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TWENTY-SEVEN

JACKSON

“I’m so excited!” Arden says, skipping as we make our way through the back entrance of the Daytona Aquarium. Hawk and I called earlier this week to set up a private tour so we could get out of the house without worrying about people seeing the way we are with her. The two of them can technically do whatever they want in public because speculation of a relationship wouldn’t raise any red flags. But if I were to be seen holding her hand or kissing her, innocently or not, it could get back to our parents. We’re adults, and what we do in our personal lives is our own decision, but I don’t want my mom and Slade to find out from random paparazzi photos. They deserve a conversation where we sit them down and tell them how deep our feelings run, and how long they’ve existed. That’s why it was so important for us to make sure the aquarium was closed to the public during our visit.

“Yeah?” I ask with a cocky grin. “It was all my idea, in case you want to thank me by sitting on my dick later.”

“A pity fuck,” Hawk mumbles from her other side. “Nice.” I flip him off, pulling on the door and moving aside to make room for them to walk through. As soon as we’re inside, out of sight of any unwanted stares, I take Arden’s hand in mine. She looks down, a soft smile pulling at her mouth as she blindly reaches out and grabs hold of Hawk. With our fingers weaved together, we make our way toward our group of friends as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. Now that they know what’s happening between us, we don’t have to put on the same act as before.

“There you are!” Monroe squeals, waving wildly while Riggs keeps a firm hold on her waist. He leans in, nipping at her neck with his teeth and making her gasp before she slaps his arm. Those two have the strangest dynamic, but their love for one another is so intense that you can practically feel it in the air when they’re around. I used to be so envious of what they had, but not anymore—because I finally have everything I’ve ever wanted.

“Hi!” Arden replies, letting us both go so she can greet her new friends properly, wrapping Monroe in a hug and then doing the same to Lark. She and Ace are taking a break from getting her old house ready to sell now that she’s living with him in our building. I’m glad she is because it seems like the girls have hit it off really well.

We talk amongst ourselves, catching up on what’s been going on since we saw each other last. It hasn’t been long, so there isn’t much to report, especially since the first few weeks of the offseason consist of catching up on all the relaxation we missed out on while we were traveling for weeks at a time. Pair that with Arden’s riveting schedule of volleyball, eat, sleep, repeat , and we’re pretty boring.

“Hello, everybody,” a feminine voice carries across the room. We all turn to see a blonde woman, maybe in her late twenties, wearing a light blue collared shirt and khaki shorts walking our way. I’m assuming she’s the manager I spoke with earlier when I called to ensure the non-disclosure agreements I sent over were signed, which she confirms when she introduces herself. “I’m Tara, and I’ll be showing you around today.” Reaching out, she shakes each of our hands, learning everyone’s name before leading us through another set of doors. The long walkway is made completely of glass, arching overhead as hundreds of colorful fish swim in the water around us. Our heads are on a swivel, taking in the beautiful scene as Tara tells us all about it. Arden wraps her small hand around my bicep, leaning her head on me and making my heart swell with adoration. Hawk still has hold of her other hand, and we leisurely walk as a unit, going wherever she pulls us. Every now and then, he and I exchange a knowing glance, grateful that we were able to get her away from the stress in her life so she can actually enjoy herself.

“Oh my God,” she says, dragging us toward the window, where a school of clownfish swims together before looking at me. “Remember that field trip to the zoo our senior year? Devon Pittman got lost inside the aquarium for like, two hours and everyone kept making Finding Nemo jokes for the rest of the day.” She giggles, and my brows pull in as I try to recall the trip she’s talking about.

“Oh, yeah,” I reply, a grin tugging at the corner of my mouth as the memories wash over me. “You had on those denim shorts with the rips in them, and I had to keep standing behind you to stop all the guys from staring at your ass. It looked brotherly from the outside, but inwardly, I just hated the thought of them seeing what I wanted so badly to be mine. It took all my self-control not to wrap my arms around you every time I got close.” Her jaw drops in shock, but it’s quickly replaced with a soft smile as she realizes how long I’ve wished for moments like this one.

