“Come on, Bear! Are you still that mad about this morning, you want to see us starve?!” Zane whines from across the table.
“Hell yeah I am, Mathers! How would you feel flying like a space cadet and landing on your ass as a wake up call?”
“Addy, language!” Mom chastises, swatting my hand with the spatula she’s holding.
“Sorry,” I grumble while the guys go tight-lipped to avoid laughing. Now it’s my turn for a dramatic eye-roll. I swear these boys have cast a spell on my parents. Fooling them into thinking they are all saints or something.
“Mom, when is Dad coming home?”
“He should be here within an hour or so, sweetie. So he’ll be here when you get back.” She smiles, placing a plate in front of me.
My father, David, has been away on business for a few days. He works for a company that surveys land and is constantly taking trips all over the country. I’m fervently jealous of all the places he gets to see and explore, but he always brings me back a souvenir. It’s always a keychain, and I have a special box tucked into my dresser drawer with all of them inside.
We even started making a game of it to see if I could guess where he was. Whenever another trip gets announced, he won’t tell me where he’s headed, and when he returns home, I guess based on what the keychain looks like. I’m on an undefeated streak of nine right answers, and it’s safe to say my geography grade has drastically improved.
“Alright, I’m done. Bear… you good to go? I want to get a decent spot on the beach this time.” Ryder picks up his dishes, and washes them completely before giving my mom a kiss on the cheek. He thanks her for breakfast, as always, and heads towards the front door.
Ry has always been a sweetheart to the adults. Offering to help, or making sure to bring little gifts to give them. He says it’s out of respect and love… but I say it’s because he’s the youngest and is trying to suck up.Kiss ass.
“Why are you always blaming me for us getting bad spots?” I ask, standing to follow his lead.
“Because, Addy. It’s usuallyyouwe’re waiting on in the mornings.” Kade’s laughter fades as he shoves his way past me and calls shotgun.
“Rude…,” I mumble to myself. “Bye, Mom!” I scream over my shoulder heading for the front door. She responds by blowing me a kiss and telling me to have fun.
Here in the heart of Texas, we live in a small town, so the guys and I have had free rein to go anywhere for the last few years. It’s been even more freeing since Zane got his license and Jeep this spring. I can’t wait to get mine this winter. Mom and Dad even made me a deal, that as long as all my courses pass with a B or higher, they will pay for my dream car. I say car but honestly, it’s Zane’s Jeep in purple.
Getting to said Jeep, it’s short work to get into the backseat and plant my butt in the only open spot in the middle. Not that there is much space for my butt… I’m completely smushed between the overly muscular bodies of Ryder and Max. Seriously, why do these guys have to play sports and be so damn large? It’s like an Addison sandwich back here. I barely need the seat belt, the excessively large limbs wrapped around me as a cage would suffice.
The sun beats against our skin as we pull up to the lake, the water glistening under its rays in the distance. Using Ryder’s leg as a springboard, I flip out of the backseat and land on my feet. All those years of gymnastics coming in quite handy to get me out of the sweat fest the Jeep has become. As I straighten out my bathing suit cover, and adjust my straps, silence lurks in the air. Why is it so damn quiet?
Behind me, all four of my guys have stopped dead in their tracks. Mouths hanging agape, and eyes blown wide, like they just saw a flipping three-headed guard dog take down a bulldozer.Oh that’s why.
“What? You all smell like sweaty boys, I had to extricate myself before it rubbed off and stuck to me,” I sass, a sly grin curling on my face. Grabbing my bag from the back, I remove and shove in my cover before heading for the water.
“Oh, that’s it,” is muffled behind me, followed by a shuffle, before four sets of feet are pounding against the path. The hair on the back of my neck stands up, and with a glance over my shoulder, I know I’m done for.
An unearthly shriek slips from my throat as Max’s hands grab me around my waist. His thick muscles pin my arms against my body as he hoists me into the air. My bag is ripped from my hands and tossed to the side, Kade grinning at theaction while throwing his towel down too. I’m bouncing uncomfortably as Max continues to jog towards the water. My futile attempts at getting free are doing nothing in my favor.
“Don’t you dare!” I scream, the shoreline getting increasingly closer. “I want to lay in the sun for a while! Max… I swear I’ll get you for this! You’ll regret it! Maxxy, please!”
All four of them laugh, the sound deep and from the gut as I get thrown—and I mean literally thrown—to Zane. He catches me, barely, throwing me over his shoulder and giving me an up close and personal view of his ass. My feet kick wildly, fists beating against his back, but it’s no use.
Time to try my superpower.
“Gemini, pleeease,” I drawl, throwing in a perfect pout and some puppy dog eyes for good measure. “It’s not really fair! There’s four of you and only one of me! I’m not even properly awake yet.” My eyelashes flutter as I feign innocence. “What if I’m so sleepy, I’m unable to swim. I could drown! Would you really chance my life like that?”
My bottom lip is so far out a bird could perch on it, but if this works, it’s so worth it. Kade has always been the one to fall for my helpless little girl routine. His soft heart, and caring nature makes him more susceptible to my pleas. At least that’s what I think happens, and whenever I’ve had to pull it out—which is very rare I might add—it’s always the same. I beg, bat my lashes, push a few tears to my eyes and Kade caves.
Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Pushing up against Zane’s taut back to get a better look at Kade, my eyes connect with his intoxicating green orbs. Strands of yellow float throughout them, like little rays of sun dancing across the grass. They’rereallypretty, though he never believes me when I tell him.
Kade likes to argue that the only reason his eyes look like hidden gems, is because it makes up for the fact they don’t work. He’s the only one in our group who wears glasses, though he acts like that’s a fault. He’s insecure about it and will often hide them in favor of contacts. I personally think it makes him look dashing.Glasses suit him, and I constantly remind him of that—and even nicknamed him Gemini for it—even if he continues to ignore me.
Kade closes the distance between himself and my hanging torso, and for a split second I think I’ve finally won. He’ll wrap his arms around me, pull me from Z and I’ll get to lounge on the sand like I wanted.
Wrong.
