AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I roll over onto my stomach as the girls change topics, and I’m not really paying attention to the conversation. I close my eyes, allowing myself to relax as the warmth of the sun begins to lull me into a nap.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Ranger’s deep voice jolts me awake. I snap my head up to see him standing near us. “I need to back one of the tractors out of the barn, and it looks like Dolly’s car is blocking it.” His head is tipped low, the brim of his hat covering his eyes.
“Oh shit! Sorry!” I pull myself up, reaching into my bag to grab my keys. I can’t be certain, but it looks like he averts his gaze when I stand. I slide my feet into my sandals and begin to walk after him toward my car.
“Aren’t you going to cover up?” he grumbles as we make our way toward the barn.
“Uh, no, I’m just moving my car a few feet then returning to the pool. Why? Does me being in a swimsuit offend you?”
He shakes his head. “Offend me? No.”
“You saw me in a swimsuit a million times growing up, so what’s the big deal?”
He stops in his tracks, causing me to as well. Then he slowly turns around, taking a step closer to me. He looks down on my 5’2” frame.
“You didn’t look likethatwhen we were growing up.”
I step an inch closer, tilting my head to look up at him. “And what if I had? Now that I’m a grown woman, I should be ashamed of my body?”
“Ashamed? No.”
“Why do you do that? Why ask a question then answer it?”
He smirks at me. “Does it annoy you?”
“Yes,” I say, crossing my arms over my chest. My breasts push together, and his eyes drop down, his Adam’s apple moving as he swallows.
“Why?”
“Because you won’t just say what you want to say . . . what you’re actually thinking.”
“I told you, Doll, I’m trying to be a gentleman now.”
“And gentlemen aren’t honest?”
He reaches up, pulling off his hat and running his hand through his thick, dirty-blond hair. “We both know what I mean, and you’re playing coy.”
“I can handle it. I’m a grown woman, Ranger.” I cock my head a little, giving him a hint of attitude.
“Yeah? You can handle hearing what a grown-ass man thinks when he sees you dressed like that? I mean, goddamn, your ass is practically swallowing up that little string you call a bikini.”
“So? I can’t help the fact that I have a big ass. Other swimsuits look like a damn diaper on me.”
“I’m not faulting you for it, trust me. It’s just a—” He steps back, a huff coming from his throat as he looks off in the distance.
“A what?”
“A mindfuck. It’s a mindfuck, Dolly,” he says, exasperated. “This girl I grew up with, this girl who was like my little sister, has grown into a woman with a fucking body that won’t quit. A body that makes me think of one thing when I see her wrapped up in strings like this.”
Did he just say his little sister?
My stomach flips then flops, embarrassment coursing through me. This is how he’s seen me? As his little sister? It’s no wonder he’s annoyed when I flirt with him. It’s no wonder he’s made it abundantly clear lately that he has no interest in me. Who the hellwouldif they saw me as their little sister?
“I’m sorry,” I say, still in shock. “I didn’t mean to mess with your head. You’re right, it’s gotta be pretty weird seeing your little sister in a string bikini.” I can’t hide the hurt on my face and in my tone of voice, and he clearly picks up on it.
“Doll, I didn’t mean—I just . . .” I walk past him toward my car. “Shit, fuck!” He chases after me, reaching out to close the car door just as I open it. “I meant that Isawyou like that when we were growing up. You’re an amazing, beautiful, and successful grown woman now. I didn’t mean for it sound condescending or belittling at all. God knows, you’ve got your shit together more than I do.”
“It’s fine,” I shake my head and smile, “honestly. But for the record, I wasn’t out here trying to tease you or whatever. I was just lying out in the sun and had no idea you were going to show up.”