We follow our guide to the end of the long path, funneling into another room filled with various underwater exhibits. She explains them all, one by one, encouraging us to spend some time examining them. The other couples branch off, leaving the three of us alone in a dimly lit corner of our own.

As soon as their backs are turned, I yank Arden into my body, a quiet yelp of surprise squeaking out of her as I take her mouth with mine. The shock that had her going rigid just seconds ago melts away with the slide of my tongue against her lower lip, and she opens, allowing me to taste what I’ve been desperate for since we walked into the building. My arms tighten around her waist, and I feel the warmth of Hawk’s body press against her back as he leaves a trail of kisses along her neck.

“What are you doing?” she says quietly. It’s barely a whisper, but my cock swells with need as she sucks in a breath, releasing it on a shaky exhale. She’s as turned on as we are, and all of a sudden, I start to realize that putting on clothes and leaving the house was the worst idea I’ve ever had.

“Just needed to be close to you,” I reply, pulling away so I can look at her. Her lips are plump and swollen, and I wish we could just stay here and make out for the rest of the day. But just as I go to kiss her again, Tara’s voice calls out to continue the tour. Hawk groans in annoyance, unlatching from her and turning to where Riggs, Monroe, Ace, and Lark are all waiting. We each take a hand in ours, leading her to the group so we can move on to the next room.

As soon as we pass through the heavy metal doorway, I’m on high alert. Where the others were completely empty—save for our group and guide—this one is not. A few employees move around behind a glass half-wall, where several penguins waddle and swim around the rocky exhibit. The girls squeal in excitement while the other guys smile and laugh at their reactions, but I’m too busy worrying about the new humans in the room to enjoy any of the animals. I make eye contact with one of the female workers, abruptly pulling my hand from where it's wrapped around Arden’s like it’s on fire. She looks down at the broken connection, bringing her eyes up to mine. Her brows pull in as though she’s confused, but before I can come up with a way to tell her why I did it without sounding paranoid, Tara continues.

“Our aquarium has over a million gallons of water containing tens of thousands of fish and marine mammals,” she begins, “but we also have several animals that frequent the land. Although these little guys spend almost seventy-five percent of their lives in the water, they make their way to dry land to breed and lay eggs.” She leads us along the wall, pointing out different parts of the habitat and telling us fun penguin facts, but I don’t hear a word she says. I have no idea if all these employees were given NDAs, and I’m worried they might tell people that they saw Hawk and I both being affectionate toward the same girl. A girl who—after a quick Google search—they’d find out is my stepsister.

I go into a silent panic, wondering if there were others hiding in the previous rooms that I didn’t notice. She reaches for my hand again, but I shove it into my pocket, earning another perplexed glare. In an attempt to divert her attention, I point over her shoulder just as Tara opens part of the partition and releases a tiny penguin into the room. The others rush over to meet him, but Arden hesitates, finally relenting and walking toward the glass with Hawk by her side.

“This is Mickey,” Tara says to the group. “He’s one of our smallest African penguins, and as you can see, he put on his best tuxedo for the occasion.” Everyone laughs at the corny joke, but not my girl. Instead, she offers a disconnected smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. I feel bad, but I’m just looking out for all of us. Rumors spread fast and narratives can be spun out of control in the blink of an eye, so even though I did my best to ensure discretion today, I’m not willing to risk it. Not until we’re fully ready to tell our parents, then the world. It has to be on our terms, or I’ll lose them both.

It’s not until the three of us are in the elevator of our building a few hours later that I realize I fucked up by not explaining things right away. I wanted to, but there were employees within earshot, then the driver of our car on the way home. I hoped we’d get a moment alone before now, but we didn’t.

“Come here,” I say quietly, reaching out to pull her from where she’s cuddled into Hawk’s embrace. Her demeanor has been quieter than normal since the penguin exhibit, and she hasn’t said a single word to me at all.

“No, thanks,” she replies, turning her head in the other direction. He gives me a look that says You’re a fucking idiot , and I tip my head toward the ceiling, exhaling a slow breath, because I know .

Fuuuuuck.