Page 5 of Untouchable

“Come on, sweetheart.” Dominic’s tone had suddenly gone terse and cold, but he kept his arm around Chloe’s shoulders and led her into the house.

Her aunt and uncle’s problems, coupled with the pressure from Jake to go further sexually, would make for a … fun vacation.

4

Chloe slipped her sunglasses on and closed her eyes. The boat gently rocked back and forth from the waves, almost lulling her to sleep. The feel of the sun above her, heating her skin, made it bead with sweat and had her sighing in contentment.

“You look so freakin’ hot.”

Chloe turned her head toward the sound of Jake’s voice. “Could you be any louder?” She chuckled when he shrugged and grinned wider. “My parents are just a few feet away.” Sliding her glasses down the bridge of her nose, she squinted at him.

Jake was propped on his elbows. Sweat dotted his forehead and muscular chest. Leaning in, he whispered against the shell of her ear, “That bikini is barely enough to cover your tits and ass, baby.”

She felt herself heat in embarrassment. “Jake, what the hell?” she hissed. She quickly sat up and looked behind her. Her mother, father, and aunt were all sitting on the padded bench on the other side of the boat. It was clear from their laughter and the glasses of wine they held that they were oblivious to anything else.

“What?” he asked, sounded genuinely surprised.

She rolled her eyes and slipped her sunglass back up her nose. “Would you just keep it down? The last thing I need is for my parents to hear you talking like that. They’ll put a chastity belt on me to make a point.”

He snorted and leaned in again. “I could say how much I want to fuck you. How do you think they’d respond to that?”

Chloe felt hot again, and not in a good way. She was a virgin, and aside from kissing here and there, she and Jake hadn’t done anything much. But he’d started to become increasingly sexual in nature recently, and she had a feeling it was because she refused to go all the way.

In just the short time since they’d arrived at the cottage, Jake had gotten even more aggressive with his sexual advances. When he started to move his hand up her leg, she swatted it away and stood, anger filling her.

“You have no respect, Jake. None.”

He let out a frustrated sound and mumbled something under his breath that she couldn’t quite decipher.

Walking over to the edge of the boat, Chloe leaned over it and stared at the water lapping at the side. She felt Jake’s presence behind her and gritted her teeth.

Annoyed didn’t even come close to describing how she felt right now. Chloe turned quickly, about to put him in his place, but slammed against a hard chest. She tipped her head back, her heart stopping instantly. The sunglasses did nothing to hide the glare of the sun overhead, and she stumbled back, as much as the edge of the boat would allow.

Big hands latched on to her arms to steady her. She shielded her eyes with her hand and stared at Dominic.

Horror and embarrassment lanced through her like a hot poker. Chloe felt her face become fiery with mortification.

“Oh God. I am so sorry. I thought you were Jake.” Squeezing her eyes shut and wanting to scream, she knew she should just be quiet.

He was silent for far too long. Chloe dared to meet his intense stare. She knew what she had done and said looked extremely bad, no matter how innocent it had truly been. Well, maybe not totally innocent, but that wasn’t the point.

“I’ve seen the way he’s been talking to you, trying to cop a feel, even around all of us.” He sounded pissed, and rightly so.

“I know, and I’m sorry. He’s been acting like this for a while, but I didn’t expect him to be so disrespectful in front of the family.” Heat flooded her.

“So he’s a little asshole when you’re alone?” He sounded even more upset than before. He crossed his arms across his chest, which caused everything to bunch and flex from the strain.

She slipped her sunglasses back on and dropped her head. What could she say? “I’m sorry?” What was she apologizing for? Accidentally slamming her chest against his, and making this really weird? Or maybe because hearing Dominic say what an asshole Jake was cemented things even more?

Her throat felt like sandpaper, and she swallowed roughly. She just wished this day was over with already.

“Listen,” he said on an exhale. “I know you’re eighteen now and grown, but while you're staying here, I don’t want you and him…” He stabbed a finger behind him at Jake. “I don’t want you getting into any trouble with him. He rubs me the wrong way, and watching the way he treats you, what he thinks he can get away with, makes me want to pop him in the damn nose, Chloe.” When she didn’t respond, he continued. “In other words, Jake better keep his hands to himself or I’m intervening.”

Blunt. Pissed. Yeah, that’s what Dominic was.

“Um.” How awkward was this? “Yeah, I understand and agree.” Chloe looked over at Jake. He had his earbuds alreadyin and his music blaring. Chloe forced herself to look back at Dominic. She said the first thing that came to her mind. “He won’t be a problem anymore. I’ll make sure of it.” She had no intentions of doing anything with him anyway. She wasn’t feeling things with Jake, if she were being truthful.

And him coming along with them to the cottage had felt stilted and forced. But it was only for a short time, and then she could decide how to break things off with him. And that’s honestly how she saw things going. His incessant pushing her to have sex, his lack of respect when he spoke to her, and when her family was around, rubbed her the wrong way, too.

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