inch ridged skin raining down my inner thighs wasn’t anything to show off.

“Em, I’m good.”

Out of all my friends, she was the pushiest and the most vocal. She didn’t have an internal censor.

“I can’t believe you’re with Finn.”

“Why can’t you believe it?”

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