"What?" I smirked, knowing exactly who he was talking about.
"Right." He turned to face me. "What's going on, anyway? Anything happen since the date night that went belly up thanks to you being a dick?"
"No, dude." I pressed my hands to my hips. "And, I wasn't being a dick. I was trying to be a good guy for the first time in my life. It worked out really well for me. See if I do that shit again."
"I really like this girl, Brody. I'd rather you not fuck it up for me." He walked past me, popping me in the stomach with his hand.
"What? That makes no sense, at all." I turned to follow him, tired of him acting like I was the only jackass in t
he house. "The only one that's going to fuck things up is you, when you pull out your miniature cock and scare her."
Clay turned and moved toward me aggressively. "She likes my cock, so you shut the fuck up."
"Whoa...what the hell?" Daniel moved in between us as Clay lifted his fist. I was almost looking forward to putting a hurting on him. It would have felt good for both of us to release some of the tension we had in our lives. Funny how it wasn't really related to the other and yet we were going to act like it was. We'd been doing the same song and dance our whole lives. It was one of the many reasons why we were best friends.
"What's up?" Derek jogged toward us as I backed up.
"Nothing. We're just tense." I turned to Clay. "Sorry, dude. I'm not going to fuck anything up, alright?"
"Wow." Daniel laughed. "Who are you, and where is our friend? What have you done with him?"
I smirked. "Maybe I'm growing up. Nawww...just not in the mood to explain to the girls why Clay is missing a tooth."
"Just be cool tonight, alright? Don't upset anyone. Can you do that?" Clay barked at me, still pissy over something, but I wasn't going to dig to find out what it was. He could figure that shit out on his own.
"Yep." I turned and walked back toward the fire as I rubbed my chest and watched the flames dance in front of me. I could be completely chill, or so I hoped.
The sound of another boat approaching caused my stomach to tighten as nervousness blasted through me. I glanced down the length of my body, brushing off the sand I'd gotten on me and making sure I looked as good as I could.
The girls’ laughter lifted in the air, and I could pick out the sound of Cora as if she were standing beside me. I turned to watch Derek help her out of the boat and couldn't help but groan. One week. It had been a little over one week, and I could feel myself changing. Why? And, how the fuck did I stop it?
Her eyes met mine, and a cocky smile lifted her lips. One stained my face, as well.
"Don't you look like you're up to something over here?" She walked toward me, and I was grateful that everyone else stayed near the boats for a few minutes. Her white dress looked amazing on her in the firelight, and with her hair down and playing along her shoulders, I could have sworn she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen.
"I'm always up to something. I'm the black sheep, remember?" I gave her a cheeky grin.
"Where's your friend?" She glanced around as if she really had expected me to bring Veronica.
"I don't have many friends." I moved around the fire to stand beside her. "That girl just needed a ride to the island. Nothing more."
"Right." She glanced over and smiled at me, not showing a hint of jealousy or being upset. "And, the ride including sitting in the captain's lap?"
I lifted my eyebrow at her. "Don't all rides?"
"Not the ones I've been on." She chuckled, and I was surprised by her calmness. Was she upset over Veronica, or did my dealings with other women really not matter to her?
"You've been tricked." I licked at my lips as my pulse spiked. The smell of her perfume rolled over in as the breeze picked up. Vanilla. Clean. Delicious.
"Clearly." She smirked.
"You look good. Really good." I let my eyes run around her face, taking in the intensity in her warm brown eyes.
"Thanks." Her eyes moved down to my arm, and she turned, pressing her hands to my shoulder. "What's this tattoo mean? I meant to ask the last time we were together."
I pulled up the sleeve of my white shirt and glanced down at it. "It's a symbol of brotherhood. It's the sign my fraternity back at Arizona State uses."
"I like it." She brushed her fingers by it and smiled before stepping back and breathing in deeply. "It feels great out here tonight."