Page 2 of Flirting With My Brother's Billionaire Best Friend

“You’ll change your mind about that in a minute.” He wraps his arms around my waist and lifts me over his shoulder.

I shriek, “Langston Anderson Keith, you put me down right this minute.” I pound on his back, but he only laughs, a rumble beneath my fists. His back is so hard that it hurts to punch into the muscle there.

The next thing I know, I’m being tossed into cold water that feels like a thousand icy needles pricking my skin. Thankfully, it’s not too deep, and I’m able to push off the bottom to emerge in time to take a breath. With all these clothes on, I’d sink to the bottom if it were over my head. Water splashes into my face as Langston lands in the water next to me.

I push away the wet hair plastered to my face. Ronnie is out of the water and back up on the dock, belly laughing. Then he grabs Marshmallow’s reins and ties him to a fence post. It’s a good thing, because it’s not like I had a chance to do it.

Langston pops up next to me with a wide grin that lights up his entire face. His eyes are sparkling, and I can’t help but feel some of the joy exuding from him.

“I should have seen that coming,” I say. It’s not the first time he’s tossed me into a lake. To be fair, I’ve done my fair share of pushing him into various bodies of water when he’s least suspecting it.

Ronnie jumps in with us, and Langston stretches out in the water, taking long strokes away from where Ronnie’s splashing in the water. I trudge through the lake next to them and then follow where Langston is going. I don’t even care that my clothes are heavy and wet or that it’s going to be even more freezing when I finally climb out of here and the wind hits me.

Langston turns to me with that same grin. “Enjoying the water?”

I return his smile. There’s no way I’m giving him the satisfaction of knowing how miserable I feel. “Oh, yes. That is just what I had in mind for my morning ride. The water’s refreshing.”

He’s no dummy, though. The guy can see right through me. After twenty years of teasing, it’s no surprise.

“It’s a good thing the guest house has a dryer,” he says.

“And a shower,” Ronnie says, swimming up to us.

“And a coffeemaker,” Langston says.

“Doesn’t Mom have people coming to stay in it later today?” I ask Ronnie.

“We’ll make sure it gets cleaned up after we’re done,” Ronnie says.

“Or you two can just walk back in your birthday suits while I use the shower.” Why did I say that? I conjure images of fluffy bunnies and kittens so I don’t think of Langston naked.

“We brought four-wheelers,” Langston says. “We drove them over from my place.”

I glance over to see them parked behind some bushes. I hadn’t even noticed them there before.

Langston’s extensive acreage borders my parents’ property. I have a place of my own in town, but I come over to spend a lot of time at my parents’ because I keep Marshmallow and Valentine stabled there.

There’s a rope swing off to the side, and Langston and Ronnie swim over to it.

“What are you guys doing now?” I ask.

“Proving that it’s not too cold to swim,” Langston calls to me from over his shoulder.

“I think you’ve already proved that,” I say.

“Well, this just extra proves it,” Langston yells back.

“If that makes you feel tougher somehow.” I roll my eyes. But the truth is, I like this about Langston. He’s carefree and fun, always full of life. He likes to run his mouth too. His family, especially his youngest brother, Kaison, call him out on it all the time.

Langston climbs out of the lake, his muscles flexing as he moves, and Ronnie follows.

“I think I’ll just stay in here for a bit.” I could run over to the lake house and shower off, but then that would show weakness. And I can’t allow that, now can I? Anyway, I’m starting to get used to the water. Either that or my body is losing all feeling.

Langston grabs the rope swing and launches himself into the air, just like when we were kids.

He hoots and hollers as he sails over the water, landing with a splash that reaches all the way to where I’m standing in the water, thirty feet away.

His head emerges, and he roars, beating on his chest like a barbarian landing his first kill.

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