Page 66 of As Thick As Thieves

“I don’t trust you, and I won’t meet up with you,” I said sternly, proud of myself for stopping my voice from wavering. I wanted to see him, but my luck, I’d end up going for a ride in the trunk or something.

“I guess I can respect that. Looks like Drake’s on the way home, so I need to go.”

“How do you know that?”

“I see everything,” he answered. “Bye, Penn.”

“Bye,” I murmured as he hung up, my eyes sliding to the light on the computer as it turned off. My stomach twisted with confusion and guilt as I thought about Stone. I couldn’t tell the guys, but I didn’t like keeping secrets from them either.

I got up and put my phone in my pocket, making my way into the kitchen just as Drake got home, a warm smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he found me. “Hey, baby. Cruz and Knox are handling something with Beckett, so they’ll be home later. What have you been up to?” He slid an arm around my waist and pulled me close to drop a kiss on my lips.

“Just hanging around the house,” I said quickly, his brow creasing slightly at my tone.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” I felt stupid. It wasn’t like I’d snuck out and fucked Stone behind his back, but it felt like it from the way the guilt ate at me. “What are your plans for the rest of the day?”

“I was hoping to take my girl to the beach,” he grinned, burying his face in my neck. “But now I’m considering spending the rest of the day in bed with you.”

“You’ll take me to the beach again?” I beamed, loving the idea of spending the afternoon there. We hadn’t been back since he’d fucked me for the first time, but I’d spent a lot of time thinking about it.

He swatted my butt and stepped back, giving me a wink. “If it’s quiet, maybe we’ll have time for a quickie there.”

“Can we swim?”

“You know how?” He seemed surprised, making me giggle.

“Well, yeah. Emily taught me. We had a massive pool, and I wasn’t locked away when I was younger.”

“You don’t talk about her much,” he observed, and I shrugged.

“You guys don’t talk about your lives before me either.”

“We’ll have to change that,” he promised, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze. “Go get ready. I’ll find some towels.”

* * *

“Drake!” I squealed as he tossed me over his shoulder, making his way towards the water.

“My girl wanted to go swimming, so I’m giving her what she wanted,” he teased, not slowing his steps.

“Don’t you dare!”

“Sorry, can’t hear you!” he laughed, ignoring the strange looks from an old couple who were having a picnic close by. I kicked and squealed the entire way, my breath catching in my throat as I was suddenly surrounded by icy water. I sputtered as I surfaced, flailing to get my feet on the sand below me.

“Asshole!”

“You love me,” he chuckled, taking my hand and tugging me into him. I went without a fight, threading my arms around his neck to soak in his body heat.

“I do,” I smiled, giving him a quick kiss. “You’re lucky I left my phone in the car.”

“I like seeing you like this,” he murmured, and I tilted my head slightly.

“Like what?”

“Like you’re free. You aren’t constantly looking over your shoulder with your guard up.”

“That’s because I know I’m safe with you,” I replied without hesitation, his face softening.

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