The Storm Series, page 8
After setting my shit down, I walked to the edge of the deck, then dove into the water in a perfectly executed dive. When I came up for air, Bruce had Démon wrapped around him, and Junie and Roark were splashing each other like a couple of kids. Junie really was Roark’s best friend, and she could do no wrong in his eyes. If this thing between us went south, Roark was bound to blame me, no matter what the truth would be. Still, I liked that about my brother. Though definitely from a different era, there was no doubt that Junie would always be protected when with my brother.
Watching them have fun, I didn’t mind until I noticed Paul looking over at Junie, his hands still massaging lotion onto his fiancé’s skin. If Junie and I had been in a real relationship, I probably wouldn’t be feeling the jealousy that was licking at my chest right now. However, we weren’t in a real relationship, and the guy who she’d been in love with once was looking at her like he knew that he’d made a mistake.
Fuck that.
I swam over towards the two grown kids, then came up behind Junie, wrapping my arm around her waist. She let out a startled cry, her body tensing a bit. “Relax,” I whispered near her ear. “It’s just me.”
I felt her body sag in relief, Junie falling back into character while we had an audience. “Hey,” she whispered, a little unsure.
“I’m going to kiss your neck, okay?” I told her, praying that she didn’t freak out.
“Uh…o…okay,” she muttered.
“Are you sure that it’s okay?” I asked, double checking.
“Yeah,” she whispered quietly, but loud enough for me to feel confident that she wasn’t lying.
I reached up, then slid Junie’s wet hair to the side, touching my lips to the soft skin just behind her ear. She tasted like fresh water and insanity. Insanity because I was pretty sure that’s what my future was going to look like if Junie walked away from me at the end of the weekend.
She didn’t say anything as I kissed a path from her ear to the back of her neck, all the way to the other side. My dick was getting hard, but there was nothing that I could do about that. I had no doubt that she was going to be able to feel it, but I was too grown to feel embarrassed. Besides, Junie was probably going to feel embarrassed enough for the both of us.
When I was done, I looked up, and Roark was eyeing me, making me feel like I’d just overstepped in a big way. This was supposed to be fake, and my lips on Junie’s skin was anything but fake. Roark knew this, and I wondered just how much of a strain I was placing on his brotherly love for me.
Before he could swim over and drown me, Junie turned in my arms, and her brown eyes were like deep, mesmerizing, soulful pools, threatening to take me under. There was no arguing that the woman was beautiful, but those brown eyes of hers could be wielded as weapons if she had a mind to use them in that way.
Because I was feeling guilty over Roark, I blurted the most fucked-up thing ever. “Paul was watching you,” I confessed. “In a way that he shouldn’t have been.”
Her eyes flashed with something that made my stomach tighten, but it was gone just as quickly. Junie turned towards Roark. “Paul was watching,” she said, explaining the sudden affection.
Roark swam his way closer to us. “Yeah, that’s probably not something he should be doing,” he grumbled, before reaching out, then pulling Junie from my arms. His eyes sliding my way, he said, “I got Junie as my partner.”
I tried not to let my irritation show, but I was pissed. Though he had more of a right to Junie than I did, I didn’t appreciate him taking her out of my arms. “Partner for what?”
Roark shot me a stern look before yelling, “I got Junie, you losers! Pick your partner!” I swam back a few feet as Roark hauled her up onto his neck. “Chicken fight!”
“Hell, yeah!” Bruce cheered. “Come here, baby!” I watched him grab Démon, then haul her up onto his shoulders.
“C’mon, Leslie,” I heard Paul say. “Let’s kick their ass.”
Leaving them to it, I swam my way back to the deck, Sheridan ignoring the water games, and Leslie telling Paul that she was not done with her tanning just yet.
I placed my arms on the deck, then pushed myself up and out of the water. My dick had gone down the second that Roark had speared me with that look, so not worried about that any longer, I sat down on one of the patio chairs, doing my best not to be angry at my brother. He was only trying to protect Junie from how I felt about her, and I understood that. Still, we were going to have to talk about all this, and soon. Especially, since he’d given me permission last night to pursue her.
