Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83771 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83771 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
“Right,” McKenna says as she slides over to the passenger door and climbs out of the truck.
I take a minute to rake my hands over my face and focus on willing my cock to deflate. It’s a wasted effort anytime I’m around her. Feeling a little more composed, I exit the truck, only to open the back door and search for my phone before we start unloading the food and snacks.
“Grab the cooler from the back,” I tell Corbin.
“On it.” He lowers the tailgate, grabs the cooler, and takes off walking toward our group of friends.
Laramie and Colby pull in, and together, the four of us work on getting everything unpacked. There are three huge picnic tables that are now covered with food and drinks, and our rowdy group settles around and digs in. Realizing I forgot something, I head back to the truck. In the back seat, I grab the old quilt I brought for McKenna to sit on. Tossing it on one of the lawn chairs, I take a seat at the picnic table, squeezing in next to McKenna and our friend Russ. He graduated with Corbin and me.
“This is for you,” McKenna says, handing me a plate.
“Thanks.” I lean over and kiss her cheek. Her eyes seem to glass over as she smiles up at me.
Russ, from his seat next to me, sighs. I turn to see what the fuss is about. “You calling it?” he asks, his voice low for only me to hear.
“Yep.”
“I figured.”
“She’s always been mine.”
“I just assumed it’s been a while….” His voice trails off.
“When it comes to McKenna and assumptions, always assume that it’s me. Always.”
“What are you two whispering about over there?” Laramie asks from the table across from us.
“He’s trying to steal my girl,” I say, placing my arm around McKenna’s shoulders.
“Stop.” She snickers and pushes me away.
“Rope swing challenge,” Corbin says before shoving the remainder of his sandwich into his mouth.
“You know Rip’s going to win,” Russ tells him. “He always does.”
“Maybe not this time.” Corbin smiles with glee, which tells me he’s up to something.
“You been working on your technique?” I tease.
“Don’t you worry about me, Callahan.”
“What are the rules?” Josh, another friend of ours, asks.
“What are you talking about?” Stephanie, Josh’s date, asks.
“We have rope swing challenges to see who can jump the farthest into the water.”
“From where?” Stephanie asks.
“Up there.” Colby points to the huge oak tree that stands tall on the far side of the lake.
“Do you two do it?” Stephanie looks at Laramie and then McKenna.
“Yeah.” McKenna shrugs. “It’s a good time.”
“You can jump with me,” Josh assures Stephanie.
“Together?”
“Yep.” He wags his eyebrows.
“How do you get up there?” she asks, pointing toward the tree.
“We’ve created a well-worn path over the years,” Laramie tells her.
“I’m not sure I can do it.”
“It’s easy. I’ll go first.” McKenna stands and pulls her tank top over her head. I swallow my tongue as I take her in. Fuck me. She’s a goddess.
“Here.” Corbin hands me a napkin, barely containing his laughter.
I wad it up and toss it on the table. “You think you’ve still got it?” I ask McKenna as she unzips her shorts and pulls them over her legs. My eyes trail the movement like a starving man sitting in front of a steak.
“Please,” she scoffs. “I’ve got this.”
“Prove it.” I stand and pull my shirt over my head, tossing it on top of McKenna’s neatly folded clothes on the bench seat of the picnic table.
“I’m taking bets.” My sister laughs. “Mac’s got this one in the bag.”
I smile and shake my head. “You ready?” I ask McKenna.
“It’s on, Callahan.” She grins and takes off running toward the tree.
I sprint after her. Getting close, I wrap my arm around her waist and sling her up on my shoulder as I run the rest of the way to the tree. She’s laughing and playfully swatting at my back. I grip the backs of her thighs, and my hands itch to explore her silky-smooth skin.
When we reach the tree, I slowly slide her down from my shoulder, letting every inch of her press against every hard inch of me. No, I’m not talking about my abs. Her eyes are wide as she stares up at me. Her hair has fallen into her eyes from her ride hanging upside down on my shoulder. I tuck the loose strands behind her ear. “Jump with me.”
“W-What?”
She knows me too well, aware my words have a double meaning. I want her to jump into this with me. I want her to be mine. Fuck, I want to be hers. I want to see where this goes.
“The rope.”
“Oh.” Her face falls.
“Hey.” I cradle her face in the palm of my hands. “That too,” I whisper, leaning in close. I’m going to kiss her. After all this time, I’m going to make my intentions known to the girl who stole my heart when I was nine years old.