Page 38 of You Kissed Me First

“Not you. The idiot who tends to open his mouth and say things to hurt my girl.”

“Oh? She’s yours now? Does she know this?”

“Shut up, Grant. You know what I mean. You heard him last night. Why the fuck would he say something like that? In front of everyone? He’s an asshole.”

“You’re right. I had a talk with him too. He might be my brother, but that doesn’t mean he gets to insult my woman’s sister. If he’s not on his best behavior, then he’s out. I’ll leave him at the next port.”

“I’m not opposed to throwing him overboard, either. Tell him to stay away from Katie. I swear I will punch him out if he makes another hurtful comment. He’s a complete jackass. He doesn’t get to hurt her anymore.”

“Heard loud and clear. Now tell me, what is it like to finally get a taste of the girl you always wanted?”

“Fuck you, man. Get to running. We have a long workout.”

Grant and I run side by side for twenty minutes before moving over to the weights and grabbing dumbbells. Holding the dumbbells at our sides, we lunge from one side of the room to the other three times.

“Well, well, well. I didn’t expect to see you two here,” Barrett says as he leans against the wall right inside the door.

“Did you get lost looking for the bar?” I ask, not looking at him as I put the weights away.

“Fuck you.” He laughs bitterly.

Grant shoots me a look, begging me to shut up before turning back to his brother. “How are you, man?”

“I’d be better if I wasn’t on this fucking boat with all of you.”

“You could have not come,” Grant reminds him.

Barrett scoffs. “We both know I paid too much to back out.”

“Pretty sure you mean Mom paid too much adding on all the excursions you wanted for you to back out.”

“Hell, I heard Katie paid for the room. Are you that hard up for money Barrett that the women in your life have to cover the tab?” I smirk.

“Whatever.” Barrett rolls his eyes.

I watch him through the mirror as he shuffles his feet, staring daggers at my back.

“Hey Dom, if you need tips on Katie, just let me know. I wrote the book.” He smirks.

I turn, crossing my arms over my chest. “Speaking of Katie, I would appreciate it if you keep your mouth shut around her.”

Barrett rolls his eyes.

“I’m serious. Look, the ship might be big, but it’s not that big. If we’re doing something with the wedding party or end up on the same excursion, keep your eyes to yourself and your mouth shut. She didn’t do anything wrong. You’re the one who fucked up, not her.”

“Whatever, I don’t have to listen to this.” Barrett pushes off the wall and slams the door on his way out.

“It’s crazy how two people can have the same parents, grow up in the same house and end up so different.”

“No fucking kidding,” Grant says as he runs a hand over his face. “I swear to God though, if he ruins my fucking wedding, I’m going to kill him.”

“I’ll have the bail money ready.”

“What are you doing now?”

“Honestly, after seeing dumbass, I need to clear my head. I think I’m going to go run laps on one of the decks.”

“Are you sure? Nessa messaged me between sets and said she’s going to have breakfast with Katie. We could go interrupt.”

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