His eyes dance mischievously in the water.
“I know.” He smiles as he grabs me and pulls me onto his back, and the others all continue to swim into the shore. He grabs my legs and wraps them around his body.
“Let’s fuck,” he whispers over his shoulder.
I laugh out loud. “Let’s not.” I pick up a handful of water and splash him in the face.
“Did you just splash me?” he asks, affronted.
“No, it was a wave,” I squeal as I start to make a dash for the shore.
Joshua grabs my ankle and pulls me back to him and dunks me hard.
I squeal with laughter as he continues to drown me.
“I see nothing’s changed.” I giggle.
“What do you mean?” He laughs as he chases me through the water.
I cough and splutter as I laugh. “You used to try and drown me back in the day, remember? You are still a behemoth.”
He raises his eyebrows as he smiles broadly. “Behemoth hey? I think I need to fill that smart mouth of yours with my dick to shut it up.” He splashes me in the face.
“This doesn’t happen in my romance novels.” I laugh as I splutter and go under, his warm arms then go around me and instantly I can feel his arousal. The mood instantly changes and we are both brought to silence.
“Is this more like your romance novels?” he asks as his lips drop to my neck and his hips grind into mine.
I nod and kiss him gently on the lips. “Yes.”
He smiles broadly. “Nice try Marx.” He dunks me hard again and swims to the shore.
“Watch out for sharks,” he yells over his shoulder. Oh, of all the nerve.
“You are going to cop it later, Stanton,” I yell after him.
“Promises, promises,” he replies as he swims off in the distance.
It is true, this doesn’t happen in my romance novels… and you know what? This is life exactly how I want it.
“Shit, look at the bruises on your body,” Cameron gasps
I look down at myself. We are on Adrian’s pool deck. Adrian is in a deckchair on the right and then Joshua, me, Bridget and Abbie are lying on towels and Cameron is on a deckchair on the other side to the left. I’m not sure where Ben is.
“I know, all Joshua’s fault pushing me off that tube of death yesterday.” I smile with my eyes closed and my face tilted to the sun.
Joshua leans up on his elbow to inspect the bruises on the insides of my arms. “It looks like fingerprints.” He frowns.
Cameron sits up and takes a closer look. “Yeah, that would be where they were pulling her back onto the boat.”
“Oh right,” Joshua answers. “Look at your hipbones for Pete’s sake.”
I smile again with my eyes closed. “I didn’t even feel it. Hey, take a photo on my phone so I can send it to Mum.” I hand Joshua my phone and he starts to take photos of the bruising.
“I think I can safely say I won the tubing challenge presh.” He gives me a smirk and a wink.
“Haha so funny,” I mutter. “Name the photo ‘Joshua’s trophies’.”
He smiles broadly and texts it in.
“How did you go last night Cam?” Joshua asks as he lies back down next to me.
“No good,” Cameron replies with his eyes closed. What are they talking about? Oh right, they are talking about picking up.
“Do you like Thai girls Cam?” I ask.
“Ahuh.” he answers, still with his eyes closed.
“What is it you specifically like about them?” Abbie asks as she raises the back of her forearm over her face to shield it from the sun.
“I don’t know, the natural thing,” he replies.
“Natural?” Bridget repeats.
“Yeah, you know, the carpet matches the curtains.”
“The carpet matches the curtains.” I giggle as I decipher that mentally.
Abbie screws up her face in disgust.
Joshua smiles and starts to slowly rub my oil sunscreen into my hipbones. He discreetly pulls me closer. I smirk-he loves my hipbones.
“Oh, dear god, Cameron, please tell me you don’t date girls who have a carpet?” Adrian murmurs as he screws his face up in disgust.
Cameron smiles with his eyes closed. “Yeah, I can work with a sixties vibe,” he replies.
“Oh gross,” Bridget sighs.
“Yuk. I definitely don’t work with carpet,” Abbie groans. “In fact, sixties vibe carpet is a deal breaker.”
“Yeah, especially shag pile.” Bridget giggles and I laugh.
“How about you Tash, does the carpet match the curtains?” Cameron asks as he leans up on his elbow to see my face.
“Fuck off,” Joshua snaps. “Get your filthy mind off Natasha’s carpet.”
I giggle. “I’m right here, you know.”
“Market research,” Cameron mutters as he lies back.
“Not on the fucking market,” Joshua snaps. Adrian laughs as his phone starts to vibrate.