Dirty Summer 4

Blair smiled. “And what gets you stressed?”

“Reid.” Justyn laughed.

Blair grinned. Justyn had seemed like the more reserved one between the cousins when she first met them, but she was learning how much fun he was to be around. She shivered as a light breeze danced off her bare shoulders.

“You cold?” Justyn sat next to her on the bow and wrapped one arm around her.

“I’m ok.”

She pulled away from his closeness. She could feel herself being sucked into his island charms, and wasn’t sure how to handle the budding feelings. This was supposed to be about sex, not feelings, she reminded herself. There was no doubt he was hot, of that she was certain. And she wouldn’t mind winding herself around that hard, muscular body.

“Ok. Something wrong?”

Blair rubbed her arms up and down. “No, I’m fine. Just chilly from the wind. I guess I should have worn something other than this strapless shirt.”

She looked down at her glass, and realized in her nervous state that she had drunk the whole glass in five minutes.

Justyn stepped back from the bow and turned to the steering column. “How about some music? I’ve got a beach music playlist. Embers or Chairmen of the Board sound good?”

Before Blair answered, the notes of 39-21-46 drifted from the lone speaker and hovered around the boat.

“Want to dance?” Justyn held out a hand to Blair.

“On the boat? You dance on the boat?” She looked around at the limited space the skiff allowed.

“Obviously, you don’t know much about boats. You can do more than just dance.” He laughed. “Come on. Dance with me.”

He pulled her up from her perch on the bow and folded her into a dance hold. Blair remembered how well their bodies aligned last time when they danced at Shirley Lane, but this was different. They were alone—really alone.

It was dark on the water, and except for the low light emitting from the boat’s speaker, there were no other lights. Blair realized when they were with Maggie and Reid, the other couple provided the right amount of buffer to keep Blair from fighting the growing pull she had every time Justyn touched her. She didn’t have to worry about lots of conversation and sharing. Weeks of plotting her seduction suddenly seemed insane. This didn’t feel like a conquest or a summer fling. There was nothing but Justyn’s arms wrapped around her and the moonlight dancing off the water. The song faded and Blair recognized Lady Soul belting out.

“This is kinda cheesy, isn’t it?” Justyn looked down at Blair and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“I’ve always kind of liked it. It reminds me of my parents.” She buried her head in his chest and swayed back and forth.

“Parents? Uh, no, I’m changing it.” He broke away and pressed the screen on his iPhone to shuffle to another song. He smiled when another song started to play. “Ok, does this remind you of your parents?”

Blair giggled. “No.” How did Justyn always do that? He made her laugh out of nowhere. She pulled him closer and wound her arms around him tighter. She nestled in the space below his neck and inhaled.

“Whoa. Hold on.”

Justyn grabbed Blair and scooped her up as the boat rocked by another wake. He brought her down to the floor of the boat before they were hit by successive waves.

“You ok?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. You’re pretty quick.”

“Years of practice with my sea legs.” He laughed. “I brought some blankets. Hold on.”

Mesmerized again by his planning skills, Blair watched as he retrieved a heavy quilt and another blanket from his bag. He layered the floor with the thick quilt and folded the spare blanket next to Blair.

“You thought of everything, didn’t you?” she teased.

“I can’t take all the credit. I wanted you to have a good time on this cruise. JoBeth, who works the counter at the marina, helped me pick out the wine and she put in the mason jars.”

It made Blair wonder if that was how island life was for Justyn—women always helping him out.

“These shrimpers usually sit out here for the night, but they are buzzing in and out of here tonight. Sorry, it’s usually quieter than this,” he commented as another boat sped past them.