A grunt rumbles in her throat. "Are you kidding? Having my friends around those four has never been a good idea, and with you here, it was definitely out of the question."
My brows meet my hairline. "I'm that bad, huh?"
Chase's shoulder bumps mine. "A nightmare." She knocks her head toward the guys, and I follow her direction. Carter watches us, his hands resting on top of his dark, water-slicked head. Shielding my eyes from the sun with my hand, my gaze follows his rippling arms to his well-defined chest. My very own David, I force my lungs to breathe.
"That look right there," Chase says beside me. "The one you're wearing? That is why I didn't invite my friends."
"I don't have a look," I argue, snapping my gaze away and focusing on gulping long sips of my drink to cool my libido. One freaking look at Carter's arms and naked torso, and I'm a goner. Weak, weak, woman. Shouts of male laughter send blood rushing up my neck. I imagine they noticed my ogling Carter, and now they're giving him crap.
"Oh, you have a look. All women do when they're around."
Her tone draws my study again. "Including you?" I take a guess. It would make sense. Owen, Finn, and Frey are not hard to look at. She took a job at the garage instead of working for her mom.
Her eyes aren't visible behind the frames of her sunglass, but I note how she draws her lips in before her right shoulder lifts and falls in defeat. "I am a woman, contrary to what Carter thinks."
"C'mon, Coop!" Owen shouts, and the twins join in grumbling. "Jess, quit being a distraction."
"What?" My gaze moves from the boys to the Cooper's and Henry's stares and back to the pool where Carter swims my way. I'm clueless about what happened. I raise my hands in a sign of innocence. "I'm just sitting here." Chase and I look at each other.
Finn laughs. "Exactly, love."
Carter flips to a backstroke. "Watch it, Finn."
The guys dissolve into another round of laughter, shaking their heads and taking a moment to grab fresh drinks from a poolside bucket.
Their antics lose my interest as Carter rotates and ducks under, popping out directly in front of me with my sunglasses between his teeth. His chest skims my shins as he braces on either side of my hips and emerges like a merman. My thighs part automatically, giving him space. Carter hovers inches from me, wagging his brows, and I rid him of the glasses I'd left on the pool ledge before I moved to this end.
His body drips water across my sun-fired skin. Each droplet so refreshing, it's borderline erotic. Chase mutters beneath her breath at her brother's move, while inside I'm swooning. "Thank you." My toes brush his legs beneath the surface.
He leans close, and my hands touch his side of their own volition. "I was tempted to keep those so I could watch you watching me, but I'm acting like a nice guy. Maybe I'll be rewarded later?" He presses a swift kiss to my lips and drops back down with a minimal splash.
So, Chase was right. I have a look, I know I do because I feel the goofy grin and wide eyes I'm making as I look down at Carter, his face inches from my throbbing center as he remains between my thighs.
"Eh, maybe," I say with a wink before slipping my much-needed sunglasses over my eyes.
The guys shout for Carter to return to their game, and he flips them off without looking. "Come play?" Carter’s eyes flick between Chase and me. "Three on three."
"So, you idiots can drown us in your pursuit of winning?" Chase snorts. "Yeah, I don't think so."
He smacks the water's surface, sending a stream of water at his sister's face. "Wuss."
“Sadist.”
A wicked grin settles on Carter's lips. "Aw, babe, she's using your nickname for me." His hands encircle my ankles beneath the water, then glide up the back of my calves.
"Uh, no." Chase snaps, horrified. "I do not want to hear about your kinks, Carter."
I kick his body beneath the water—which is really more of a tap—and Carter draws closer, his arms coming out of the water and going behind my back, so he's holding onto more of my ass than anything else.
"Carter." I hiss, my shaded gaze checking to see if his parents are watching as I plant my feet on the wall to keep from toppling in.