"I'll be right back." I hike my bag onto my shoulder and head into the house.
Once I’m safe inside the bathroom, I strip.
Off goes the sundress and my modest one-piece. On goes the string bikini my dad forbade me to wear. It looks even skimpier than I remember. Thankfully, my breasts—though double-Ds—are high and firm, and I had already gone for a Brazilian bikini wax in preparation for the trip to Florida.
I pose in front of the mirror, admiring my yoga-toned arms and flat stomach. My dad's such a killjoy. What's the point of working my ass off for a hot body if I can't even show it off? This suit looks amazing on me.
The guys will just have to deal with it.
Giddy with newfound confidence and the thrill of breaking my father’s dumb rules, I strut down the hall and through the French doors leading to the back patio.
The look on my Dad's face as he catches sight of my bikini is all the vindication I need.
Eric whistles.
John does a double take, his gaze flitting between my dad and me.
Dax frowns, his gaze gone dark and narrow.
"Damn, girl." Mark stares at my chest, his mouth tilting into a lopsided grin. "That's some swimsuit."
I pop my hip. "You don't think it's too much?"
"More like too little," says John. "Will, you seriously let her out of the house like that?"
"Absolutely not." My dad's tone is icy. His phone rings in his pocket, and he takes it out to check who’s calling. “Shit, I have to take his.”
My dad disappears into the house. I set my bag down on a lawn chair and pull out a bottle of sunscreen, then start to work the lotion into my skin. Eric and Mark can hardly take their eyes off me as I make my way down my chest, between my breasts, over my stomach. Neither can Dax, though his gaze is less curious and more disapproving. The only one who’s even pretending not to watch me is John.
I hold the bottle out to him. “Can you get my back for me?”
“Uh, sure.” John takes the bottle. I hold my hair back. The feel of his strong hands smoothing the cool lotion onto my back makes me sigh.
If Dax’s look could kill, I’d be on the grill with whatever John’s cooking.
My dad emerges from the house, and John’s hands immediately vanish. I expect my dad to start yelling at me, but he doesn’t.
“Hey,” he says. “Sorry guys, but I have to head up to the hospital.”
“Aw, really?” says John. “I thought you pulled a double last week.”
“I did, but one of my patients just took a fall. They think there might be some internal bleeding.” He looks to Dax. “Think I could borrow your truck?”
“You remember how to drive stick?”
“I’ll figure it out,” my dad jokes. Dax tosses his keys to my dad, who catches them, then glares at me. “Don’t think you’re off the hook for this, Candace.”
I roll my eyes at my dad’s back as he exits the backyard, then thank John for his help with the suntan lotion. After a quick swipe of lotion over my cleavage, I head to the pool, skirting Dax’s chair and not bothering with the ladder. I dive into the deep-end, then surface a few feet from Mark’s irresistible smile.
“You guys want to play a game?” I ask.
Eric swims over. “Like what?”
“How about Marco Polo?”
The guys nod.
“You go first,” says Mark.