"Yeah." I turned my head to watch her. My heart skipped another beat, and I realized that I was in trouble. I could easily find myself coveting the idea of her time, her attention, her sex.
"Stop it." She pushed at my arm.
"What am I doing?" I pulled off my sunglasses and let my eyes move down her chest over her tummy to her legs.
"Pulling my leg." She crossed her legs and turned her attention back to the water.
"Whatever you say, pretty girl."
Women. I would never figure them out. The fact that I was even trying was a tell-tale sign that I needed to get a couple of beers in me and find a quiet place on the beach to fall asleep. Pretty soon, I'd be trying to sweep the woman next to me off her feet.
No. Never. That wasn't me, at all.
Chapter Sixteen
Cora
He had to be pulling my leg. The soft tone of his voice said otherwise, but I wasn't falling for his tricks. He wasn't nearly as interested in me as he played to be. All the other guys had come by the house the day before, but I'd not heard a peep from him. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but being ignored surely wasn't it.
We made it out to the island a few minutes later, and he and the boys ran off to play a game of beach volleyball, inviting us to come, of course, but laying out sounded much better.
"So..." Cindy dropped down in the sand next to me.
"So what?" I lifted my sunglasses so I could see her better.
"So, I saw you and Brody cuddling on the front of the boat." She smirked as Emily let out a soft laugh.
"Oh... that. Right, well Clay turned the boat too hard and caused me to roll onto the sexy bastard. You probably helped plan it. At least, some of you did." I lifted my eyebrow as I turned my gaze to Emily.
She lifted her hands in the air. "Me? Oh, hell no. I didn't do that. Clay just drives like a crazy man, from what I can tell."
Emily shrugged and laid back, letting out a sigh. "You should be happy about it, though. Brody is wicked hot."
"Agreed." Cindy laid down and brushed the sand from her chest as Dedra piped in from the other side of me.
"Yep. Sexy as sin." She wagged her eyebrows.
"Alright." I dropped down in the sand. "I get it. Maybe you guys are right, but you know how I feel about blondes."
"And, we think it's dumb," Dedra turned to look at me. "Brandon's an asshole and deserves to rot in the deepest parts of hell for what he did to you, but Brody isn't Brandon. You have to try again sometime, Cora. You're going to spend the next few years by yourself trying to make sure you don't get hurt, and what if Mr. Right comes along?"
Tears burned my eyes, and I was grateful for my sunglasses. "I know. I'm just not sure Brody is that guy. We barely know him."
Cindy reached over and squeezed my hand. "Then get to know him. If you think sex will mess that up, then tell him that you're willing to go out sometime, but not sleep together."
Emily turned and propped up on her elbow. "Well, don't tell him I told you this, but Clay told me this morning on the phone that Brody hasn't slept with a girl for the last few days, which is a record for him. I'm thinking there is a reason for that."
"His herpes are flaring up?" I smirked, but the expression faded as I got a look from all three of my friends. "Really? All of you guys are in support of me giving this man-whore a chance?"
"Yep." The response was done in unison, and I was without a leg to stand on. They saw something in this crazy hot guy that maybe I didn't. Or perhaps I did, and just didn't want to admit it.
"Alright fine, but when he breaks my heart, you guys are going to be held fully responsible." I shrugged and closed my eyes, letting my thoughts drift back to the kiss. I wanted another one, and now that it was on someone besides me when the shit hit the fan like it always did, I was planning on getting at least one more kiss.
*
"You wanna come in and shower with me before our date?" Brody wagged his eyebrows at me as I stood at the bottom of the stairs by their cabin.
"Um, no, but thank you. I'd rather wash the sand from my crevices alone." I smirked as he chuckled.