Page 89 of Shootout Daddies
Ivy
The fire has burned lower now, moreembers than flames, the heat pushing against my skin as the breeze from the ocean cools it right back down.
I take another sip of my beer, the bottle slick with condensation, trying to pretend I’m relaxed. I’m not.
Not when every time I let my mind wander, it lands on Landon.
Before I can spiral too far, something collides with my knees.
“Aunt Ivy!”
Jackson.
I laugh and nearly spill my drink as I crouch down to scoop him into my arms. His hair is damp from running around near the tide, cheeks flushed, eyes bright. He smells like sunscreen and salt.
“Hey, buddy,” I say, balancing the bottle in one hand and pulling him close with the other. “Having fun?”
He nods vigorously. “We roasted marshmallows!”
I widen my eyes like it’s the most incredible news I’ve ever heard. “No way. Did you eat, like, ten of them?”
He giggles. “Three.”
“Three? That’s practically ten. You’re going to be bouncing off the walls.”
He snickers, wiggles out of my arms, and bolts away again, already distracted by Tanner calling his name. I stay crouched for a second, watching him sprint across the sand, before pushing to my feet.
“Jackson misses you around the house.” Brooke’s voice comes from behind me.
I turn to see her holding out a water bottle, her smile knowing, her eyes warm.
I take it with a soft laugh. “I miss him, too. I didn’t realize how much until just now.”
Brooke tilts her head, leaning in conspiratorially. “So… are you going to introduce me to your new boy toy?”
I nearly choke on my sip of water. “It’s not like that.”
Her grin widens, wicked. “Uh-huh. Sure. Totally not like that.”
Heat creeps up my neck. I mean, she’s not wrong. Landon has been finding new and increasingly inventive ways of getting me naked.
Just yesterday, I’d gone out early for coffee. Perfectly innocent. But then I’d run into him in the elevator. And that’s how, at seven in the morning, I ended up bent over his sofa, the thought of caffeine completely gone.
I press the bottle against my cheek, hoping the cool helps. It doesn’t.
“He’s sexy,” Brooke says, no hesitation.
I nod, because denying it would be the biggest lie of my life. “Yeah.”
She studies me for a beat. “You like him.”
My chest tightens. I nod again, softer this time. “He’s brash. Kind of rude. Not as funny as Hunter.” A laugh escapes me anyway. “But I swear he’s like—” I pause, brain scrambling forthe right words. “You know when Gandalf says ‘You shall not pass,’ and despite everything everyone just listens to him? That’s Landon. Controlling my… body. Like some kind of stubborn wizard gatekeeping my orgasms. I swear he touches me for one second and then tells me to come, and I’m done for.”
Brooke bursts out laughing. “That is the nerdiest, dirtiest thing you’ve ever said.”
I shrug, grinning despite myself. “It’s true.”
Her laughter fades into a mischievous smirk. “So how are the guys taking it?”
