"What? No." I smirked. "We've barely started talking. It's really not that serious yet. I like her. A lot. A lot more than any other woman I've been interested in the past, but that doesn't mean that she feels the same way." I grabbed a few things from the fridge and shrugged. "She's probably just looking for a fun fling over the summer, and with her leaving in the next week, if that's all she wanted, then it'll be time for me to move on."
He rolled his eyes. "You're not moving on. Stop talking that psycho-babble-bullshit to yourself and ask her out."
"I have asked her out." I grabbed the bread and tossed it to him. "We've been on two dates, and both were a load of fun."
He rolled his eyes and walked to the door. "That's not what I meant and you know it."
"Right." I closed the door behind me, juggling the meat, cheese, and mustard while Daniel stood aside quietly. "I don't want to force anything on her, Clay. She's got a lot of baggage from the last guy she was with, and I found out on Tuesday that Tinsley was the girl that was fucking him when she walked in on them."
Clay jerked around. "Our Tinsley? Your fucking sister?"
"Yeah." I shook my head. "Unbelievable, right? I swear that girl's going to hell for lying and doing it really, really well."
"Damn. All those years of making sure not to look her way because she seemed so innocent and-”
"Hey." I glanced over at him, cutting him off. "She's still my little sister. Watch it."
Daniel laughed and took the cheese and mustard from me. "You guys are so easily duped. Your sister's been as active as you are all these years, Brody. Anyone with half a brain would know that."
"Oh yeah, doctor Dan?" I pushed at his shoulder as we stopped by the cooler. "What else have we missed? You know...us idiots."
He turned to face us, and I swear he aged ten years in front of my eyes.
"For one, you need to stop waiting on Cora to come over here. Someone who's been cheated on isn't just fighting the sadness of losing someone they loved. They're battling the idea that they aren't good enough for anyone. I'm not sure how the fuck the girl every dec
ided to let her guard down with you. You're the biggest whore we know."
"True." Clay shrugged and reached for the cooler. "We're jealous, though...aren't we?"
Daniel nodded and took the cheese from me. "Hell yeah, we are, but you gotta see this from Cora's perspective. You're not a safe bet, at all. While she's obviously attracted to you, she has to protect herself. And, I'd lay money on it that she's doing that right now."
I shook my head and walked down the dock. "Why are you telling me all this, Dan? You know I'm a simple guy. I don't over-analyze anything, and I like living that way."
"Me, too. Give me some skin over that shit." Clay sat down the cooler and lifted his hand to me. I hit it and turned at the sound of someone calling my name.
Damn. Dina.
"Oh crap," Clay mumbled and dropped down into the boat. "Get rid of her, Brody. We don't want company today."
"Yeah, yeah." I waved a hand back at them as I walked toward her. She was breathtaking to say the least, and yet I realized what it meant to want one woman. I didn't see her as an object, but just as a friendly face. Too bad she didn't seem to feel the same.
"You look good enough to eat." She slid her hands up my chest and pressed herself to me as she bit at her lip seductively.
"Oh, yeah? Well, you look great, too. We're just about to-”
"Head out? Good. I'm coming with you. I found this great alcove the other day and I kept thinking about which guy I wanted to take out there with me. It's a little risqué, but it would be so hot to fuck in. Let's get rid of your friends and go out there." She pressed her hips to mine and moaned softly. "I've yet to feel you inside of me, really. That blow job didn't count."
"Brody. Come on, fucker," Clay yelled from behind me. "Let's go."
"Maybe another time, Dina. I'll find you in a few days, okay?" I gripped her shoulders softly and stepped back. "Have fun today."
"Really? What the fuck?" she barked as I turned and jogged back down the dock. "Are you really not going to go with me out there?"
"Nope." I jumped down into the boat and gave Daniel a look. "Watch closely, doc. This is where you'll see humanity at its-”
"You sorry mother fucker." She walked toward the deck as Daniel pressed the gas. "I don't want anything to do with your shrimp dick, anyways!"
She was ugly when she got upset. I glanced down at Daniel and smiled. "Humanity at its worst."