Page 48 of Untouchable

“Okay?” I frown, but she simply nods her head and hums in confirmation. A one-word response from Katarina is absolutely bone-chilling. Then she does something that shocks even me. She grabs my hand and shoves it back into her pocket before crossing her arms again, waiting for me to begin walking to the exit.

“I have my leash on, can we go?”

CHAPTER 26

Katarina

“ONE PETTY BITCH”

If I could sue from the emotional whiplash Ace has put me through in the last sixteen hours alone, I would be a very rich woman. One minute he’s in my bed, holding me in a way that makes my entire body tingle with anticipation, the next he’s pretending I don’t exist, thenbampossessive in a way that makes my brain go fuzzy all while saying he and I willnever happen. Which may be true. Ace and I may never find ourselves in a place where we admit our mutual attraction to one another, but I refuse to believe he isn’t jealous, at least onsomelevel, of my relationship with Bodine. But until he asks me outright, I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of an unwarranted explanation. Iwill,however, give him every opportunity to prove that he isn’t jealous by pushing every single button he has when it comes to me. Because I think I’m right—that he is jealous— and I’m nothing if not a petty bitch when it comes to proving I’m right.

We get back to the motel and I waste no time in stripping out of my sweat-soaked clothes and putting on my bikini. It’s one of my favorites, black with little white flowers embroidered all over it, and small in all the right ways if you want to get a tan. I slide my flip-flops on, pull my sunglasses down, and head outthe door. When I make it to the pool entrance I see Mikey and Bodine already soaking in the shallow end while Ace sits beneath an umbrella at one of the tables that looks like it’s nearly falling apart. He’s wearing those boxing shorts he mentioned earlier and honestly, screw him for looking so sexy in them. I do my best to avert my gaze quickly, setting my towel down on one of the lounge chairs.

“Damn, Kat, are you trying to start a fire out here? It’s already hot enough.” Mikey calls, shaking water out of his dirty blond hair.

“Which is exactly why I’m at thepool,genius.” I throw my hair on top of my head, pulling the elastic that lives on my wrist around theverymessy bun I’ve created.

“Then you’d better get in while you still can,” Bodine says with a hint of irritation in his voice.

I look over at him and frown. “What do you mean?”

“Ace looks like he’s either seconds away from locking you back in your room, or contemplating murdering anyone who looks at you in that bikini.”

I roll my eyes, not bothering to give Ace my attention. “Ace will have to get over his damn self then.” I head to the shallow end and take a few steps in, mumbling under my breath, “He’s lucky I’m wearing any clothing at all with as hot as it’s been today.” Bodine snorts and I smirk at him. It feels like it’s been forever since Bodine and I hung out or even had a conversation that wasn’t in the presence of others. I kind of miss him. I swim out to the deeper end of the pool and call him over to me, hoping we’re far enough away from Ace to have a private conversation.

“What’s up, Kitty Kat.” I smile at him and shake my head.

“You know what, I’ve decided to accept that that’s who I am to you. No more fighting it. No more groaning and eye-rolls. I am she, she is me.” I declare, causing him to fake a pout.

“The fight is half the fun.”

“You’re impossible.” I splash water in his face, making that big ass grin of his I love so much appear.

“You doing okay?” I love how when Bodine asks me that question, I can feel the depth of it in my soul. It’s not an obligatory ask, it’s genuine in every single way.

“I’m…okay. I think,” I tell him honestly, pulling myself to sit on the edge of the pool. He stays in the water, looking up at me.

“I know you know how to take care of yourself, and Ace seems to be…” he trails off, looking over his shoulder.

“Seems to bewhat?” I ask, genuinely wondering how his best friend is interpreting the way Ace has been acting lately.

“Honestly? So far up your ass, I don’t know how he’s not breathingfor you.” I laugh so hard I have to slap a hand over my mouth to stop it from echoing. I look over to see Ace glaring in our direction so hard I’m surprised he isn’t pulling me away from Bodine with the sheer will of his mind.

“It’s odd, isn’t it?” He looks hesitant for a minute then blows out a breath.

“I mean, I get wanting to keep you safe and all, knowing your dad would have any one of us by the balls if something happened to you.” I nod in understanding because he isnotwrong about that. “But if he starts to be a little overbearing, let me know and I’ll talk to him. You’ve got enough on your mind without having to worry about anything or anybody else.” I smile at him, cupping his cheek with my hand.

“Thanks, Bodine. But I can handle myself.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Fearless warrior, club princess, Katarina Andersen, needs no help from anyone.” He wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me into the pool with him, making me shriek. We splash each other with water, swim back and forth, and quite frankly, act like children in a swimming pool—and it’s the most fun I’ve had in a very long time.

“Hate to interrupt this little party.” Ace’s voice booms from above us, making me wipe the water from my face before looking up at him. “We’re checking out in twenty minutes. We’ll grab some food and drive most of the night.” He leaves the pool and I look at Bodine in disbelief.

“Guess we better get packing.”

His eyebrows raise. “Looks like it.”

“He didn’t even get in the pool.” I wonder out loud. “Does he have some aversion to fun things?”

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