Page 30 of Drift

“Yeah?” West made a grip for his balls, and Drift tried to dodge it. “You need more meat in that kid’s chicken nugget meal offer you have going there, D?”

As Essex laughed, Drift deliberately pulled West in and nuggied her head, knowing she hated it. “Eighteen. You’re what? Eight months older than who here?”

“Hair—” West twisted his nipple, making him cry out and dance away, cupping it. “Not the hair. Ever, you twatsickle.” He even got a warning finger his way, and Drift winced as Essex threw a slight shake of head his way again, aShe’s not a bloody boy or your sister, mate.

Okay, okay… he didn’t know how to act around her. She wasn’t Ava where touch was grown into. He’d also tested waters both side of the fence, most times were just to try and get warm for a few moments, but…

But this was…West. She had her own unique way of walking both sides of the fence.

“Swim?” Drift thumbed towards the pool, fighting another blush. “You want one? With me?”

“Ido.” Brighty started to undo his jogging trousers, and Drift pushed him away without losing eye contact from West.

“Promise I’ll go easy on you.”

West looked towards the pool, and under all that anger, a bite went to her lip as—

“Me. I want to swim.” Brighty was down to his swimming trunks. He’d come dressed for it, and for a moment, Essex looked between Drift and West, more Drift’s focus on West, and with a shake of head—he shoved Brighty in the deep end.

“Jackson pool toy. Always wanted one of these.”

“Hey.” Drift’s reaction was as natural as West’s, only his was a lot quicker as he went to shove Essex in, the protection over one of their own kicking in.

Essex rolled with the momentum—then kicked at Drift’s leg, sending him over the edge.

Drift surfaced a second later, coughing and spluttering to a shout off Essex, “Ain’t that old now, am I, Sid?”

Not wanting to be outdone in front of West, Drift used the side of the pool to get him up to Essex’s waist, then tugged him into the pool with a grip at his boxers.

“Asshole.” Essex spluttered as he surfaced, trying to wipe at his face. “My fucking phone.”

West held up the prize. “All safe, sweetheart. Let me know when you’re really ready to come play with our lot.”

Drift shared her smirk as Essex shook his head at them both. Drift had slipped it out of his grip, and West had taken it off him. Double-tap.

Essex danced a finger between them. “Get back on your own turf before you really piss me off.” Brighty came over, and Essex softened his look as he dove underneath and came up with Brighty on his shoulders. “I’ll keep this little’n.”

As Brighty started doingI’m the champshoulder poses, West finally laughed softly. Then as Drift came and crossed his armspoolside at her feet, head tilted to the side, she crouched down by him.

“You sure I can’t get you to come in?” He kept it low, soft, mostly without realising. “An hour goofing off?” He needed to hide for just a little longer in… normal.

Under the cover of her makeup and visible as sun broke through the crowd, a bruise darkened the soft skin just left of her jaw. “Hey.” Anger hit surprisingly hard, and he brushed a thumb along it, maybe a little too roughly with how West pull back. “Sorry. Who the fuck did that?”

West caught his thumb and let him trace more gently along it. “Street scuffle. Jackson’s sorting it, trust me.”

They both knew the streets, how… lethal it could get, but to see her hurt because of it? “He putting the bastard in the Thames?”

“Maybe” she said quietly, stroking at his jaw. “Not sure yet.”

Drift lowered his look. He should have been here, not in Wales, not— “Swim,” he said gently. “Come in with me? Take some time out.”

Again West’s distracted look went across the water’s surface and the light kissing water reflected in her eyes and witch necklace. But that bite at her lip came up, and she shook her head. “Not dressed for it.” The smile that crept up hurt in all the right ways. “But definitely another time. You… maybe me.”

You…maybeme.

Alwaysmaybe me. Never a certainty. He wished he knew how to get Ava out of her head, break through that… maybe me. Because it never was. It never had been. He felt dirty over Ava’s touch, but never more so when stood in front of West, after she’dseen them kissing under a dimly lit bridge with the scent of urine battling with the sludge of the Thames. Yeah…dirty… summed up how his whole head felt.

Drift buried a shiver.

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