Page 50 of The Perfect Deal

It was actually kind of nice to see Landon let loose. He was always the “dad” of our group, taking charge and making sure no one got hurt. To see him so carefree and relaxed warmed my heart.

I was also glad to see him leaving. I loved my brother dearly, but knowing I could never really be myself with him around was a pressure I didn’t need on my shoulders. With him off to his bedroom, and definitely occupied in ways I didn’t want to think about, for the rest of the night, I was ready to let my hair down.

“Who wants to go for a midnight swim?” Ethan asked, clapping his hands together.

Another cheer went up, and even though it wasn’t near midnight yet, we all headed upstairs to put on our swimsuits and head back to the beach.

In my room, I opened my suitcase and looked inside, trying to decide which bathing suit to choose. The bikini I’d worn earlier was more conservative than the bright neon pink one looking at me now. A mischievous grin slid onto my face as I picked it up, deciding now was the time to put it on. I didn’t have to worry about getting a sunburn on any of my parts that hadn’t seen the light of day for a while, and my brother wasn’t there to judge. Double win.

About ten minutes later, I headed down the stairs in my tiny bikini, a towel tossed across my arm. Immediately, I heard whistling and turned my head, not surprised that it was Ethan.

“Daaamn, Liberty. Look at you.” His eyes were wide as he made no attempt to hide his roaming eyes.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. “Are we going swimming or what?” I asked him. “Are you just going to stand there and ogle every girl who comes down the stairs?”

“Not all of them, but definitely you,” he said, still staring at me as he stroked his chin.

I had known what to expect when I put this on, but it wasn’t his attention I’d been looking for. And he wasn’t the only one looking at me. Most of the guys from the neighborhood averted their gazes, probably thinking looking at me dressed in this was similar to checking out a sister, but Joshua made no show of looking away. He looked hot in a pair of red boardshorts, so I made my way over toward him, avoiding Ethan. After all, Landon was in bed, and Joshua and I had no one to hide from.

“Are we ready to swim?” he asked me, grinning at me.

“I’m ready if you are.” I slipped my arm through his, and we led the way out to the beach.

The moment we could hear the waves crashing in the distance, Hannah shouted, “Last one there has to finish that bottle of vodka when we get back!”

Everyone laughed, but few people increased their speed, thinking she must be joking. Joshua and I dropped our towels in the sand and headed out into the warm water. Around us, the others separated into pairs and groups, laughing and splashing one another. I didn’t pay too much attention to what anyone else was doing as we waded into the water, my hand in his.

The waves were calm this time of night without much of a breeze. Overhead, a thousand stars winked down at us, a sliver of moon only casting a few beams of light. That was for the best, I thought, as Joshua and I turned toward one another in the chest-high water.

“That bathing suit looks incredible on you,” he said.

“Thanks. I was hoping you would like it.” I smiled at him, feeling his hand settle on my hip beneath the water. Everyone else was far away now. Their splashing and laughter barely registered in my mind.

Joshua pulled me a little further out to where I could barely touch. I wanted to wrap my legs around him, but I wasn’t sure with everyone else there. Would they notice? Would they say anything to Landon?

“Joshua, Liberty!” someone shouted. “Wanna go to the secret cove with us?”

I turned to see it was Luke calling our names. “No, thanks,” I shouted back. “Have fun!”

“See you later,” Joshua echoed.

We watched as the rest of our party trucked back to the sand, heading off to the right of the beach house. “What secret cove?” I asked Joshua.

“Oh, Ethan says there’s some cove around here somewhere that’s supposed to be beautiful and have sea turtles or something. I don’t know. I try not to listen when he talks.”

That made me giggle, but then, he pulled me closer, and nothing was funny anymore. I wrapped my legs around his waist, feeling how excited he already was as his hardness throbbed between us. “Be with me, Joshua,” I whispered, looking into his eyes.

His breath was ragged as he replied, “I am with you, Liberty.”

Shaking my head, I leaned in closer to him, my lips only a fraction of an inch from his. “No, be with me,” I reiterated.

He understood that time, and his mouth crashed down on mine. His hands on my ass lifted me as I pressed closer to him, losing myself fully in his kiss.

Both of us may as well have been underwater. When we came up for air, we gasped like our lungs were on fire. I wanted to go back in and kiss him again, but he pulled back. “Let’s go inside where there’s less chance of anyone seeing us.”

I nodded, thinking that was probably for the best. He started to walk back to shore, putting me down where I could touch, and the two of us hurried to grab our towels and rush back to the house, never letting go of one another.

We went to my room since it was further away from Landon’s. I didn’t want to think about what he was doing in there, and I sure as hell didn’t want him to know what we were up to. It wouldn’t take long for Joshua to get this bikini off me, it was so tiny, and as I locked the door behind us, I could see that he was ready for me, his cock throbbing through the thin material of his swim trunks.