Before he can answer, and before I can let my fantasies play out any further, we’re interrupted, yet again, by Jackson. “Alright, we’ve got four college volleyball players, four hockey players, and one future Grammy-award-winning artist. I say we play boys versus girls beach volleyball, and my girl Tae can be the referee.”
I hear Carse swear under his breath before saying, “Yeah, G and I tried to take down Kenna and Katie many times already this summer. I can say with absolute certainty, if we play guys versus girls instead of splitting teams up, we’re going to get our asses handed to us.”
“Damn right, you would,” Katie quickly agrees.
“Fine. We split up teams. Kenna and Carson, you two be team captains and split up the teams. Ladies first, Kenna.” Jackson gestures toward me.
“I’ll take Griff,” I say.
“I see where I rank. What happened to hoes before bros?” Katie pouts.
“Awe, don’t be jealous, sis. Green doesn’t look good on you,” Griff taunts her. “Didn’t take long for Kenna to love me more than you.”
Griff says it in a teasing tone. But the reality of his statement sinks in, making my stomach clench for a different reason. Do I love him? I’m definitely falling for him. Hell, I have been for years.
I’m quickly snapped out of my thought spiral when Carson calls for Katie to be his first teammate. Interesting.
“I’ll take Alexa,” I say. She played a lot of setter in club volleyball, though she likely will play defensive specialist this year. But with Katie on the other team, I need someone who can set the ball well.
Carson takes Brooke and Jackson, and I take Bennett to round out our team. Tae is a good sport and referees the game for us, stating she doesn’t have an athletic bone in her body.
The match was neck and neck, with a few volleys that lasted long enough to earn us a crowd of spectators. The crowd cheers on our group of overly competitive college athletes as we go all out diving for plays and putting up double blocks. In the end, my team came out victorious, and I leaped into Griff’s arms in celebration.
After that intense match, we’re all sweating and needing a break. Griff tightens his hold on me, refusing to put me down, as he sprints toward the water. He flops to his back once the water reaches his waist and crashes us into the water. The cool rush feels amazing against my skin. This summer has been milder, so the water isn’t too warm and still feels refreshing.
“Are you having fun, Sunshine?” Griff asks, his hands gripping my ass as I wrap my legs around him under the water.
“So much fun. But I can’t wait to get you alone later.”
“Mmm,” he groans into my neck as he places kisses in the way I love, from my collarbone up to my jaw. “I think we should head back now. That game left me famished.”
“I’ve got snacks in the coolers. What do you want? I’ve got cheese and summer sausage, chips—”
“Kenna, I can’t exactly feast on what I’m craving at the beach,” he cuts me off, punctuating his statement by grinding his erection into me.
My cheeks flush. “Oh, right. Well, I think we’re going to have to put a pin in that for a little bit longer. Rain check?”
It’s been a really great Fourth of July so far. We spent the day soaking up the sun, playing volleyball, football, and paddle boarding. Once we got back from the beach, we grilled out and started a fire.
The whole group is currently sitting around our firepit at the cabin, making smores, listening to Jackson play the guitar, and singing a duet with Tae. They’ve played a few covers, and they sound amazing together—their voices harmonize beautifully. They’re currently singing “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None The Richer, and it’s making me want to sneak away with Griff and do just that.
I’ve been very patiently waiting for an opportunity to arise, and I turn to ask him to sneak away when he says, “The fireworks are going to start soon, Sunshine.”
“I don’t want to watch them out here. There’s a better spot where we can watch them.”
“Do you have a secret spot you’ve been holding out on all these years?” he asks incredulously.
“No, I just don’t want to watch them out here with everyone else. There’s a really good view of the fireworks over the lake from our bedroom patio.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to watch them with everyone else out here?”
“Exactly, everyone will stay outside to watch them . . . meaning we can finally be alone for some uninterrupted time together.”
“My girl is so damn smart,” he says, grinning as his mouth covers mine.
The rest of the group is so entranced in the song, that they don’t notice us sneak off toward the house.
Once we close the sliding glass door to the house, Griffin picks me up bridal style. He carries me with such ease—it makes me feel feminine in a way I’m not used to with other guys. I couldn’t be. They couldn’t make me feel small in their arms. But this man, this gorgeously chiseled man, makes me feel vulnerable in the best way.
