Page 27 of Say Uncle

I stared at him in the mirror. “You always have such good things to say about him. It’s like you see someone entirely different than I do.” Although he was there when I needed him, and although he had a funny way of showing kindness to me, I could feel that he cared.

“What do you see?” Nicky asked.

“Someone incredibly loyal to his friends. Someone that doesn’t let newcomers in easily. Sam is hella smart and capable and strong, and sometimes he’s even funny, but sometimes, he makes me want to crush him in my fist,” I finished in my bestHe-Manvoice. Nicky laughed, like I’d hoped he would.

“I bet you’d be surprised what he thinks of you. You should definitely ask him.”

The morning we were to leave, I finally had Sam all to myself as we drove together to the marina in the early morning hours.

“What’s on your mind, Mattie-boy? I can hear you thinking.”

I stared out the window, watching the scenery pass by. There was no way I could look him in the eye as I asked him, “Was just wondering what you think of me.”

Sam snorted, then full out laughed, until he realized I was serious and quieted down.

“I think,” he said, sliding his arm around the backrest of my seat, “that you’re not so bad, when your mouth is shut, or you’re not standing around in my way, and when you’re not cooking up schemes with your sidekick.”

“So, basically, you hate me.”

He rubbed the shell of my ear, making me shiver. “Don’t kid yourself. I never hated you. I just have a low tolerance for brats, and you were such a fucking brat.” His fingers toyed with my earlobe. It felt intimate, and I wanted to lean in and push him further. “But you’ve been a lot less bratty lately. Maybe you’re not so bad after all.”

I glanced sideways at him, afraid to meet his stare full on. “Thanks?”

Sam chuckled. He pulled into the marina, parking in his usual spot by the boathouse that doubled as a mechanic workshop. Sam shut the truck off, but didn’tmove to get out. Instead, he unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to face me. He caught my chin, his thumb brushing over my jaw.

“I think you’re smart as hell and you’ve got a huge heart. I think you’re capable of things that you haven’t even begun to imagine yet, and I think you could be a lot more trouble for me than I originally guessed.”

Fuck it, this was my moment, and I wasn’t letting it slip away. I leaned across the console, intending to kiss him, but he stopped me with a hand on my chest.

“Don’t play with me, boy. Figure out what it is you want before you pull my chain.”

Swallowing past the knot forming in my throat, I nodded slowly. “I’m starting to get a very clear idea of what I want.”

CHAPTER NINE

“You know your sister’s gonna cut off your dick and choke you with it, right?”

Snorting, I spared Cass a sideways glance before bringing my attention back to the horizon. It felt good to be back on the water again after several days cooped up at home dealing with Mattie’s drama. Not that I minded it. Someone had to stick up for the boy. My sister sure wasn’t. The wind slapped my face, and I breathed in a lungful of salty air. It was the first deep breath I’d taken in days.

“Have you fucked him yet?”

Cass was keeping me company on the flybridge as I steered, but his company was beginning to grate my last nerve. I lowered my gaze, dropping my eyes to the boys standing on the bow. Both were dressed in their uniforms of khaki shorts and navy blue polos with theHarlowe Charter Adventures logo on the breast. Nicky’s uniform fit tighter because he deliberately wore his shirt six sizes too small, whereas Mattie’s uniform was filled out by his solid, toned frame. Both boys had dark, wavy hair, and both were gorgeous, in their own way, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of Mattie. Lately, everything he did drew my attention—the way he moved, his furious attitude or petulant pouting, the way he was so sweet to Nicky, like a brother or a cousin? Now my thoughts were going in a different direction, a direction I didn’t want to think about in front of Cass. Not when he was already busting my balls.

“No.” One word was all he was getting from me on the subject.

“But you want to?”

“Fuck off, Cass. Go find something to do.”

He leaned against the arm of the canopy. “I’m good right here. Nicky tells me it’s only a matter of time before Mattie makes his move.” A muscle in my jaw ticked, and the longer he stared, my nostrils flared. “Maybe he already has,” Cass guessed. “So, what are you gonna do about it?”

“If you’re trying to make a point, fucking make it already. Otherwise, get off my flybridge.”

Cass chuckled, which annoyed the fuck out of me. The heat of the day was already getting to me. Shit, everything was getting to me this morning.

“Why are you fighting this so hard? When it was my ass on the line, you had nothing but positive, encouraging things to say about how I ‘should go after my boy,’ and ‘don’t let a good man slip away.’ But when it comes to you, it’s ‘get the fuck off my flybridge.’ What gives?”

Sighing loudly, I finally met his eyes. “I guess I can see now how you were conflicted. I wasn’t, because it wasn’t my ass on the chopping block with Brian.”

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