“Ah, hell,” he whispered in my ear and I shifted wondering if I weighed too much or was holding on too tight.
“Please Lana, don’t move. I can’t concentrate when you do that.”
I sucked in a breath and pulled back to peer up at him.
The smoldering gleam in his eyes sent my body into a warm frenzy.
“Am I hurting you?” I managed to croak out.
Sawyer shook his head and pressed a kiss to my forehead, “Not the way you think. Hang on, I’m going to give you a little bit of a ride.”
I pressed back up against him and forced myself to keep my eyes open as he swung out to the left. The moment we went air-born I gasped in delight. It was so freeing. Then we were back on the water with such ease it wasn’t frightening at all.
“You like that?” he asked with his mouth close to my ear so he didn’t have to yell.
“That was fun,” I assured him.
“Good, cause we’re going higher this time,” he replied and we were flying out to the right and in the air so quickly my stomach fluttered wildly.
“Oh wow,” I breathed as he landed the board.
“It’s awesome, isn’t it?”
Then we were slowing down and sinking into the water.
“Thank you for trusting me,” he said, as we settled down in the water to wait on the boat to come back and get us.
“Thank you for the ride.”
Chapter Nine
Sawyer
As soon as Lana closed the door to Ashton’s house, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed Beau.
“Yeah,” he answered on the third ring.
“I need a ticket to that concert tonight. I’m coming with you.”
Beau didn’t respond right away then he let out a sigh, “Little Miss Lana is gettin’ to ya, huh?”
The memory of how she felt wrapped around my waist flooded me and I swallowed hard, “Yeah, she is.”
“Ash hooked her up with E tonight. You know this, right?”
My blood boiled. Yes, I knew it but I was going to stop it. Ethan only wanted Lana for the summer. He was headed to UT in the fall and Lana was headed... well I didn’t know where Lana was headed but she was going off to college too. Yes, I wanted to make Ash jealous but the idea of spending time with Lana was growing more and more appealing for no other reason than she made me forget. When I was with her, I wasn’t thinking about Ashton.
“She was with me today. You owe me Beau. A helluva lot. I need to be there tonight.”
“Ash is gonna be pissed. She doesn’t trust your motives and I’m not real sure I do either.”
“You’ve seen Lana. What’s there not to like? Why would I want her for any other reason than she’s hot-as-hell and available this summer? I need the distraction. I think it’ll be good for all of us.”
Beau was silent for a moment, “The concert is sold out but Ash got Leann two tickets and she’s driving over from the beach to go with us. Her date just bailed on her and she’s looking for someone to take with her. She might not want to give you the ticket as her date but I’m pretty sure she’d sell it to you.”
“I still got her number. I’ll call her. Thanks,” I didn’t wait for him to reply before I hung up and scrolled through my contacts for Leann’s name.
~*~
Ashton had initially had us all driving separate vehicles since Beau and I drove trucks and Ethan drove a Jeep. I didn’t like that plan because it put me alone with Leann and Lana alone with Ethan. Not the combination I was going for. So, I borrowed Mom’s Mercedes Crossover. No one could argue that this wasn’t a better idea. Except maybe Ethan who hadn’t been in on the details. I’d handled it with Beau who in return got Ashton to agree.
I’d started to ask Beau to take the backseat so Lana and Ethan would be closer to me but the idea of Beau tucked in the back away from everyone with Ashton made my chest ache. I didn’t think I could handle it. So, I remained quiet as Ethan quickly took the back row holding Lana’s hand as she stepped into the car. The ache from thinking about Ash and Beau was instantly extinguished by red-hot jealousy. Ethan’s eyes were taking in Lana’s cute little bottom, she’d barely covered up in that sundress.
“I think you just growled,” Leann whispered as she stepped past me and opened the passenger door. Jerking my gaze off Ethan as he moved in beside Lana, I went to get in. This was going to be one long ass thirty-minute drive.
“Still scowling,” Leann teased from beside me. I shot her a glare that only caused her to giggle.
“I really thought you’d never get over Ash. I’m surprised,” she said under her breath then pulled down the mirror in front of her to peek back at Lana and Ethan.
“If it helps, I don’t think she’s that into him,” she said, and then flipped the visor back up.
“Find whatever you want to listen to,” was my only response to her nosy comments.
Leann clicked her tongue grinning before leaning forward and scanning the channels.
“You know, Ethan is a good guy. He doesn’t have any ulterior motives.”
Grinding my teeth, I shook my head and shot her a warning glance.
“You used to be such a polite, nice guy Sawyer Vincent. You’ve changed—a lot.”
I adjusted the rearview mirror so that Lana was directly in my sight. She was watching me. The angry frustration melted away when she gave me a shy smile. Winking, I glanced back at the road and decided the car would be the only place Ethan got her away from me. He sure as hell better enjoy himself.
“Is that Ash or Lana you’re checking up on?” Leann asked from beside me.
I realized I’d forgot about Ashton. My stomach knotted up. What was happening? Ash was right behind me sitting beside Beau. I reached up and adjusted the mirror just in time to see Ash laugh and lay her head over on Beau’s shoulder. The familiar ache returned. Her eyes lifted and met mine. The laughter that had been sparkling in them vanished and a concerned sadness came over her face. I missed those eyes laughing up at me. Gripping the steering wheel harder I focused my attention on the road instead of the girl I’d always love behind me or her cousin who sent me into a lust fog every time she got close.
“You might wanna adjust that mirror,” Beau’s low warning came from behind me. If I could only hate him. Because, I wanted to. So badly.