“Uh, no.” I laugh. “I’m not sure I should be trusted at the helm of a boat.”

“Oh, come on, it’s fun. I’ll show you.”

“Don’t pressure her,” comes from Owen as he climbs on, bags in hand.

“Hi, Owen,” I greet him.

“Sawyer.” He gives me a grin, which is not very Owen-like.

“You need anything before we head out to the lake?” Royce asks, stepping off the ladder with our bags in his hands.

“Um, I should probably use the restroom before we leave.”

“We have one below deck,” he assures me. “Unless you need to go now?”

“No, just thinking ahead.” I laugh nervously.

“It’s clean too,” Marshall adds. “Mom makes sure of that.”

I look around to see if maybe their parents are going to join us. “Is it just… us?” I ask hesitantly.

“Yep.” Conrad smirks.

“Oh, I should let the five of you do your thing.”

“No,” Royce speaks up before anyone else can. “You’ll have fun,” he says, his tone lighter.

“You’re an invited guest,” Owen assures me.

“Okay. Well, what can I do to help? We could run out and get food, and I can cook,” I offer.

“Food is covered, and we just brought the rest of it on board.” Royce points to the bags that his brothers just carried on board.

“Okay, well, um, I don’t really know what to do?”

“You have a bathing suit on under that?” Conrad points at me.

“Yes.”

“That’s all you need. We’ll take care of the rest. Just enjoy some sun and a relaxing day on the water.”

“That I can do.” I move to one of the side seats and perch on the edge.

“Hey.” Royce stops next to me. He bends and places his index finger under my chin, bringing my eyes to his. “Today’s going to be a good day. Just relax and have fun. Oh, and try to imagine it’s just the two of us.” He winks.

“Yeah, not a good idea with your brothers on board.” The words are out before I can stop them. His eyes smolder, and he leans in a little closer, but the spell is broken when Grant walks behind him and smacks him on the ass.

“Get moving, big brother.”

“How are we getting to the lake?”

“It’s just about a mile out on the property. We’ll ride back here, and one of these guys will drive the truck.”

“That would be me.” Owen raises his hand. “These goons have already cracked open a beer.” He shakes his head, but there’s no malice in his tone. “Sawyer, you’re welcome to ride in the truck with me. In the air conditioning.” I look up at Royce for direction, but he’s looking at his phone. “Sure. Thanks, Owen.”

“What?” Royce’s head pops up.

“She’s riding in the truck with me.”

“You can ride there.” Royce points to where I’m sitting.

“Yeah, but Owen offered to let me ride in the truck.” I stand and glance over at Owen. It’s hard to tell what he’s thinking with that beard covering his face, but it doesn’t hide the twinkle in his eyes. He was being nice by offering me solace in the cab of the truck with air conditioning, but he also seems thrilled to be getting under his big brother's skin. I don’t see this side of Owen at the office. I smile; it’s good to see him opening up.

“Ready?” he asks, reaching for my hand.

Something that sounds like a growl comes from Royce, but we both ignore him as Owen goes down the ladder first, so that he can “spot” for me. Again, I’m assuming this is another dig at his brother.

I shouldn’t encourage him, or any of them really, but I’m secretly thrilled to see Royce and his reaction to me with his brothers. It’s yet another layer of him. I don’t know that I would go as far as calling it jealousy, but he definitely doesn’t like the current situation.

“Owen.” Royce’s deep voice has me staring up as my feet hit the ground. “She’s not yours.” He points at his brother.

A thrill races through me at his words. I glance down at Owen, and this time, I see his white teeth through the beard as he grins up at his brother.

“Not yours either if I recall.” He turns that grin on me, and I’m hit with those Riggins genes. He really is handsome, but he doesn’t make me weak in the knees like Royce does. “Ready?” he asks.

“Yep. Let’s do this.” I make my way to the passenger side of the truck and climb in. I try not to let it show that Royce trying to warn his brother away from me is affecting me like it is. My insides are like a swarm of bees buzzing around. He turns me inside out without even trying.

“He’s not impressed.” Owen chuckles.

“No fraternizing with the employees,” I remind him.

“Right,” he says in an exaggerated tone. “Today is going to be a hell of a lot more fun than I originally thought.” With that, he hits the button to raise the garage door, and we’re driving down an old dirt road to what I assume leads us to the lake.

Tags: Kaylee Ryan Riggins Brothers Billionaire Romance
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