Chapter Four
Atlas
Istompedalongthe docks of the marina, passing rows of yachts and other houseboats that docked here year-round. My jaw tightened with each step as the pumping music grew louder and louder.
Ty was hosting a party tonight, and because he owned half the boat he was having said party on, I couldn’t very well ban him from doing what he wanted. What I could do was make sure he behaved somewhat and kept the music at a decent level so the cops wouldn’t get called. Again.
I made a noise that was somewhere between a growl and a sigh as I scrubbed a hand over my face. I’d worked a full shift early today and all I wanted was sleep. Yet here I was, watching over my little brother instead.
As I turned onto the dock of our boat, regret instantly enveloped me. Some weird dance mix blared from the premium speaker system Ty had installed last summer. A crowd of people were stuffed onto the top deck of the houseboat, way too many than it was designed for. Girls wore skimpy bikinis and shorts even though they weren’t swimming in the marina, and it would be too dark soon to go out on the river. A chorus of laughter and conversation and music mixed to create a concoction that made my head pound. Someone stepped out of the lower cabin, and I groaned. I didn’t need people inside my boat, doing things they thought they couldn’t do out in the open.
I approached the boat. It was an older model but still very nice at a little over ten feet tall with a spacious upper deck Ty loved to party on. I stood near the side, hands on my hips as I gathered the will to climb aboard. I wasn’t much for parties, never had been, but Ty loved to be around people. He thrived as the center of attention. People obliged because they liked him, and I didn’t blame them. He was genuine and kind, and he would do anything for the people he cared about.
He was just a little reckless.
Someone shouted suddenly from above and my head snapped up just as a set of long, tan legs and a mass of curly hair plummeted toward me. I had barely enough time to brace my legs and hold out my arms before a girl crashed down on me, hitting my chest so hard she knocked the wind from my lungs.
“Holy shit!” another voice called, and I glanced up at Ty. He stood at the edge of the upper deck, staring down at us slack-jawed and arms reaching out as if he’d been trying to catch someone.
The girl squirmed in my arms, gaining back my attention. She looked up at me with wide, moss-green eyes. Her cheeks flushed, but she smiled and raised delicate brows.
“Nice catch,” she said in a soft, breathless voice.
I stared at her.
She clamped down her bottom lip with her teeth and my body stiffened. A rush of warmth washed over me as my arms instinctively wrapped tighter around her, as if they never wanted to let go. It was a strong, foreign sensation that had me incredibly confused.
I didn’t know this girl.
“You’re a little cheat!” Ty’s voice broke my stupor as the girl’s eyes shifted from mine up to his.
She stuck out her tongue and scrunched up her perfect little nose. “I can’t cheat at a game I didn’t want to play!”
Ty crossed his arms over his chest as he narrowed his eyes. “I don’t believe you didn’t want to play.”
The girl sighed heavily and turned her head to me, pointedly ignoring my brother. “Thank you,” she said, and I noticed her cheeks were tinged pink again. “You can put me down now.”
I didn’t move. It was taking my mind longer than it should to process everything. She was attractive, I guess, but I hadn’t been prepared for a girl to fall into my arms.
The girl wiggled again, making my blood heat, and I shook my head. Get a hold of yourself, Ranes.
“You…jumped off my boat,” I said, half shocked and half impressed.
She let out a nervous laugh. “Well, yeah.” She nodded her head toward Ty, who was still near the edge of the top deck but was distracted by the people surrounding him. “Ty seemed to think I wanted to join the game of spin the bottle they were playing.” She rolled her eyes, but there was something else in her expression I couldn’t place.
Perhaps something…sad?
“Spin the bottle?” I arched a brow.
She laughed again. It was breathy and slightly nervous. “Yeah, I know. It’s like we’re in grade school or something. But most of them seem to be having a good time with it. I’m just new in town and I don’t know many people and I didn’t want to kiss random strangers, so I wasn’t playing but when Ty’s turn landed on me, he didn’t want to believe I was just watching.”
When I didn’t respond, she cleared her throat. Then her eyes grew, as if a sudden thought struck her, and she let out a flurry of words in a rush. “Not that I don’t like Ty or anything! I think he was trying to be funny and maybe even a little welcoming in his own way.” She nibbled on that lip again.
When I still didn’t answer, her shoulders curled in as she looked increasingly uncomfortable. “I’m—I’m Wren, by the way.” Her mouth lifted on one side, like she was embarrassed. “I, uh, already know your name.”
I frowned, forehead creasing.
“It’s a small town. And your brother likes to talk.”