Ruby Revenge

“Is it possible for you two to not be dicks?” I grumbled, making sure to keep my voice down so their parents didn’t hear.

“Is it possible for you to ever have fun?” Niko shot back, his eyes dancing with mischief as he took another swig of beer.

“Leave the girls alone,” Alex yelled from the pool. “They came here to relax, not deal with you two.”

I scoffed, knowing he was speaking up only so I’d come over here with him again. He spent every Sunday with his family, but this was the first time I’d been here in months. Dealing with his overbearing parents and his brothers wasn’t a way I wanted to spend my weekends.

Niko laughed and took off his shirt as Geo did the same. My gaze wandered over their ripped abs before I caught myself. Alex climbed out of the pool and took a beer from Geo. I grinned, glad I got the brother who was hot and actually treated me right. The three of them were ridiculously good looking, and all had the same body type. The same solid build and forest green eyes. The twins had jet black hair like their mother’s while Alex’s was a dark brown.

Niko caught my gaze and gave me a lopsided grin before he jumped into the pool. Alex and Geo joined him while I helped Lacey apply the massive gobs of sunscreen. Lacey talked about her newest job at the bar as I laid back in a patio chair and closed my eyes, enjoying the sun.

Suddenly the sun was gone, and I opened my eyes to see one of the twins staring down at me. I bristled at how close he was, and I sat up and pushed him away before jumping out of my chair. Geo and Niko looked exactly alike. If I didn’t know what they were wearing, I had to check for the birthmark on Niko’s wrist. It was the only way to tell them apart.

“What do you want?” I noticed Alex sleeping in the chair next to me. I must have dozed off longer than I thought.

“Come on in, Sage, the water is great,” the other twin answered from behind me, making me nearly jump.

“I will in a minute,” I replied coolly, knowing they were up to something. I felt hands around my waist before I was lifted into the air. For a second, I thought it was Alex, until I twisted my head to see him still passed out in the lounge chair. I looked down and saw the birthmark.

“Damn it, Niko. Put me down,” I yelled as he started walking forward with me still struggling against him.

“You’re taking too long to get in the water. Don’t worry, we’ll help.” Laughing, Geo walked next to us, and I glared at him while trying to pry his brother’s hands off me.

“I still have my clothes on, don’t you dare—” Before I could finish my sentence, Niko threw me into the pool. The water was cool and refreshing after lying in the sun. Too bad the only clothes I had were now soaked. I broke the surface of the water to see the twins rolling with laughter on the deck.

Alex had woken up and quickly put together what had happened. I treaded water as I watched him shove Niko and then Geo into the pool. Not that they cared as they still laughed over their prank. I climbed out of the water and pulled off my now wet clothes to start wringing them out.

“Seriously, Niko, how old are you? You’re lucky I didn’t have my phone on me,” I seethed, not bothering to hide my annoyance.

“Nah, we knew you didn’t have it.” Geo chuckled.

Alex grabbed my clothes from my hands before pulling me in for a quick kiss.

“I’ll throw them in the dryer, baby. They’ll be done before we start the bonfire.”

“Thanks, Alex.” I gave him a smile before throwing the twins a warning look. They were not going to ruin our day.

“Need help getting back in the water?” Niko just couldn’t help himself. He thought he was hilarious. I ignored him and slid into the water myself. I was already wet, might as well swim while my clothes dried.

Lacey looked over to the side of the house, and I followed her gaze. I could see Jamie’s tall frame while he walked toward us as the breeze blew his shaggy black hair on his face. He had to be at least a foot taller than me. Lacey liked taller guys, and Jamie was very good looking. He had deep, serious brown eyes and a perfect smile.

Lacey left the deck and went down to meet him, then introduced Jamie to Niko and Geo once they got onto the patio. I said a quick hello as I climbed out of the pool. There was no point in investing much time in Lacey’s guy friends because they never lasted long.

I was surprised they’d been together for three months. That was usually around the time Lacey started getting antsy about things being too serious.