“I’m here!”
I knew that voice as well as I knew my own, and I had to laugh at the timing. Standing up, I turned and saw my best friend making his way down the trail towards us. The dude was wearing a tank top and a pair of basketball shorts, his muscular physique on display for everyone to see. Phin and I were the same in that we worked out year-round. While we weren’t gym rats, we took our physical health pretty seriously. In the world of sports, we were getting old, and so we had to work religiously to stay on top.
Grinning, I reached out when he was close enough, then we shook hands, hugged, and slapped backs in that way that men do. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to save the day,” he answered low enough for only me to hear. “Sounded like you were in a state, my friend.”
I laughed. “I just might be,” I admitted. “I think Roark’s getting close to killing me.”
Phin stepped back. “We can’t have that,” he joked. “Momma Storm will have a fit.”
“Who are you?”
“Holy shit,” Paul blurted, not caring about Leslie’s rudeness. “That’s Phineas Moore.”
Phin grinned. “The one and only.” Before anyone could say anything more, Phin’s attentions froze on a very stunning Sheridan Gates. “And who is this lovely?”
“That’s Sheridan,” I supplied as she just rolled her eyes, then went back to reading her magazine.
Phin looked over at me. “I think I’m in love,” he murmured, and I just shook my head. Phin was always falling in love.
“Yeah, well, welcome to my world,” I murmured back.
Chapter 15
Junie~
The chicken fight was put on hold at the arrival of Phineas Moore. I knew that he was Ripley’s best friend, but I never imagined that I would ever meet the man. Next to Ripley, Phineas Moore was the best snowboarder around. He had a healthy number of championships and had just as many endorsements as Ripley. The Winter X-Games were always featuring the two athletes, and the two men were sexy enough to make you contemplate a threesome, even if you weren’t into that kind of thing.
Whew.
“What’s Phineas Moore doing here?” I asked absently, knowing damn well that Roark probably didn’t know. I was fairly certain that he would have given me a heads-up if he’d had.
“I don’t know,” Roark answered, wading in the water next to me. “But I don’t mind. I like the guy.”
I turned to look at him. “Oh, I don’t mind,” I clarified. “I’m just surprised.” Roark’s blue eyes narrowed a bit, regarding me quietly. “What?”
“I saw Rip kissing your neck,” he stated quietly. “I know it was because Paul was looking and whatever, but…were you okay with that? I know what you guys are doing here, but I don’t want you feeling uncomfortable if-”
“I like him,” I blurted like an idiot.
“What?”
I could feel my face turning a million shades of red, and that was saying something. Roark had gone out and gotten me tampons before, he’d held my hair back as I puked my guts out, and he’d even taken care of me when the flu had me incapacitated from both ends. The man had seen me at my most embarrassing, so this shouldn’t be making me feel so…awkward.
“I know this is just pretend,” I quickly rushed out. “I know he’s only trying to help salvage my pride, but…it’s…it’s hard not to…get the butterflies when a guy that looks as good as your brother starts acting sweet…” I trailed off because I realized how ridiculous I sounded. “Pathetic, I know.”
Roark’s face softened. “You’re not pathetic,” he lied as he reached out, then pulled me into his arms. “You got caught up in an extremely uncomfortable situation, and-”
“And Ripley stepped up like a gentleman,” I finished for him. “I get it.”
“Junie Bug, that’s not it,” he argued. “I just…if you like Ripley, then I’m okay with that. I just want to make sure that this isn’t a rebound situation for you. I’d hate to see the two people that I love most in the world end up awkward enemies because of some sort of…unfortunate misunderstanding.”
I licked my lips. “Do you think that he might like me?” I asked hopefully. “I mean…I know he’s Ripley Storm, and…and he has a lot of options to choose from-”
“Hey,” he said, stopping me. “Rip’s not like that, Junie.” Roark bopped me on my nose. “That’s Phineas. Where Phin adores women enough to let his dick make most of his decisions, Rip’s not like that. If he likes you, then that’s it for him.”
