She punches me in the arm.“You’re not a man to me.You’re a brother, remember?”She laughs.
“I’m not your brother.At most, I’m a distant cousin, like a third cousin twice removed, and I have no idea what ‘twice removed’ even means.”
Summer looks up at the ceiling, thinking.The strobing lights hit her pretty face.They glitter against her shiny hair, slender throat, and exposed chest.She’s so beautiful.Gorgeous.And for some reason, seeing how beautiful she is isn’t making me angry anymore.I just feel grateful.Lucky as hell to even know her.
“Maybe it means this.”She reaches in and pulls out her titty again.“Twice removed!Get it?Hahahahahahahaha!”
I shake my head.
“How about we just decide to be kissing cousins?”she asks.
“We’re not ever going to kiss, Summer!You just said you don’t see me as a man!And that I have the hands of a woman!”
“Nope.”She points a finger at her mostly bare, very silky chest.“I’m the only woman in this arrangement, in case you haven’t noticed.”
My blood is so saturated with alcohol that I should stay away from open flames for the next week.Despite that, my dick just got hard.Somehow.So hard that I have to adjust my pants and lean back in my chair.
“Oh well,” Summer says.“Even if we never kiss as long as we live, I want you to know that you’re a good cousin to me, a cousin who’s not a family cousin.”She knocks back the rest of her tequila.I knock back the rest of my drink to keep her company.“And you know what’s funny?I didn’t think I needed family because, you know, my parents were assholes, but it turns out Ididneed family.Yourfamily!I love the MacLaines so much.”She reaches out and pats my forearm.
“I know.”I place my hand on top of hers.
That’s all I’m allowed to say about it.Her parents are in prison for drugs and some other shit that Summer refuses to talk about.In all the years I’ve known her, she’s never told me any of the particulars.I respect that.I know it’s hurtful.
But I fuckinghatethat someone as lovely and wonderful as Summer has been hurt so badly.
I jump to my feet and start climbing.Onto something.I’m not sure what.I spread my arms wide and shout into the thumping, “The MacLaines of Yosemite Ranch are your family, Summer!Forever!Nothing willevertear us apart!”
“Get off the table before you do a header over the railing.”She tugs at my pant leg.
“How did I get on the table?”I collapse on the tabletop and then slide down into my chair again.“Summer—did I ever tell you about how I got dumped on New Year’s Eve?”
She laughs, stretches a long, lean arm across the table, and rests her cheek on her bare forearm.“Declan got dumped.I never thunk I’d live to see it, but tonight, I did.”
“You did.”
She raises her head, and all her thick hair now swings along one side of her face.She looks like she just rolled out of bed.My bed.
“What a great trick!”she says.“First, Bryttni’s there and then she’s not.Poof!You made a woman disappear!You should have your very own magic show in Vegas.”
“I love magic!Some magicians do impressions!”I slide out of my chair like I’m a slug, a boneless chicken breast, and puddle to the floor on my back.
Summer hits the floor next to me, kneeling at my side.She leans over my body.Her soft hair tickles my lips.Both of her spectacular boob-titties are right in my face.Her eyes flash from inside the sparkly mask.
I know that if she looked at the front of my pants right now, she’d see that my dick’s about as big as the fake Eiffel Tower across the street.And if something that big is trapped in my pants, Summer’s definitely going to notice.I worry it’s about to break through my zipper.
“We should go see a show,” she says.“Maybe Evander and Phoebe will be there because they love magic, too!Everyone loves magic!”
“You’re a fucking genius!”I yell.“Sorry about my language.I meant you’re a fucking genius!”
“You just said that.”
“Let’s go.I want to see someone disappear.”
“Again!You want to see someone disappearagain.You already saw two people disappear tonight!”
We laugh hysterically, and she helps me up.Summer and I leave the club with our arms around each other’s waists, trying to prevent the other from face-planting.I know I’m too big for her to support.Especially now that my Eiffel Tower dick has seriously jacked up my center of gravity.
We manage not to get separated as we squeeze through the crowds and make it outside.We get pushed by the throng and hang on to each other, just as the whole sky catches fire all around us with sparking and colorful swirls of fireworks, and everybody’s screaming and kissing.
