“Thanks, little cuz.”
We’re heading back toward the front door when a verylargeman glides effortlessly down the stairs, like Jesus himself, walking on water. He’s got on black slacks that look perfectly tailored for his body, a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up his dark, corded forearms. He’s wearing black, shiny loafers that scream money, and his thick fingers are adorned in gold rings that match the gold chain around his neck.
He’s a fucking gorgeous giant of a man.
Crew elbows me, and when my head snaps to the side, he’s wearing a knowing grin. “Wipe that drool away, dude.”
Narrowing my eyes at him, he does nothing but laugh, linking his fingers with mine again.
“Hello,” the tall, dark man says at the bottom of the staircase. “I didn’t know we had company, Elias.”
“Yeah, Katie was just stopping by to grab the beach house key. These are her friends, Crew and Anderson. Everyone, this is Ezekial, my stepdad.”
“Please, Zeke is fine. