Page 8 of Scarred Crown

“You love food too much,” I say, and she hits me again. “You’d have to have that one where you eat a lot and then puke.”

“Are you telling eating disorder jokes? Jesus, Nick.”

If she wasn’t so fucking heavy, I’d laugh louder. Instead, I can barely get out a chuckle. “More of an observation.”

“Rude,” she crows. “Alex! Brice! Your brother is rude!”

“They like my jokes.”

“So, you were joking? Seriously, Nick. You can’t make those kinds of jokes. It’s like… really a bad idea for someone like you.”

“You mean second in line to the throne. If I tossed Alex off the cliff at an odd angle, I could be first. Should I? Is that a better joke?”

She slaps my back really hard, and I wince.

“All right, this donkey is going to take a break if you keep beating it,” I say.

“You don’t want me to beat you?”

Not my back. The thought springs up unbidden. What the hell is wrong with me today?

“Jules?” I wait a beat for her to speak, but when she doesn’t, I continue, “We should play the silent game.”

“You’re an asshole.” Her face appears in my peripheral vision. “You might as well just call it the ‘shut up Jules’ game.”

“I’m open to naming suggestions.” I grunt when I get to the cliff face where I need to go from rock to rock along a thin edge.

“I’m getting down.” Julia wiggles on my back, and I want to groan for a different reason. Her breasts are going to do me in.

Instead of fighting with her, I ease her down. While I could carry her up under normal circumstances, my brain has decided to give my dick half my focus today. Fucking ridiculous. It’s Julia. Jules.

I take her through all the handholds and footholds to navigate us back to the top. When we get there, Alex is waiting, but Brice has already taken the plunge a second time.

“What took you so long?” he asks.

“Nick threw me into the ocean and then piggybacked me up half the way as penance.” Julia grins at me.

“Only halfway?” Alex cocks an eyebrow.

He tips his chin at Julia, and his gaze roams over her in a way I don’t like.

“Jump with me, and I’ll carry you all the way back up.”

She laughs and shakes her head. “Nah, I’m good.” She steals a glance in my direction. “I need the exercise.”

A hint of a smile tugs at my lips, and I’m pleased she turned him down, even if she made a dig at me in the process.

“Your loss,” Alex says, and he hurls himself off the cliff.

We stand at the edge and watch Alex surface below.

“Are you going first, or am I?” I ask.

“Me,” she says, playing her belly like a drum. “I’m pleased to report this teeny tiny bikini held it together.”

“Uh-huh.” They’re the only sounds I can get past my lips because she’s drawn my attention to her pert figure again. When did she start looking like this?

“See you at the bottom!” She does a pirouette off the cliff face, and when she hits the water, an unbearable tightness seizes my chest, as though I can’t breathe. Then she surfaces again, and I suck in a deep breath of relief.