“Really?” I squeak, sounding like a teenage boy.
“No, silly, but I liked your reaction.” She shoots me a wink back over her shoulder before opening the door and heading toward the other wing of the house, slightly limping. Swallowing my reaction, I run after her, sweeping her into my arms. She gasps in surprise before her arms come up around my neck, and I’ll be damned if I don’t make the most of this moment.
“What are you doing?” she demands a little breathlessly. A smug feeling rolls through me at her reaction, but I push it away, not wanting her to start associating me with my all too smarmy brothers.
“What kind of a man would I be if I let you hobble down the stairs?”
We make it to the second floor, and just as I reach the next set of steps, Jaxon's bedroom door opens and the man steps out.
“Kai, what are you doing?” he asks, his eyes narrowing on me and Harlow.
“Harlow’s a little banged up, so I’m giving her a hand down the stairs.” His eyes widen in concern before he tries to hide it, but it’s too late. I’ve already seen it. Brother dear is pretending way too much. I’m always seen as the friendly, outgoing one, but my siblings never really give me credit for how observant I can be too. Extreme sports, or any kind of competition really, is all about strategy and making use of all the details around you. I notice much more than they give me credit for. I just usually decide to keep those things to myself, not needing to bring any drama to the table since most of my siblings manage that well enough on their own. It might be worth starting a little drama if it means I get to keep Harlow though. He starts to hurry toward us, but another door opens and Jacinta steps out this time. Even though her back is to him, her presence completely stops Jaxon in his tracks.
“What’s going on? What happened to you?” she asks, sneering at Harlow in my arms, but before she can answer, I butt in.
“Like you don't know, kind of like her accident this morning,” I snap back at her, and she flinches. What looks like genuine shock crosses her face, and her eyebrows turn down in a frown. Is she surprised that I’m calling her out in front of the “enemy”? Or does that surprise mean that she really has no idea? I love Jacinta, but sometimes she’s really damn hard to read, no matter what cues I pick up on.
“You can’t seriously think I had anything to do with that, and I have no clue what you're talking about now.”
Looking down at Harlow, I see a frown cross her face at Jacinta's denial, but my sister doesn’t stop there. “I might not want her here, but I don't want her hurt or anything. That would just upset Dad.”
“And what you're doing isn't going to have the same result?” Jaxon mumbles from behind her. She flinches with the all too accurate barb, but she doesn't reply.
“Well if you didn't do these things, who could have done it?” My words echo through the hallway, a solemn silence following them. Does that mean Harlow has someone else after her? This gorgeous woman is a whole different kind of trouble than I ever expected.
Chapter Twelve
Harlow
Dinner with Emma was pleasant, a refreshing change from the dramatic Summers mealtimes of the past. Everyone was in attendance again, and for the first time, it was a rowdy affair. Conversation flowed, and everyone was on their best behavior. Everyone except Cecilia. She had arrived just before the meal, claiming that she had some things for Dad to sign, and she basically invited herself to stay for dinner. Every time Dad asked Emma a question, she would dive into the conversation, trying to monopolize it. Luckily, Emma managed Cecilia’s interruptions like a pro, and Dad’s not so covert admirer eventually fell into a sullen silence, obviously not happy that Dad was captivated by our new friend.
Afterwards, much to Cecilia’s disgust if the look on her face was anything to go by, Dad escorted Emma back to the caretaker's cottage across the road. Meanwhile, everyone else disappeared to do whatever it is they do in the evening, and Kai and I headed out to the hot tub. I’d put my bathing suit on under my clothes before dinner, so it was just a matter of stripping off and climbing in.
Settling back against one side, the warmth of the water and the pressure from the jets has my aches and pains easing instantly, leaving my limbs languid and relaxed.
My eyes hooded, I watch as Kai strips down, pulling his shirt over his head, exposing muscles that ripple with every movement. Although I can’t hear the sound of his zipper over the noise of the hot tub, the moment feels like it’s in slow motion when he pulls it down and peels his jeans away from his legs. His thigh muscles bulge as he steps out of them, throwing them off to the side. His tight black boxer briefs are the only thing covering what looks like an impressive package hidden beneath. Forgetting myself, I wipe my mouth to make sure that no drool escapes, my eyes greedily scanning his entire body. Jesus, the man is cut. He looks like he’s as fit as one of his extreme athletes.
