Dean thrust his head back, his blonde hair going everywhere. "You! You!"
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!" he shrieked.
"All right," I laughed, loosening my grip on his sides.
The poor little guy's face was all red but when he managed to get his breathing somewhat under control, he shot me a big, goofy smile. After chasing him around for a couple of minutes, I'd finally grabbed him and spent the next hourplaying with him in the pool. I learned after dunking him in once that apparently, he had an obsession with booties in general.
What the hell do you say to that?
Nothing, that's what.
We'd gone diving for pennies in the shallow end, played Marco Polo with two other girls around his age, and then started the tickling game.
"Again?" he asked, panting.
"Boy, your mom already told you that you needed to get out." I had no clue who his dad was. I didn't even recognize his mom either but the woman keptmouthingout her thanks to me each time she'd walked by to check on Dean.
He blew out a fart. "Okay."
I squeezed his sides before leading him over to the steps. Dean stopped on the lowest one and took a quick look around. There were still about ten other people scattered throughout the pool but he didn't find whatever he was looking for because a second later, he'd thrown his arms around my neck in a hug.
"Can we play again another day?" he asked in a quiet voice.
Oh hell, he was going to make me cry. "Any time you want, buddy."
Dean squeezed me for a split second before dropping his arms. "Okay." He looked around again and took a step back, whispering, "Bye, booty girl." And then he was out of the pool and heading toward his mom while I stood there in water that reached my chest where I kneeled, smirking in his direction.
I needed to find out who was his daddy. I'm surethatwould explain a lot.
Finding myself alone for the first time in an hour, I dog-paddled toward the deeper end where there were less people. But there was someone there, sitting at the edge of the pool, cross-legged and with a look on his face thatwas thechild of amusement and affection.
Oh hell.
How could I stay mad at him for things that had been before me? Okay, well, I could if I were a complete jerk but I wasn't. My heart and brain knew that things between us were different and scary. Yet there he was, waiting for me. Brave and sure like always when I happened to run away from him.
"Hi."
"Hi, baby," he greeted me, planting both hands on the edge of the pool.
I clung to the side, holding just my head above the water. "Did you eat?"
He nodded solemnly, touching the tip of his finger to my cheek. "Looked like you were havin' fun."
"I was. Dean's funny."
"Saw him slap your ass." His finger trailed down to outline my jaw. "Think we all saw you runnin' around after him, babe." Dex kept the trail going down the column of my throat. "Everybody heard you two laughin' your asses off."
I gulped.
"Is this thing even a bikini?”
I nodded.
He didn’t look like he believed me. “I like it, a lot. But maybe not so much in front of all these damn perverts.” Dex scowled for a moment. “And fuckin’ Amy walkin’ around tellin’ people you should be lookin’ for a sugar daddy. I thought I was gonna have to beat the shit outta Wheels when he overheard her.”
“Leave that poor man alone. Why are you always getting into fights with him?”
