Page 112 of Only Between Us

Downstairs, we hear the sound of a glass being clinked and Summer’s voice floating up the stairs. “Let’s dial this up several notches, shall we? Who needs another Summerita?”

Chapter37Siena

“What the hell is in the water in Oakwood?”

Shy presses her nose into the wall-to-wall windows looking out onto the lush green lawn and thick line of mature pine trees behind Brooks’s house. Beside me, Melody does the same, as does Summer at her other side.

I don’t need to ask what she’s referring to. That would be the three gloriously sculpted men throwing around a football outside, oblivious to their audience of salivating women.

“I think Brooks might have been engineered in a lab somewhere.” I track his movements—the way he effortlessly catches that ball, keeps his footing when Parker tries to tackle him.

“Zac is definitely part Greek god. You should see him naked.” Mel’s eyes are glued on her fiancé. “Actually, don’t ever see him naked. I’d kill you. Brutally.”

“Did you know Parker has a bondage kink?”

Our gazes swing to find Summer staring out of the window with a deep tilt to her head. She isn’t drooling the way Mel and I are, though. She looks more curious than anything.

Melody widens her eyes. “Are you and Parker—”

“No. I heard it through the grapevine. It might not even be true.”

“Thegrapevine? Is that code for your vagina now?”

Summer nudges Mel. “I amnotfucking your brother. It’s code for Sammie Waters, who heard it from Georgia Irving, who heard it from Ava Anderberg, who apparently once spent a whole afternoon happily tied to his headboard.”

“Really?” I appraise Parker. “Consider me impressed.”

“Word on the street is twelve orgasms.Twelve.”

Mel makes a choking sound.

“I volunteer to find out for sure,” Shy chimes in.

I swat her arm. “Shyla! You’re married!”

“I know.” Shy groans, burying her face in her hands. “God, I miss Max.”

I make a sympathetic sound. I’ve been where she is, and the overactive libido without a satisfactory outlet was nothing short of torture. “May I suggest phone sex? Highly recommend.”

Mel nods with enthusiasm. “Zac and I spent a couple months apart before he was able to move to the city with me, and…” She blows out a long breath. “It was so good I’ve been tempted to role-play long-distance. He’s all cool and calm and the voice of reason, but the man has a mouth on him.”

Shy gives me a funny look. “I can’t picture your ex ever being into phone sex.”

“I didn’t mean my ex.” I push my forehead onto the glass, staring at Brooks. “Tom and I were two ships passing in the night when he moved. Phone sex is a newer discovery.”

“And it all makes sense now.” Summer loops an arm around my waist and drags me to the kitchen island. “Come on, people, let’s let the Summeritas guide us through a manifestation session.”

I stumble up on a stool, feeling the major effects of the copious cocktails. The Summeritas are strong.

The Summeritas areverystrong.

Mel hops onto the island with Summer, both sitting cross-legged and facing me on the counter. She takes a long pull of her pink drink and sags into Summer’s side. “Why am I still drinking this? I’m manifesting a hangover cure for tomorrow.”

Shy props herself up beside me. “Can we manifest better snacks? Brooks ate all the gummy worms, Parker demolished every donut but the plain ones, and Zac left us… two Cheetos.” She stares into the picked-over bowl. “Scratch that. I’m manifesting myself their metabolisms. Can’t believe they all look like that and eat the way they do.”

“That’s not a good metabolism, that’s living in a gym.” I top off my own glass from a pitcher of Summerita. “I prefer my endorphin kick with a side of dirty talk. Which is what I’m manifesting more of.”

Summer drops a maraschino cherry into my glass. “And I’m manifesting a time when Siena realizes how lucky she is to bag a guy like Brooks, and doesn’t throw it all away. Also, a hot boyfriend for myself.”