When my eyes reach his, he’s smirking. The cocky asshole knows what he looks like and the effect it has on the female species. Pushing his hair back off his face, he steps up and into the hot tub, settling down next to me and covering that all too distracting body under the bubbling water.
Leaning his head back, he closes his eyes and groans. “God, that feels good.” His voice is all deep and rumbly with his appreciation, and it sends a shiver down my spine. Not dissimilar to the reactions I had to both Oliver and Jaxon. What the fuck is it about the Summers men that is so damn potent?
He rolls his head lazily in my direction. “I haven't done any climbing in a bit, and today I used muscles I haven’t in a while.” He’s smiling lazily as he says this, the total lack of discomfort in his expression making me snort in disbelief.
“Dude, you’re ripped! I’m sure there isn't a single muscle on your body that you don't regularly work out, let alone forget.”
His lazy grin just gets wider, but he shifts a little closer so our thighs are touching under the water. My core clenches at the feel of his skin against mine “Maybe, but still, it reminds me that I haven’t taken the time to indulge in a bit of climbing in a while. I need to change that… and you should come with me,” he suggests, and another shiver flows down my spine, this one a completely different feeling to the other.
“After today, I think I’ll avoid anything that requires climbing or falling.” The thought that someone deliberately pushed me into that pool, that I could still be stuck down if it hadn’t been for Emma...God, what a nightmare.
I shudder as I remember the conversation from before. Jacinta was fairly adamant that she hadn't pushed me into that empty pool. She’d argued with us all the way down the steps from their wing, claiming her innocence for both that and the cut in the saddle. Honestly, I was even wavering by the time she was finished, but she had gotten angry and stormed away before we could properly discuss it, so I don't know what to believe now.
He sits up and reaches over the edge of the spa, opening what I thought was a storage box for towels but is in fact a mini fridge full of drinks. I gratefully accept the one he offers me. Twisting the top, he hands it to me before reaching in and grabbing one for himself. He tosses both tops back into the box and closes it before sitting back.
“I’m inclined to believe her. Jacinta is a lot of things, insecure and childish being the two main ones, but she hasneverbeen violent. I think she suffered enough at her mother’s hands for it never to be something she has ever wanted to be. As to who it could have been, who knows? Maybe some punk kids were doing exactly the same thing as you and were worried you’d see them and report them. I’ll go through that card this evening and see what we can find out.” He shrugs, taking a sip of his beer. “And as for the saddle, maybe it had happened before it even left the Bostons’ place. Just be mindful of your surroundings, and if anything else happens, make sure you tell me.”
Taking a long swallow of my beer, I slide further down in the water and mull over his words, letting my body truly relax. Although I’ve always been so independent all my life, I like this feeling of being cared for. Don't get me wrong, the Bostons were always loving, but this is from someone new, someone not “obligated” to care for me, and I can’t say the feeling isn't addictive. That feeling combined with the warmth of the spa and the cool slide of my beer helps me to release the tension that has been a constant through my body for days now. Allowing my eyes to close, I feel my mind drift from that to other things, and it’s not until Kai says my name that I realize he’d been talking to me.
“Harlow, I need to fly to Hawaii this weekend to check out a couple of surfers I’m thinking about adding to one of my teams. I was wondering if you’d like to come with me?” He sounds a little nervous, and the look on his face tells me he’s worried I won’t accept, but Kai has been nothing but sweet to me. Accepting and friendly from the start, talking to me when everyone else pretended I wasn't even at the dinner table. Why wouldn’t I want to spend some time with a kind and sexy man? In Hawaii! I’ve always dreamed of going, and I’d love to see how he scouts his athletes for his teams. It would also give me a break from all the drama without Dad thinking I’m giving up. Seems like a win-win situation to me.
