Keep your friends close and your enemies closer and all that shit.
As soon as I hang up with Naomi, there’s a knock at my door. Lennon and Jace are both on my front step in nothing but swim trunks, their shirts draped over their shoulders.
“Let’s swim,” Lennon says in lieu of a greeting.
“It’s too damn hot to even be outside,” I groan.
“Yes, but the water is perfect and Jace is mixing drinks,” he counters quickly.
My eyes fall to Jace, and he’s sporting a wicked grin. One that says he’d rather stay inside and play with me, but that would make things a little obvious to the additional company we currently have.
“Fine but don’t mix my drinks too strong.” When I point my finger at Jace, he only smiles bigger and tosses me a wink. “If Lennon’s dinner is burned tonight, it’ll be all your fault.”
Lennon and Jace chuckle at me as I step aside and let them in. Ten minutes later my hair has been pulled into a tight knot on the top of my head and I’m wearing the tiniest swimsuit I own. It’s bright yellow and compliments my bronzing skin. Not that either of them is aware of that fact. I pulled a black coverup on over it to keep it concealed until we go to the pool.
And who’s at the pool when we arrive? Everyone.
Drake and Milo are floating around on pink flamingo rafts. Teegan, Courtney, and Bella are lounging off to the side, sunglasses in place, but I can feel their stare as we pass them, taking the loungers on the far side of Bella.
“Who wants an ice-cold drink?” Jace calls out, and everyone raises their hand. “Grape, Raspberry, Cherry, or Watermelon?”
As he takes drink orders, I take a seat on the edge of the pool and dip my feet in.
Lennon wasn’t lying. The water feels perfect. Not too cold but still refreshing.
“You gonna get in or just sit there and bake in that black dress thing?” Drake asks as he floats closer.
“I’ll get in, but I wanna get used to the water first.”
“Just jump,” Milo calls, paddling his raft over to where we are. “I’ve never understood why people take their time getting in. Once you’re in, it doesn’t feel as cold.”
He has a point. As soon as your entire body is in the water, you acclimate faster. But it’s the initial shock of getting in that I hate.
Pushing off the side, I pull the dress over my head, and there’s an immediate crash to my left. Once I toss the coverup on the lounger behind me, I look to where Jace is standing. At his feet is a puddle of blue liquid and shards of glass. He’s staring at me with lust in his eyes, and my body begins to heat from his gaze. So I do the only thing I can to cool myself off. I dive into the pool.
“You really knowhow to make a statement, don’t you?” Lennon says as we’re plating food.
I’ve been cooking for the last hour, and he’s been watching me. Giving me tips. I wasn’t as prepared for this meal as I thought. I’m praying I didn’t over or undercook anything.
“What? It’s not like I was naked,” I protest as he scoops mashed potatoes onto his plate.
“Yes, you kind of were, and you know it. I’m fairly certain the cameraman almost dropped his camera at one point.”
Wiggling my eyebrows at him, he just laughs. As soon as we’re seated, I anxiously wait for him to slice into his steak. What does he do instead? Takes a giant bite of his corn on the cob. Followed by some mashed potatoes and then back to the corn.
I wanted to eat ten minutes ago, but he said the steaks needed to “rest,” whatever that means.
Finally poking at his steak, he smiles up at me. “It’s perfect.”
“How do you know? You haven’t even cut into it.”
“You can tell by the feel.”
Taking my hand, Lennon shows me a trick. He folds my finger in and shows me the difference between a well-done steak by squeezing the flesh between my thumb and pointer finger. The tension changes based on how many fingers are folded down and then he tells me to touch my steak.
“Medium,” I guess, wrinkling my nose.
“You would be correct. When you cut into it, it’s going to be warm and red. Go ahead.”