“But do you think that he likes me?” I asked like a teenage girl asking about her crush.
Roark didn’t say anything for a long while. He was probably trying to find the words to let me down easily, but there was no need. Ripley’s always been standoffish with me, so the answer was pretty obvious without Roark having to confirm it.
Finally, Roark said, “I think you should ask him. The last thing that I want to do is speak for my brother and possibly complicate this thing more than it already is.”
That was Roark’s diplomatic way of claiming Switzerland status, and I didn’t blame him. It had been unfair of me to ask him that question. My unsure feelings shouldn’t become his problem.
“You’re right. I-”
“Hell, yeah!” Ruckus and splashing stopped our conversation, and I turned to see a very sexy Phineas Moore swimming his way towards us. “What’s up, youngsters?”
Roark let me go, then floated a couple of feet away from me. “You’re only a year older than me, asshole.”
Phineas just grinned, a small dimple flashing on his right side. “But you’re sheltered and still believe in happy endings,” he joked. “I’m far more wiser, my friend.”
Roark splashed him. “Dick.”
Phineas looked over at me, that dimple still flashing. “And who do we have here?”
“Junie Becker, meet Phineas Moore,” Roark said, introducing us. “He’s Ripley’s best friend and fellow snowboarding champion.”
Phin’s grin turned into a full-blown smile. “So, this is the famous Junie,” he drawled out. “I can see what all the fuss is about.”
Ignoring his flirting, I said, “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Not as nice as it is to meet you, beautiful,” he replied smoothly, throwing in a wink for good measure. The man’s charm was probably lethal when thrown at you at full force.
“Watch it, or I’ll tell my brother,” Roark warned.
Mortification hit me hard at the idea that this stranger knew that I was in a fake relationship with Ripley. No one wanted to be pitied, and I was getting a healthy dose shoved down my throat right now. Still, how could he know?
Then my face really turned an uncomfortable shade of scarlet when I pictured Ripley Storm calling up his best friend to tell him all about the pathetic situation that he’d found himself in, trying to save his brother’s best friend.
Oh, God.
I let out the fakest laugh known to man, then lied my lying face off. “I need to tend to some personals.” At this point, they could think that I needed to pee or was on my period, I didn’t care. I was feeling embarrassed enough that having them think that I was changing a tampon couldn’t make things any worse.
Swimming my way back towards the deck, I chose the ladder rather than haul myself up over the edge. As soon as my hands grabbed the rail, Ripley was back in the water, coming up behind me to help guide me up and catch me if I slipped, and I almost groaned. It was hard not to melt into a puddle of lovesick goo in the face of sexy chivalry.
When I was safely on the deck, Ripley was right behind me, his hands on my shoulders. “You okay? Need your towel?”
“Uh, no…yeah,” I stuttered, but instead of letting him get it for me, I hurried, then grabbed it myself. “I…uhm, need to go up to the house to…take care of something.”
I wasn’t looking at him, but I felt him stiffen next to me. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah…” I muttered. “I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll walk you back-”
My eyes flew his way, widening a bit. “No, no,” I rushed out. “I can walk back by myself. I’ll only be a minute.”
“Baby, I can go get whatever it is you need-”
“No, you can’t,” I argued, ignoring the endearment, and further upping my humiliation by letting him think that I was on my period.
His lips formed a perfect ‘o’ when it dawned on him that I was on my imaginary period, and I wanted to laugh like a loon. A fake relationship, a fake period, what was next? A fake pregnancy?
“I’ll…I’ll be back in a bit,” I repeated, then turning my back on him, I made my way back to the house. It was going to take everything that I had to return and act unfazed that everyone thought I was on my period. Then as soon as I shut the back door behind me, I wanted to just get in my car and drive away. Ripley and Phineas might have bought my lie, but Roark knew my cycle as well as I did. After all, like I had stated before, the man had bought me tampons before.
