I smirked and offered her my arm. "Sounds like a plan to me."
"You know that Cora is really excited about going to the movies tonight, right?" Cindy glanced over at me. Her hair was the color of fire and her complexion pale. She reminded me of a model, but seemed far too fragile for someone like Derek.
"Really, or are you just saying that?" I glanced over at her as we walked across the street and made our way down the pier.
"No, I'm serious." She paused at the edge of the dock.
I sat the dip down and climbed into the boat, offering her a hand and grabbing the bowl of dip once she was in the boat behind me.
"Well, it should be a good time. I realized maybe you guys were right. I'm not looking for anything other than a friendship with her. That's probably why things are less tense between us now." I shrugged and handed her the bowl before turning back and waving at the others as they walked toward the dock. "Hurry up. It's getting busy out here on the lake. Too much competition is never good."
Derek laughed and reached up to adjust his cowboy hat. "When in the world would we ever have thought old Brody Myers would be worried about some healthy competition? The fucking world must be coming to an end." He winked at Cindy, who giggled beside me.
"Keep it up. I owe you a good ass-whooping, anyway. All of you, if I recall." I reached up to help Emily in the boat and moved back as the other guys jumped in. Dedra and Cora were pulling up the rear and I was quite grateful for the extra moments I got to study her legs. My stomach contracted as my cock hardened, making it quite obvious that I was turned on or sporting a gun in my shorts.
I reached up and offered my hand to Dedra as she smiled. "You happy to see us, or is that a gun in your shorts?"
"Four beautiful women? I'm a guy, remember?" I smirked and glanced up at Cora as the first sign of embarrassment rolled over me. How long had it been since I'd been embarrassed by something? Forever. "Come on. Let me help you in the boat."
She glanced across the lake and then down to me with a smile on her beautiful lips. "Yeah. Just don't get any ideas."
"I'd respond to that, but you'd like me less if I did." I reached up and took her hand, making sure to back up a little as she jumped down into the boat. I caught her in my arms and didn't release her right away. "I wanna spout a million poetic things, but I'm not thinking you'd enjoy them much. I'd get a good tongue lashing, hmm?"
"Isn't that what you're after? A tongue lashing?" She smirked and pulled out of my arms before making her way to the front of the boat. The girls moved about, getting everything situated as my friends lay around like there was nothing going on.
"Lazy bums." I kicked at Daniel's legs to get him to move so I could go to the front of the boat. "One of you guys dr
ive. I'm laying out with the girls. I need to work on my tan."
Cora glanced over her shoulder, and I took it as an opportunity to pull my shirt over my head. Her eyes moved across me slowly and a smile tugged at the side of her mouth. There was the look I wanted to see on her face. Why she felt the need to hide if from me was a mystery.
"I like those shorts. They're cute. My cousin has a pair." She tugged at the edge of her covering and pulled it over her head, leaving me frozen in place for a minute. She had on the perfect bathing suit for her body type.
"Your cousin?" I licked at my lips.
"Yeah. He's ten." She winked and turned around, laughing at me.
"Why am I not surprised by that?" My eyes moved down her taunt back to the curve of her ass, memorizing her sexiness and trying to talk myself out of reaching out and doing something that would surely end with me getting slapped.
"Come up here with us." Dedra patted the open spot between her and Cora as the two of them crawled up onto the flat tanning part of the boat and reclined.
I reached out and gripped the side of the boat as Clay hit the gas, almost sending me flying backward. "Ass."
Cora pulled her sunshades on and looked my way as I crawled up in between them.
"That swimsuit was made for you." I laid down on my back and stretched my arms above my head before turning to Dedra. "You look lovely, too, Dee."
"Dee? You already giving me a nickname?" She pushed her shoulder against mine and smiled like a tomcat. I liked her. She would be good for Daniel, but I needed to pull her aside to explain his situation a little more. He hadn't dated much, and Dedra looked very much like a confident woman who had.
"You look pretty hot yourself, white boy." She leaned her head back and let out a long sigh. "This is the life."
"Agreed." I closed my eyes and lifted my chin as I stretched. "All I need is the right woman in my bed tonight, and it will be the most perfect day ever."
"Not happening," Cora mumbled before moving up to her elbow and glancing down at me. She tugged her sun glasses off and glared a little. "Speaking of. Did you really go out with that blonde from the movie rental place the other night after you kissed me?"
"What?" I turned to face her and propped up on my elbow. There was a wicked turn up ahead that I knew would have her rolling my way. Nothing like setting up the perfect accidental situation. "Of course not. I went home with the guys after the walk you refused to go on. I couldn't go out with that girl."
"Why not?" Her expression softened a little.