“Time for the fire,” Alex announced excitedly after he brought my now dry clothes from the house. He loved bonfires and always enjoyed the time when I came to his family’s house. Geo and Niko went to the garage to get the wood while Alex went to find matches. I decided this would be a good time to find out more about Jamie.

“How are you liking Michigan? I’m sure it’s a lot different from Texas.” It was pretty much the only thing I knew about him.

“Yes, it’s very different. I miss home, but your sister is making me love Michigan,” he replied, giving Lacey an affectionate look. “I was only going to stay for a few months, but I’m thinking of staying longer.”

“And he’s teaching me Spanish,” Lacey said with a grin.

Alex returned and pulled me against him. Niko got the fire going and his family ring hanging from his chest caught my attention when it gleamed from the flames. He wore his on a chain around his neck, just like Alex did. The gemstone was beautiful. A vibrant red-orange color, and it reminded me of a magnificent sunset. It was a Carnelian stone; Alex had told me. All the men in his family had one. It was a family heirloom, and he never took it off.

The ring was forgotten as Alex’s hand slipped beneath my shirt, and he slowly dragged his fingers up my back. Goosebumps ran down my spine, and I turned to look at him. He raised an eyebrow and pulled away as I giggled. Such a tease. He would never try anything at his parents’ house. They believed in no close contact until marriage. I was glad Alex didn’t share that view with his parents. But he still would never try anything when we were here.

“You guys are so perfect together. When’s the big day going to be?” Lacey joked.

“I could say the same about you and Jamie,” Alex teased playfully, and I laughed. Alex was aware Lacey never wanted to get serious. Jamie pushed his thick hair out of his eyes and gave Lacey a hopeful glance. It was obvious to everyone he wanted more than just a fling.

“Does anyone want a drink?” Alex changed the subject and opened the cooler. He passed one to everyone as he sat back down next to me.

“I saw this article online about this suspension bridge that’s like five hours north of here. And it connects to the Upper Peninsula. I didn’t even know Michigan had an Upper Peninsula,” Jamie said as he popped open his beer.

His statement was greeted with silence while everyone else just stared at him. After a couple of moments, Niko spoke up.

“You mean the Mackinac Bridge?” he asked while he suppressed a laugh. Jamie looked at him questioningly, not knowing what he was missing.

“Jamie, the Mackinac Bridge is one of the landmarks in Michigan; everyone that lives here knows about it. It’s five miles long,” Alex said, shooting his brother an annoyed look.

“Yeah, and only people who aren’t from Michigan call it the Upper Peninsula. It’s called the U-P.” Geo pronounced each letter separately. “So, if you want to fit in while living here, make sure you say UP when talking about up north,” he explained like he was talking to a small child.

“Ignore them. They like to make people feel stupid to make themselves feel better. You know people that aren’t from here have no idea about the UP or the Mackinac Bridge,” I said pointedly to the twins.

“I told you that Sage and I go up north every year,” Lacey added, looking at Jamie. “That’s where we go. Can’t go up north without seeing the bridge.”

“We should all plan a trip up there. I’d love to see it before summer is over. We could go next weekend. Lacey and I have off work,” Jamie said excitedly.

Lacey nodded in agreement, and I looked at Alex excitedly. I loved to go up north and hadn’t been yet this summer. We hadn’t even talked about it with what happened last month. And we definitely needed a trip away.

“What do you think, Alex?” I asked.

“I was supposed to spend that weekend with my parents…” he started to say, and my shoulders sagged in disappointment. “But I think I can skip it this one time.”

I gave him a huge smile and wrapped my arms around his neck. It felt good that, for once, Alex had chosen me instead of his family. A small stab of guilt went through me, but I was too excited to feel that bad about it.

“You kids have fun. Don’t let the bears get you,” Geo said with a grin.

“Wait—there are bears up there?” Jamie asked with a little nervousness. Everyone laughed and started talking about all the plans we had to make before we left.