Page 11 of Wish You Were Mine (Kings of Eden Falls #3)

LUCY

“You guys still want to keep playing out here or should we head back inside?” Ky asked after we’d been in the hot tub for about twenty-five minutes, playing the game. “It’s getting pretty close to midnight.”

“I’m good to stay out here a little longer,” Miles said, glancing at his watch. “I’ll need to head back to Ian’s place shortly after midnight if I want any sleep before my drive back to Eden Falls, but it’ll be fun to ring in the New Year with all of you out here.”

“Sounds good to me,” Bash said, glancing at Alessi who I’d noticed him checking out all night.

From what I’d gathered, it sounded like Bash and Alessi had dated briefly a few years ago—back when they were both in college. And while I didn’t have any boyfriends that I was interested in reigniting any sparks with, these two were actually really cute together.

“I’m good to stay out here for a while,” Nora said from beside me. Then looking over at me, she asked, “What about you? ”

And even though I was feeling waterlogged from sitting in the hot tub for so long, I knew I’d already teased her enough tonight that I might as well help her stay close to Miles’s side so she could at least have a chance of that hot-tub-kiss dream of hers coming true.

Maybe Miles was into kissing at the strike of twelve?

Though, if Ky was out here when the New Year arrived, Miles might not be the type to kiss his good friend’s little sister right in front of his face.

Maybe I should get out and make up an excuse for why I needed Ky to join me inside?

“Are you still warm enough to stay out here?” Owen asked from the other side of me, his deep voice close to my ear.

And man, his voice was sexy. Deep. Smooth. Exuding a quiet confidence that I was finding I really liked.

Much better than the loud, macho chauvinism I was used to from Josh and his friends.

“I’m not sure…” I said, chewing on my lip as I debated whether staying next to a man I was undeniably attracted to was too selfish when I could be helping out my friend by distracting her brother.

“Maybe just a few more ‘Never Have I Evers’?” he suggested, arching a dark eyebrow.

And when he looked at me with those dark-brown eyes that seemed to look right into my soul, I couldn’t bring myself to leave.

“I’ll stay out for a few more,” I said, my heart racing as his lips curved into a smile, the kind that sent a flutter of anticipation straight to my stomach.

What was I anticipating? I wasn’t sure.

But...I wouldn’t mind something happening out here. Maybe something like the fantasy I’d entertained while watching him wipe down the bar last week .

I tried to be subtle as I checked him out, sneaking glances at the tattoo on his arm I’d only partially seen before, hoping no one would notice all the lingering glances I’d been giving him during the game.

And what I’d assumed was a simple bicep tattoo turned out to be so much more—two eagles, inked in bold, sweeping strokes, locked in a wild, intricate dance near a solar eclipse.

The wings of the birds stretched across the sculpted curve of his shoulder and disappeared just beneath his collarbone, like they were protecting something sacred—or fighting to reach it.

Feathers scattered like shrapnel, as if they'd been through hell but kept going anyway.

It was fierce. And beautiful. And I had a feeling that with all that depth, it also had to be meaningful to him.

Like maybe it wasn’t just a piece of art but a piece of him, or possibly a tribute to something he’d lost or was still chasing.

And yeah...it was hot.

His well-defined muscles didn’t hurt his overall appeal, either.

“Okay…” Ky said, biting his bottom lip. His gaze flickered toward the kitchen window behind him, checking on his friends inside. “I guess?—”

“If you need to go back in, that’s fine,” Miles said. “We know we’re not your only friends here…even if we are the coolest ones.”

“You sure?” Ky asked, glancing between us. “I feel bad…”

“It’s fine,” Bash said, waving Ky’s anxiety away. “We’ll be good.” He glanced at Nora and me, and as if thinking Ky thought he needed to stay here for Nora’s and my emotional support, Bash added, “We’re all buds now, right?”

“You two good with these hooligans?” Ky asked, looking at Nora and me .

“Hey,” Alessi said, not liking being lumped into the “hooligans” category.

Ky chuckled. “I wasn’t talking about you, Alessi.”

“Good,” she said.

Then Nora shrugged and said, “Yeah, we’re good, Ky. You don’t need to worry about Lucy and me. We’re big girls.”

“Okay.” He nodded. Seemingly appeased, he pulled himself out of the water and climbed out, saying, “If you guys can put the cover on before you head inside, that would be amazing.”

“Will do,” Owen told him. I was glad the guys were planning on doing it because I had to put the hot tub cover back on one time in the winter before, and I’d be okay never having to do that again.

Bolting inside once I was out of the water was way better than shivering like crazy in the freezing temperature.

Speaking of the cold weather, I was actually surprised at how comfortable it was out here. It was probably close to ten degrees tonight, but with the hot water covering everything from my neck down, and the steam rising to warm my face and ears, it actually wasn’t so bad.

Plus, these jets were also working wonders for my sore muscles. Coach Chambers had given us a killer workout this morning as her end-of-the-year gift to us, and by the time Nora and I had arrived at the beach house, I’d already been feeling it.

“Okay, it looks like we only have about five minutes until New Year’s now,” Bash said, checking his watch. “Should we keep playing our game, or just hang out?”

“I think it would be fun to keep playing,” Miles said. Then glancing over at Alessi, he added, “I mean, when else will I get the chance to find out about more of my stepsister’s secrets?”

“Because I have so many.” Alessi rolled her eyes but seemed to smile despite herself .

“You’ve always been a mystery to me,” Miles said.

