“Can you make it a bottle of white wine?” Whitney asked.
“Wasn’t gonna bring that red shit that Katie chokes down,” Lizzie said. “Shit sucks.”
“Actually, I wouldn’t mind having a beer or two,” I said.
The tub fell silent as everyone turned their eyes toward me. Grins popped up on all the brothers’ faces as Whitney stared at me with her eyebrows hiked up on her head.
Lizzie threw her fist in the air as she scurried off, her feet carrying her fast for the bar across the hallway.
“Are you going to be okay?” Whitney asked.
“Yeah. One or two won’t hurt anything,” I said.
“Glad to see you settlin’ back into things,” Caleb said.
“How’re you feelin’?” Andrew asked.
“Better. Relaxed. This hot tub is wonderful. Do all of the resorts have one?” I asked.
“They do. A couple have multiple ones,” Dylan said. “Speaking of— Caleb? I just thought of a feature that could go in the South Carolina build.”
“We really talkin’ shop right now?” Caleb asked.
“Private hot tubs on the balconies for the suites,” Dylan said.
“Oh, shit. Good idea. I’ll log it away before the beer gets here,” Caleb said.
“New rule. When in a hot tub with hot women, stop fuckin’ talkin’ bout work,” Wyatt said.
“Language. After all, you did say that we were in the presence of beautiful women,” Dylan said, with a mischievous grin.
“Oh, he’s a charmer,” Whitney said.
“Women such as yourselves deserve nothing less,” Dylan said.
But even though he was speaking to Whitney, his eyes were hooked onto me.
Lizzie came back with a cooler full of all the drinks we specified. The beer loosened up my body as well as my tongue, and soon the guys and I were talking as if nothing had changed. It brought back a lot of memories. I quickly found why I had fantasized about them all the time as a teenager. Why I was always masturbating to them and wishing they would kiss me. They were true gentleman with just a spark of wolfish nature. Not enough to make them seem like dogs, but enough to make you know you were wanted. I threw back my first beer without a second thought and was sipping on my second one as a flushed feeling of euphoria tumbled over my body.
The bubbles were popping against my skin, and the water felt like it was getting hotter.
I was relaxed. Loose. Unaware of worries that still plagued my subconscious mind.
It almost made me wonder what would’ve happened had I stayed, found a law school in the state and stuck by their sides. Would one of them have taken me in? Would I have ended up as part of the O’Conner clan? I never would’ve met Michael, and that would’ve been a good thing. But would I have ended up with one of them?
The thought ran through my mind all night as our party grew loud.
“You look wonderful in that suit,” Caleb said quietly.
“You haven’t seen me in it,” I said with a giggle.
“I have. You got out to go to the bathroom, and I couldn't take my eyes off you.”
“Now you know how I felt on all those fishing trips we took,” I said.
His eyes darkened as I clamped my mouth shut. What in the world had I admitted to?
“Katie? Want another beer?” Andrew asked.