Shit.
Knowing that Roark wouldn’t sell me out, I grabbed my phone, then shot off a quick text. Even though all their phones were on the deck, Roark would check his phone sooner or later.
Me: I’m going 2 take a hot shower n a nap. Not feeling good
It was cowardly, but I needed to regroup. Plus, if everyone already thought that I was on my period, then this would play into that perfectly.
When my phone chimed with an incoming text, I almost cringed.
My Goofball: The fuck u r. I know ur lying. U got 5 minutes b4 I go get u
Groaning with defeat, I went upstairs, then threw my hair up in a wet bun. It seemed like a wasted trip if I didn’t do something different. After that, I tapped down my anxiousness, headed back down to the lake, still embarrassed, still confused, and still attracted to Ripley Storm.
Chapter 16
Ripley~
Something was bothering Junie, but I had no idea what it was. After I had opted to get out of the water, she had stayed in with Roark, and they’d been all deep in a conversation before Phin had shown up. A part of me was worried that kissing her had been too much, but she had assured me that it’d be okay, so I was still super confused about what was going on with the woman.
After Junie had returned from the house, Roark’s game of chicken had commenced, Roark and Junie going up against Bruce and Démon, and surprisingly, Phin and Sheridan. Leslie and Paul had remained on the deck while I had volunteered to get the barbecue pit going. The cabin had come with a barbecue pit built to match the cabin. The structure wasn’t made of wood, but block with a false wood finish. It was pretty fancy for a barbecue pit, but then again, the cabin was pretty fancy, too.
Now, with the day done, we were all gathered around the backyard deck of the cabin, everyone huddled around the fire pit. Like the barbecue pit, the fire pit was not just a dug-up hole in the ground or a bonfire in a trash can; it was a real fire pit, just as fancy as everything else.
“So, how are things going?” Phin asked, pretending to help me clean up when he was really just standing around, nursing his beer.
With everyone done eating, the rest of the food on the table for grazing, I had decided to clean up and give Junie some space. During dinner, she’d been stuck sitting between me and Roark, and while it’d been expected, she’d hardly said a word the entire time.
“Something’s bothering her, and I think it’s when I kissed her earlier,” I told him.
“You kissed her?”
“Well, not really. Paul was looking at her in a way that I didn’t appreciate, so I came up behind her, asked her if I could kiss her neck, she said yes, so I did,” I explained. “That’s when she started acting weird.”
Phin looked back over at the group. “Have you asked Roark about it?”
I shook my head. “No. I don’t want to put him in the middle more than I already have.”
“Roark?” he called out. “We need a moment.”
“What are you doing?” I hissed, doing my best to keep putting shit away, acting as normally as I could.
“Finding out what the fuck is wrong with your girl,” he answered like I was stupid or something.
“What’s up?” Roark asked as soon as he reached us.
“Why’s Rip’s girl acting funny?”
“Tact,” I deadpanned. “Look it up, Phineas.”
“We’ve been best friends for years, Rip,” he snorted. “You’ve seen me smash twins in our hotel room before. You really want to go there?”
I rolled my eyes as Roark chuckled. “He’s got a point.”
“So, what’s wrong with our girl?” Phin repeated, and it was the wrong thing to say.
Though his voice was low enough for our ears only, there was no mistaking the emotion behind it. “Junie is not our girl,” Roark hissed. “She’s not something casual, replaceable, or random. Don’t talk about her like she’s just an errant thought again.”
Phin’s brows rose high. “Damn, Rip,” he drawled out. “You weren’t kidding when you said Roark treats her like she’s the Hope Diamond.”
“She is, fucker,” Roark kept hissing.
Phin just grinned. “So, what’s wrong with your girl, then?” he amended.
Roark didn’t answer right away and that made me stop with the cleaning to look over at him. “Roark?”
He let out a deep sigh. “She’s not my girl, either.”