And Ky must’ve heard us decide to keep playing because just before opening the back door to head inside, he called out, “Never have I ever wanted to kiss someone currently in the hot tub.”

“Well, no pressure with that one, guys.” Owen chuckled awkwardly as Ky disappeared inside, conveniently avoiding the truth bomb he’d just dropped on all of us.

I watched as everyone looked around at the group in the hot tub. And then, one by one, we all took a sip of our drinks.

Interesting.

Dare I hope the person Owen was interested in kissing was me?

“So, I’m guessing you either broke up with that guy at the bar, or he wasn’t your boyfriend to begin with?” Owen’s voice dropped low against my ear after he set his cup back on the hot tub’s ledge.

I gulped, a chill racing down my neck and spine from the sudden nearness of him. “We broke up last spring.”

“Good to know.” Owen’s voice was steady, but when his shoulder brushed against mine in the water, my stomach swirled with a delicious heat that spread throughout my entire body.

And just that one touch made me hungry for more. I’d been careful so far not to let any part of me cross the invisible barrier between us, but maybe I shouldn’t be so cautious? Maybe a few more brushes against his skin wouldn’t be so bad.

I certainly wouldn’t mind some physical touch from such a beautiful man, especially after so many months of barely any of it.

We did two more rounds of “Never Have I Ever," but with every passing second, as snow gently started falling all around us, something seemed to shift in the air—an electricity that made everything feel more charged.

“It’s almost time, guys!” Miles said after glancing at his phone that he’d left along the edge of the hot tub. “Eleven fifty-nine p.m.”

He quickly pulled the countdown clock up on his screen, setting it where we could all see it.

The seconds started ticking by, and with each second that got us closer to midnight, my heart seemed to race a little faster.

I shifted, trying to make myself comfortable, but my mind was racing. I had no idea what these guys usually did at their New Year’s parties, but I was pretty sure it was customary to kiss someone at midnight, right?

And with everyone here being open to kissing someone in the hot tub, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to make that happen…

You know…as long as the person each of us was interested in kissing matched up with who they wanted to kiss, too.

I glanced over at Owen, watching him closely for a moment. His eyes were focused on the countdown clock, but there was something about the way he held himself, like he was feeling the same tension I was. Was he thinking about kissing someone? And could that someone possibly be me?

As the seconds ticked down, anticipation buzzed in my veins, my breathing becoming more shallow, as if the air was getting thicker.

I glanced at Owen again, and this time, when I did, his gaze flicked to mine, his eyes holding a question. That simple look only made my anticipation grow. What’s going to happen next?

I bit down on my bottom lip, almost able to feel what those pouty lips of his would feel like if they grazed against mine. I’d never kissed a guy with lips like his before. They looked so soft, so inviting, and I was sure they could do all kinds of marvelous things to me.

His jaw was slightly clenched, his body still, but there was something in the way he watched the countdown that told me he was just as uncertain as I was.

Time kept moving, however, and before I knew it, the countdown was almost over.

“Ten…nine…eight…” Miles’s voice broke into my thoughts, pulling me back to the moment. My heart pounded in my chest, and each second seemed to make the knots in my stomach tighten more.

“Seven…six…five…” I could feel my pulse racing with every number. “Four…three…two…one…”

And then, as we all shouted, “Happy New Year!” in unison, it felt like the world held its breath.

Bash was the first to kiss Alessi, followed quickly by Miles who turned to kiss Nora.

“Should we...?” Owen’s quiet voice sounded close to me. He nodded toward the others, indicating that he was asking if I wanted to follow suit.

So I nodded, saying a breathy, “Yeah.”

He leaned closer, his hand gently cupping my chin as he tilted my face up toward his. His lips brushed against mine in the next moment, soft, slow, and lingering as an instant crackle of electricity charged the moment.

And while his kiss was careful—the kind of kiss you’d expect from someone you just met—it also sparked a warm, delicious heat deep in my core that I hadn’t felt in way too long.

When he pulled away a moment later—much too soon if I was honest—it was almost in slow motion, like he wanted to linger or come back for more.

His gaze flicked from my lips to my eyes as he held my gaze, something unspoken passing between us as I tried to steady my breath.

Holy heck, was it suddenly hard to breathe? Was the chlorine in the water finally getting to me?

More like the hottie in the water is stealing your breath with his kisses.

But man, if I didn’t want to try that again… Kiss until I was drowning in him.

But before I could figure out a way to pull him back in for more, the sound of giddy laughter launched me back to reality.

Everyone around us started talking then, and the moment slipped away.

“Well, that was fun,” Alessi’s voice broke the spell. “But I think I’m ready to get out.”

“Yeah, me too,” Miles said. “Early morning and all.”

And when they stood to leave, Bash followed along as well.

“You wanna head inside, too?” Nora asked me as everyone grabbed their towels and rushed inside.

I glanced over at Owen, noticing that he hadn’t followed after his friends.

Was he planning to stay out here for a bit?

Because if he was, I was definitely not going anywhere yet.

“I was thinking I’d stay out here a bit longer,” I said. “It just started snowing, and I’ve always wanted to sit in a hot tub in the snow.”

Nora smiled at me, a knowing look in her eyes as she briefly glanced at Owen. “Okay, well, I’ll head inside and take a shower then, so it’ll be available when you come in.”

“Thanks.”

“Mind if I hang out here for a bit, too?” Owen asked as Nora stepped out of the water and pulled her robe around her.

“That would actually be nice,” I said, a little thrill running through me at the thought of staying out here with him alone.