Page 41 of Find Me
Keelan returned and held out a black T-shirt to me.
“Thank you,” I said, feeling relieved. I took it and let Creed lead me to the bathroom to change while they went to their rooms to put their swim trunks on.
I stripped down to my underwear. I was wearing my Harley Quinn set that was half black and half red and had black sequin diamonds on the red sides. Using toilet paper and a little water from the sink, I wiped away the black marks on my cheeks. I removed the ribbons and took my hair out of the pigtails. I slipped Keelan’s shirt on and it was large enough to end at mid-thigh.
His shirt smelled good. It was a perfect mixture of masculine and laundry detergent. I opened the door to Colt and Creed waiting in the hall. Both were shirtless, wearing their swim trunks. I folded my arms across my chest, feeling a little nervous when their eyes dragged over my body.
As if noticing, Colt held out his hand to me. “Ready, babe?”
I nodded and put my hand in his.
Their backyard was like an oasis and gave me the motivation to work on mine, which was just an embarrassing patch of dirt. In the center of their backyard was a rectangular pool with a stone-step waterfall on the side. Just as you stepped out the back door and to the right was a U-shaped outdoor cooking area equipped with a grill, mini fridge, and sink, all surrounded by stone tile high-top counters and four bar stools. On the left side of the yard was a large outside seating area with a wicker L-shaped sectional that curved around a table with a fire pit in the middle. Even though it was dark out, the yard was perfectly lit with landscape lighting surrounding the pool and the string of lights hanging from the rooftop over the outdoor kitchen.
Knox and Keelan were already in the inviting dark water. Colt let go of my hand with a mischievous smile and he ran toward the pool, flipped, and cannonballed into the pool, splashing his brothers.
Knox and Keelan wiped water from their faces, chuckling. “Show-off,” Keelan said and splashed water at Colt when his head popped out of the water.
As I took a step in the direction of the pool’s steps, strong arms scooped me up. I let out a yelp, drawing everyone’s attention. “What are you doing?” I asked as I circled my arms around Creed’s neck tightly. He gave me the same mischievous smile Colt had before he started running for the pool.
“Creeeeeeeed!” I squealed as he jumped off of the ledge of the pool. He tucked his legs in, turning us into one giant cannonball, and we hit the cool water, plunging deep in liquid darkness. We separated and swam to the surface. Laughter greeted me when I popped above the water.
“I’m surprised there’s any water left in the pool after that,” Keelan teased and Creed pounced on his back, dunking him under the water. Keelan easily threw Creed over his shoulder and they began to wrestle.
I laughed and I tried to swim away from them. Their wrestling was a little too close for comfort. An arm wrapped around my middle and jerked me in the opposite direction. I barely saw Creed’s body land in the water where I had just been as my back hit a muscular chest.
I was shocked to hear Knox’s voice rumbling from behind me. “Hey, shitheads!”
Both Keelan and Creed froze.
“You almost landed on Shiloh,” Knox explained.
Keelan and Creed broke away from each other, mumbling their apologies while looking contrite. Still in disbelief, I peered up at Knox over my shoulder. His gaze flicked down to mine for only a moment before he released me and swam away.
“You okay, babe?” Colt asked as he pulled me close. His hands slid up my back, under the T-shirt.
“I’m fine.” Having a mind of their own, my legs wrapped around his waist and he swam effortlessly while holding me above the water.
Creed swam up behind me and sandwiched me between them. His hand flattened on my bare stomach, making me jump. “Want to race? Four laps back and forth,” Creed asked.
Colt’s brows rose, looking intrigued. “What are the stakes?”
I rolled my eyes. “I think you two have a gambling problem.”
They both looked at me.
“You’re not going to race with us?” Creed asked. “We had to race on your turf. It’s only fair you race on ours.”
“You guys ran against Shiloh? Who won?” Knox asked as he and Keelan swam up to us.
“Colt,” Creed and I grumbled at the same time while Colt grinned proudly.
Keelan chuckled at our sour expressions. “Who was last?”
“We tied,” Creed answered and looked to me. “What’s it gonna be? Are you going to race?”
I laughed dryly. “Why would I enter a race I know I’m going to lose?”
Knox and Keelan murmured their agreement.