Page 19 of Summer Redemption

I’ll never admit how good his hand feels wrapped around mine. That is a secret I won’t be blurting in a moment of weakness.

I hope, at least.

When we stop, Huxley turns back to me with a big smile on his face. “I thought this might be a way for you to get some payback.”

My eyebrows pull together when I notice the huge bucket in front of me. It’s not empty either. It’s filled with water balloons.

“I don’t understand,” the words are past my lips even though I think I might understand more than I’m willing to let on.

He can’t be suggesting what I think he is. Right?

Huxley drops my hand, and I miss his touch immediately. I flex my fingers and form a tight fist before relaxing my hand because of the loss of his warmth, and the way his touch was helping to ground me while exciting me at the same time.

He turns toward me and holds his arms out at his side. “The only rule is that I can’t touch the water balloons.” He points toward the bucket. “These are all for you to use.”

I look back and forth between the balloons and Huxley, not quite believing what he’s saying. Suddenly, Macklin runs up, grabs one of the balloons and throws it directly at his uncle. It splats and breaks right on his face. A huge grin lights up Macklin’s little face as water drips down it and drenches Huxley’s shirt.

The laugh that comes out of me is unexpected and Macklin is right there with me. His little laughs are adorable.

When he looks up at me and challenges me, “Come on, Sunshine. You’re not going to let all these balloons go to waste, are you?”

I lean down onto his level and wink. “I’ll make you a deal.” He nods eagerly as I stand and eye Huxley, halfway expecting him to back out now while he still can. The way he wiggles his eyebrows, as if trying to tempt me to give in, has one corner of my mouth tipping up even as I try and fight it. “I won’t let these balloons go to waste, if you help me.”

“Can August help too?” Macklin points over to where the woman I saw with Noel the other day is resting a hand on the shoulder of a kid who looks to be around twelve or so. “He’s Delaney’s younger brother and my best friend.”

“I’m not going to exclude your best friend,” I tell him honestly.

Macklin looks relieved and calls out, “August, Sunshine needs our help getting Uncle Hux.”

August runs over with a shy smile on his face. The smile on Huxley’s face is as bright as my name and it makes my heart squeeze tight in my chest. He was a good-looking kid, but he’s become an incredibly handsome man, especially when he smiles.

It’s almost too much to take.

“Hi, August. I’m Sunshine,” I introduce myself, “and I need your help using all these water balloons.”

“And we really get to throw them at Hux?”

“Yup,” I pop the p as Mackling hands out the first wave of balloons.

We turn toward Huxley at the same time and don’t wait to let our first volley sail through the air. He’s instantly drenched. With a full bucket in front of us and a stationary target, we don’t stop there. His laughter is loud and unashamed as he stands there and takes every waterfilled projectile.

By the time I’ve thrown five balloons at him, I’m smiling so big that I’m not sure it’ll ever go away. I wasn’t expecting this to feel so cathartic, but it does. Maybe I should have pelted him with water balloons a long time ago. He stands there and takesevery hit with a grin. His eyes light up and he doesn’t take his eyes off me.

When I’ve hit him with nine balloons, I can feel some of the anger I’ve been carrying around with me along with the resentment melt away. Laughter fills the air around us, a lot of it coming from the boys, but most of it coming out of me.

I can’t remember the last time I laughed this much.

By the time we get into the double digits of water bombs, Huxley can’t seem to stay still any longer. He starts to run around the yard but doesn’t chase us. Giving us a moving target just makes this so much more fun and invigorating. It doesn’t escape me how he slows down when the boys are throwing balloons at him or how he steps into the path of the ones I launch his way.

Only once the last balloons are thrown does Huxley turn toward us. He runs right at Macklin and August who let out squeals of delighted laughter and run away. I can’t help but laugh as I watch them.

After the boys hide behind Delaney and Eden, who have been watching on in amusement, Huxley turns toward me. I hold my hands up in a lackluster attempt to hold him off.

It doesn’t work and I don’t run, even though I could get away from him. I’m not ready to analyze why I stand still as Huxley wraps his arms around me.

I can feel the water soaking into my clothes, but the laughter never stops.

“Do you feel better, Little Ray?” His voice is an octave lower than normal, and I think I can feel his hard cock against my belly.

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