“It wouldn’t be very nice to leave my own sister when she doesn’t know anyone here.”
The smile on the girl’s face falls when he tells her we’re related. “Oh.” She recovers quickly and pops her smile back in place. “I’m sure she can come swim as well.”
“I’m good,” I say, taking another drink of lemonade, wishing for the first time in a while it was something stronger.
The girl huffs but doesn’t say anything else. Instead, she leans up to whisper in Lee’s ear before walking away toward the pool, her ass shaking as she goes.
Lee lets out a long sigh. “Sucks great dick, but fuck, she is clingy.”
I nearly snort my drink. Lee leads me over to a small set of chairs. We sit there for a while, neither of us talking, just enjoying the companionable silence. Every now and thensomeone stops to chat with Lee, and he introduces me. Everyone seems curious about the new Denver addition. Like I am some kind of fascinating anomaly.
Sometime later, Jackson wanders over, a smile on his face.
“Where’s Laura?” Lee asks.
Jackson shrugs. “Wandered off somewhere.”
Lee nods and stands, holding his hand out for my drink. “You want another lemonade?”
“Sure,” I tell him. “Thanks.”
Lee heads off toward the bartender, and Jackson takes no time at all to steal his seat.
“What do you think so far?” Jackson asks curiously. He has his own glass of amber liquid.
I shrug. “I’ve never been to a pool party before,” I admit. “Seems like a lot of nudity.”
Jackson laughs. “You’ve never been to a pool party?” he asks incredulously. Like the concept is foreign to him, and it probably is. This is someone who grew up in wealth and privilege. Not a fifth-floor walkup above a Chinese dry cleaner.
I shake my head. “Nope.”
“That’s crazy.”
I shrug again. Crazy for him, maybe.
“Lee!”
I hear Lee groan from behind me as he comes back with our drinks.
“What?” he growls as Pace comes barreling toward us with Colter in tow, an angry look on his face.
“Grab your fucking phone,” Pace snarls. “I need you in the house, now.”
“Busy, bro,” Lee replies cooly, but I can see the angry lines on his forehead.
“Now, Lee,” Colter orders from behind Pace. “You too, Jackson. Let’s go before my men clear this party out.”
“Yes, sir,” Lee sobers up immediately, the snark and impatience in his voice gone as he hands me my drink, the liquid sloshing over the edge. “Coming.”
Colter stands there, his face expressionless as he waits for Lee and his brother to make their way inside the house.
His jaw clenches when Jackson leans down to tell me he’ll be right back.
Then I’m alone and for a moment, without Colter’s heated stare, I feel as if I can breathe again.
I let my gaze wander, taking in everything around me. The family ambience of earlier has given way to a den of gold tinted sin.
Being alone gives my brain time to overthink everything, and the longer I sit here, the more I realize how different I am from everyone else.
