“Sorry, I was rambling.”
The corner of his mouth lifts. “Don’t be, I kind of like the sound of your voice,” he teases.
“Sure, you do.” I laugh lightly, motioning toward the beach house. “I better go help them get ready for the bonfire.”
He nods. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”
“Well, maybe we’ll see you tonight.” I smile and walk away, making the conscious effort not to look back.
My steps are slow as I replay the last half hour.
Chase finally acknowledged our kiss, but not in the way I had hoped he would.
Whether he wants to admit it or not, he was feeling me for at least a moment. He was hard, pressed against my body.
He wanted me.
Or maybe he was just turned on by the mood and the vibe, like he’d said.
Maybe it wasn’t about me at all.
So, what was with the long, slow, wretched expression today?
What was he thinking?
What was he about to say?
He was about to say something, right?
A harsh breath pushes past my lips, and I pause at the foot of the deck stairs.
If only we weren’t interrupted by Noah.
I bite the inside of my cheek.
Noah. A random guy on the beach.
Or not random, but the guys’ new team captain.
My hand meets the railing, and before I know what I’m doing, my eyes are gliding over my shoulder, drawn to the exact spot in which I left Noah Riley.
The spot where the blue-eyed stranger’s still standing, his attention pointed this way.
I don’t know why, but I lift my hand and wave, and the moment I do, my cheeks turn pink because, somehow, I know the action has him chuckling, even if I can’t hear him from here.
I had a feeling this trip would be full of surprises, and it seems there’s more to come.
Chapter 5
Arianna
* * *
“Hey.” I nod at Mason as he sets the last ice chest down, officially completing our setup for tonight’s bonfire. “Anything else I should do before I go get cleaned up?”
“I think that’s it. Brady ran down to Nate’s to grab the cups, and then we’re good.” He glances over his shoulder. “Chase is starting the fire now.”
“Awesome. I’ll get Cam and we’ll head back out in a few.” I turn for the house.
“Ari, hold up.”
I shift, and he puts himself in front of me.
He’s already shaking his head. “You really took off without us? To Florida? Somewhere we’ve always talked about going.”
“You got to go stay on campus for training camp. We just wanted some fun too.”
“So why not come here, hang with Lolli and Nate? They were settled by then.”
“You mean why didn’t we come here, where Nate could keep an eye on us?”
“No.” He crosses his arms. “I mean, where someone who cares could protect you and keep assholes away from you.”
“So, this is about Trey.”
His eyes narrow. “That is not fair.”
“But is it?”
Mason shakes his head, blowing out a long breath. “Tell me about the guy.”
Staring at my brother a moment, I decide to push. “Why, Mase?
“Ari,” he grumbles.
“Don’t Ari me on this. Tell me why you want to know and I will.”
“This guy is going to be my teammate. Dudes talk in the locker room, Ari. A lot. If there’s something to be heard, I need a heads up, so I don’t rip someone’s head off, and ruin everything before it even starts.” He huffs, dropping his hands to his hips.
Is he serious?
“Are you serious?” I stare, slack jawed. Before he has a chance to respond, I put my hands out to stop him. “That’s what you’re worried about, truly? Or maybe you don’t know what’s bothering you because you’re too stubborn to consider it might be something else.”
“What do you want me to say, Ari, huh?” he shouts. “That I care about Cameron? Of course I do, you know that, but that’s not what this is about! I need to know if some asshole has something to say about my sister that I don’t want other people hearing, and you know what, yeah, I need to know if something went down with Cameron too.”
“For rumor purposes, right?”
“If it were something else, do you really think I’d be standing here right now and not locked inside that room with the girl to make damn sure when she came out, it was to come to me and only me?” His tone is strong, his eyes clear and locked with mine. “You know me better than this.” His gaze seems to soften, almost as if he’s apologizing in advance for what he says next. “If I wanted her, Arianna… she’d know it already.”
A small sting shoots through my chest at the thought of my friend. My brother might be aggressive and possessive and everything else that comes along with those two things, but he’s not a liar.
I nod, doing my best to keep the sorrow I feel from showing.