lotion on my back? If I’m being honest, I have to admit I did, too.
“Are we feeding the whole damn beach?” Liam asks.
“This must have cost a fortune,” I say. “I promise to contribute.”
“You think G cares about your ten bucks?” Brad says. “He’s a damn millionaire.”
Garrett swats Brad. “Shut up.”
“My apologies,” he says. “He will be a millionaire when he collects his trust fund.”
“Rich grandma?” I joke.
“Rich parents,” Brad says.
“I’m confused.”
“His family is rich as shit,” Brad says. “But Garrett, for some unknown reason he’s never shared with us, hates them.”
“Can we not talk about this again?” Garrett asks.
“How about you tell us why you refuse to see them and then we’ll never talk about it again?”
Garrett throws his taco in the sand and stalks away.
“Brad, stop,” Crew says, glancing at Liam. “Garrett isn’t the only one with a rich family.”
Liam scoffs. “Dirk is not my fucking family.”
“Fair enough, but I still think we should drop it.”
Katie sighs heavily. “Does there always have to be so much drama?”
Liam shoots her a frigid glare and then runs after Garrett. Crew goes after them both.
Brad gets up too, but Katie latches onto his arm. “They’re big boys. They can handle it.” He sits back down.
Bria and I share a look. I get the feeling we’re both thinking about the puzzle these two don’t seem to fit into.
A short time later, I get so hot I go into the water to cool off.
Liam comes in after me. “I’m sorry about all that.”
“Doesn’t bother me. You’re a family. All families have problems.”
He murmurs something under his breath.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing. The five of us like to give each other a lot of shit, that’s all.”
“I get it. And most of the time it’s funny. Unless you’re asking questions people don’t want to answer.”
“Ouch, woman. Hitting me where it hurts.”
“Just calling it like I see it.”
He makes a sudden move toward me, scoops me up in his arms, and throws me into the surf. I get pummeled hard. When I come up for air, spitting water, I gasp, “You’re toast!” and lunge for him.
He’s too strong for me to dunk. Not only does he stand his ground, he pulls me close, his hand on my back anchoring me against him.
“Liam, what are you doing?”
“El,” he says guiltily. “You lost your top.”
I instantly stop struggling and look down. My bare breasts are mashed between us. He’s not hugging me, he’s protecting me.
For a split second, before mortification overtakes me, I glory in the feeling of being skin-to-skin with him. I glance up. He’s not smiling. He’s not laughing. He’s gazing into my eyes, and I feel blood pulsing in my throat.
“Here,” a girl says, handing me my top.
“Thank you.” I slink down into the water and put it back on while waves lash me. I can’t get the back of it tied. “Liam, could you?”
He’s still close, shielding me in case I lose it again. He steps behind me and ties it. I make sure it’s covering all the right places and stand.
“I’m sorry,” he says. “I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”
“It was. You should be mad as hell.”
“Liam, it was an accident.”
“I picked you up and threw you against your will.”
I get in his face. “They’re just boobs. Half the population has them. I’m over it already. You should be too.”
We walk back up the beach and a few teenage boys clap. Liam looks like he wants to kill them.
I put my hand on his arm. “Don’t. If I need protection, Thor has my back.”
He stops. “What if I want to be the one to protect you, El?”
I don’t know what to say. Part of me wants that. Part of me doesn’t. Part of me thinks it’s too soon. Part of me doesn’t want to ruin our friendship. All of me is confused.
“Forget I said anything,” he says. “Let’s join the others.”
“Epic wardrobe malfunction,” Garrett says, bobbing his head.
Liam snaps him with his towel. “Dude.”
Garrett holds up his hands in a gesture of innocence. “I can’t help it if I have a tit radar. It’s like a gift.” He turns to me. “Bravo, by the way. I give you a ten.”
I laugh. “I’m officially offended, but thanks.”
“Crew and I were thinking of going dancing,” Bria says. “We should make the most of our night off. Anyone else want to come?”