Wrong For Me

“Take care of her? Where were you when she fell?” I shout, and he glares at me, turning her away.

“Shut up, Alec! Go find someone else to be a jerk to and leave us alone.”

They start to walk away and anger floods me, so I yell, “Like I care. Help the dumb girl who can’t even climb a fence.” Her misty eyes hit mine over her shoulder, and while I hate to see it, at least she’s looking at me. “You should stop trying to show off so I don’t have to pretend to want to help you anymore.”

I turn and walk away, forcing my feet to keep moving when I hear her cry behind me.Eighteen Years OldShe looks good. Real good.

At the beginning of summer, I went to an agility training camp to help me prepare to start Oakley’s dad’s fire academy, and the entire time I was there, I kept wondering what she was doing and who the hell she was doing it with.

What I didn’t stop to consider was coming home to find Oakley on an entirely new level.

She’s still got the same smile and big blue eyes, but now they’re framed by longer lashes and higher cheekbones. The smile? It’s fuller, a brand new shade of pink even, a little darker, more attention drawing. And her body? It’s distracting, and not just to me.

I frown, looking from one neighborhood asshole to the next, almost all eyes locked on her hips and ass as she skips toward Rowan, holding out a piece of her birthday cake. Every damn year, she brings him the very first slice. Someone should tell her the rule when it comes to birthday cakes – the first cut is for the birthday girl, not the dumbass she thinks she likes.

It’s her birthday today and she asked the entire neighborhood to the community pool for a party.

Not me though, I wasn’t included. Maybe it’s because she didn’t know I’d be home, maybe it was on purpose. Either way, I had no invite.

Course I’m here anyway. And while she hasn’t looked my way, she knows it.

She keeps tucking her long blonde hair behind her ear, and when she laughs, she tips her head back a little farther than necessary.

She’s not fighting for my attention, not that she’d have to. She doesn’t know but she’s had it locked in since we were little, but she thinks I came here to crash, and she’s silently telling me she won’t have it.

Good for her.

I like when she fires back, too bad it’s so damn rare.

After the cake’s cleared out, everyone starts slipping back in the pool, so I move closer to the water, ready to be seen, but then Oakley jumps out, now dripping wet, and heads for the clubhouse that holds the rafts, swim games, and such.

So, I slip inside behind her.

As she reaches up for the diver sticks, my eyes fall to her bathing suit bottoms. They’re tiny, hardly covering half her ass.

It's perked up real nice, too.

I take a step closer and her arm jolts down, her back growing rigid and a smirk takes over.

Yeah, she knows I’m standing here.

She waits a second, then clears her throat and turns around.

And then she sucks in a deep breath.

Yeah, princess. You’re not the only one who’s grown.

I was five eleven when I left in June. I’m now a solid six foot, and twenty pounds of muscle heavier from weight training.

I look good, and she can’t hide how she agrees.

Finally, those blues pop up and her cheeks heat, but she’s fast to mask how I make her feel – always is – and she pops that newly shaped hip.

“Well, well, look who’s back.”

“Look who’s grown.”

She licks her lips and looks away, shifting on her feet. “You come here to tease me?”

“If I did?”

“It’s not nice.” Her eyes come back to mine. “It’s my birthday. Think you can wait one more day to ruin mine?”

“Would me telling you, you look damn good be ‘ruining’ your day, princess?”

Her tongue slips between her teeth as her eyes narrow.

I take a step closer and her hands hit the shelf behind her.

“Or if I said I like your choice in swimsuits ... even though I prefer it only worn for me.” I let my eyes run over her. “That’d be ruining your day?”

Her lips smash together, and she looks from me to the exit.

I take another step closer. “Or what if, I came straight here, only minutes after getting home from being gone for weeks, just to tell you happy birthday in person?” I lift my hand and place it on the shelf behind her. “Would that ruin your day, too?”

Her deep inhales grow stronger, the heavy rise of her breaths has her newfound chest pushing against mine.

It only takes a second for her nipples to set through the thin fabric, the beady points brushing over my skin with every breath she takes.