Page 47 of The Older Brother
The fact that I was able to anger him with nothing more than the curve of my lips is enough to give me the confidence to march my ass back up the shore and pull my top off, not giving two shits who sees my tits before I lie on my stomach. The whistles and whispers don’t faze me. And when my bestie crawls onto her towel beside me and holds out a fist for me to pound, I do it with pride.
“That’s my girl,” she says.
The hourlong nap that follows is pure bliss. I haven’t been sleeping well, other than the night I spent with Rowan, and my eyes are so heavy when I’m awake. I probably could have lain under the sun for hours, burning my skin to a crisp, if it weren’t for the low rumble of a familiar Camaro stirring me awake.
“This should be interesting,” Cami says. I roll my head to the side, where she’s sitting up, doomscrolling on her phone and tanning her legs.
I push up on my elbows, stopping when I become aware of my undone top.
“Give me a hand, would ya?” I nod over my shoulder, and my friend helps to tie my strings so I can sit up as Rowan and Miguel stroll toward us.
“I may have invited them,” Cami says, not even masking her sly grin.
“You just love to start shit, don’t you?” I scan the water and spot Caleb in seconds. He’s floating on a tube along with a few of his friends, but his plaything, Neveah, seems to have moved on to better things. She’s nowhere to be found. Good for her.
“This seat taken?” Rowan pulls his shirt over his head and drops it on the ground next to me before sitting on it.
“It is now,” I say, testing out some flirty behavior. I always feel like I sound trite with him, young and naïve, and I squeeze my eyes shut hard when I hear how I sound now.
“Damn right, it is,” he says, tipping my chin up and dusting my lips with his. It’s the first time he’s done that in public, and the display of intimacy swallows me whole. It’s suddenly hard to breathe, and my eyes can’t focus as they roam the familiar faces still around us.
There’s no way people didn’t see that. They’re talking. They’re whispering. I’m sure of it.
Rowan pulls his Vans from his feet along with his socks, rolling them up and tucking them in his shoes. He’s wearing gray board shorts that sit low on his hips, the golden trail of hair from his navel to the waistband an in-my-face reminder of what’s underneath. I swallow the sudden ball of anxiety lodged in my throat before looking up at his beautiful face through my lashes.
“Your brother’s here,” I utter in a low voice.
Rowan’s gaze skims the water, and he squints as the sun reflects into his eyes.
“Yeah, I see that.” He takes a long, deep breath, almost like he’s readying himself for battle. About ten seconds later, I realize that’s exactly what he was doing.
“Shouldn’t you be under some hood?” Caleb flicks water droplets at both of us as he shakes out his hair. I run my palms down my arms to brush them away, but Rowan doesn’t move a lick. He doesn’t even flinch.
“That’s the thing about working for yourself. You get to call the shots. I wanted a day off, so here I am. Enjoying some fine company.” Rowan’s palm moves to my thigh, and my eyes dart down to take it in.
Caleb chuckles, but it’s obvious by the way his posture shifts and he drops his hands in his pockets that he’s bothered by it. That’s why Rowan is doing it. I both like it and hate it, and I’m not sure what that means about my own feelings.
“Brace yourself for the breakup, sweetheart. Rowan doesn’t stick around long. He’s a love ’em and leave ’em kind of guy. He’ll be done with you soon.She’s a prude,”Caleb tacks on with a loud whisper.
“Maybe you were just a shitty lover,” Rowan fires back.
My lips twitch with a proud smile, but I keep it tempered. Rowan standing up for me feels . . . well, it feels. It’s sexy, sure. It’s also more than I’ve ever gotten from anyone.
“He was definitely a shitty lay,” I say, something strong crawling to my surface. My eyes flicker with shock, and Cami chuckles at my side. Rowan’s fingers squeeze my thigh.
“You thinking about fucking my dad next, Saylor?” Caleb’s words cut through any tough skin I thought I’d grown, and my only reaction is a silent gasp that leaves my eyes feeling the hot sting of angry tears. Before I can find my breath to push out the words, though, Rowan is on his feet, and he’s shoving Caleb back several feet.
“You apologize for that shit right now!” Rowan growls.
“Relax, brother. I’m just giving you shit. What did you expect?” Caleb’s nervous laughter is a tell. His bravado is thin, a fake coat of armor.
Caleb holds his hands up to his sides, almost as if he’s baiting Rowan to throw the first punch, to look like the abuser, the villain. But Rowan’s too disciplined to fall for it. Instead, he saunters backward a few steps until he’s at my side again, and he drops his hand down with his fingers flexed.
“Come on, Saylor. Let’s go for a swim.”
His gaze remains fixed on his brother while I take his hand and let him pull me to my feet. His hand intertwines with mine with a familiar ease despite having held it so few times and only in private. I let Rowan lead, and he doesn’t bother to veer around Caleb as we walk toward the water, instead checking his brother’s shoulder to shoulder as he leads me toward the shore.
The chill is more biting this time, the cool stinging against my pink skin. I shouldn’t have slept without reapplying sunscreen. I breathe through the suffocating cold, though, siphoning away the heat from Rowan’s body as we dip lower into the water. Finally, when the surface covers our shoulders, Rowan swivels my body into his and wraps his arms around me. I reciprocate with my legs, feeling him hard against me.
