First and Tension (Summersweet Island 4)

“All right, before the cheerleaders get out here, spill the tea,” Shepherd says.

“Yeah, give us the goods,” Palmer urges. “The girls won’t tell us anything now after the last time. But look how good that turned out!”

I laugh, shoveling a handful of popcorn in my mouth, and then sit up a little straighter when I see Emily walk out onto the field down below with all the varsity cheerleaders, unable to wipe the smile off my face when I see her wearing my white home jersey with red and blue trim.

“The first time I saw Wren wearing my name on her back, I completely lost it, and we had sex in the back room at the Dip and Twist.” Shepherd chuckles. “Which reminds me, I need to help her close again one of these nights.”

Emily, the little minx, not only successfully completed my dare, but she also made sure I would have to shield a stiff cock all evening, and not just because I seem to be having the same reaction as Shepherd, seeing the name Bagley big and bold printed across the back of her shoulders. She’s wearing a pair of cut-off jean shorts that make me want to sink my teeth into her juicy ass, and then tied a knot into the jersey up above her belly button. So now I also have to wipe drool off my chin, appreciating all the hard work she put into those ab muscles, watching her walk around all night, dazzling everyone with her smile and charm. It makes me realize she definitely won this game.

“Can I just say again that Tom Ford suit was an excellent choice for the charity event,” Shepherd adds.

“Definitely looked like you two kids had a great time, and you always seem to be smiling and laughing when we see you together around the island, so what’s the deal?” Bodhi questions around a mouthful of chips.

I refuse to think about how soul-crushing it was to hear her say we were back to playing pretend after what she gave me in that locker room last week. She stopped being the “perfect girlfriend,” and she was just real with me. She really wanted me, and she really trusted me, and she really made it impossible for me to make it through even one minute since that night without thinking about what it felt like to sink into her tight, wet heat, taking everything I had to give and begging for more.

“She thinks it’s all still pretend until I make the formal announcement that we aren’t together,” I finally tell the guys.

Pride fills me as I watch Emily give the girls a pep talk in a huddle on the sidelines, especially knowing she gave up a few hours of her free time this afternoon when the cheerleading coach got sick to fill in with practice and help them fine-tune some things.

“And when are you doing that?” Shepherd asks.

“Hold on, let me check.” Setting the box of popcorn down by my feet, I lean to the side, pull my phone out of the back pocket of my shorts, and start scrolling through my email. “Oh yeah, here it is. That would be never.”

The guys all let out roars of laughter as I slide my phone back into my shorts and lean down to pick up my popcorn.

“This is awesome. You’re definitely gonna need some advice from the experts,” Bodhi says, still chuckling as he brings the bag of chips up to his mouth and tips it back to get all the crumbs.

“He should find out what her favorite color is, add up how many days they’ve known each other, then have that many colored roses delivered to her cottage. I know a guy. I can hook you up with a good discount.”

“Nah. He should just screw her brains out repeatedly until she forgets what she was even mad about. I’ve got the keys to the 8th hole maintenance shed at the golf course you can borrow.”

“My dude should maybe just tell her he’s crazy about her and that none of this is pretend for him.”

“That’s dumb. He should definitely set up a candlelight dinner on the beach. I’ve got two-hundred glass votive candle holders just sitting in a box in a closet. They’re all yours.”

“Screw her on Birdie’s desk after hours. I’ve got a spare key to her office I can leave under the welcome mat at your cottage.”

“Take her on a helicopter ride over the island at sunset, but make sure Bodhi is not in charge of writing a romantic message on the beach down below.”

“Do you know how many compliments I got on that giant sand penis? You should see the pictures of the ones I did in the snow in West Virginia. Perfection! I’m telling you, man—honesty is the best policy.”