Page 66 of Fever

“Looks to be much more than that,” Desiree offered.

“Mmhmm,” a few others agreed.

Josiah kept his eyes on me. “We’re getting ready to play flag football in a minute. The women against the men. Are you game?” he rubbed his hands together.

“Flag football, huh?” I looked to the ladies. “You girls game?”

“Hell yeah, we are!”

It was Carla who said it.

Me and the girls burst into laughter again.

“I guess I’m game then.” I looked back to Josiah.

“I can’t wait,” he said.

“Come on, girl,” Eden spoke, “I’ve got some shorts and a thin T-shirt you can wear, so you don’t get your blouse dirty.”

“I’ll be back.” I gave Josiah a light squeeze and followed the ladies into the house. We all changed into short shorts and solid ribbed tank tops. When we reappeared, the fellas’ game was over, and they all hung out under the shade that the backyard deck provided. One by one, they all turned to us and groaned.

“Oh no, y’all can’t wear that,” Jonathon said. All of the men agreed.

“Why not?” Samiyah said, carrying her curvy hips to the front of our pack. She crossed her arms over her chest, and Jonas stepped up to her.

“Baby,” he wrapped his arms around her waist and grabbed a handful of ass, “you can’t wear this. It isn’t fair.”

“How isn’t it fair?”

“Come on, baby. It’s a distraction.”

“So we’re supposed to wear jeans and be hot because you all can’t stop drooling at us?” Claudia asked.

Jaden and Josiah nodded. “Hell yeah,” they both said, slapping hands.

I twisted my lips. “Not a chance.”

“Eww, come on, Phoebe, go put on some clothes!” Jordan said.

“Jasmine, Eden, all three of you,” Jacob agreed. “The last thing I want to see is my sisters’ asses hanging out.

Phoebe walked closer to Jordan and Jacob, turned, and bent over to smack her ass.

“Oh, come on!” They yelled, disgusted.

“Leave her alone. She all right,” the one they called Q mentioned.

The brothers turned to him.

“Aye, Q, you checking out my sister, bro?”

Q didn’t answer; he was too busy doing exactly that. His eyes traveled up Phoebe’s legs to her round derriere, lost in a trance. A solid hand landed on his chest, almost taking his breath.

“My bad,” Q said, “but your sister’s a grown fine ass woman. I’ll take a beatdown to get to her.”

“Aye!”

“Fellas, I hate to interrupt, but are we going to play this game or not?” Claudia intervened.

Josiah strolled up to me, and again I was embedded against his skin.

“Let her go. She’s on our team, not yours,” Samiyah chimed.

I giggled and looked up into his golden dark brown eyes.

“Nah, she’s on my team,” Josiah said. “Ain’t that right, baby?”

I giggled again. “Always.”

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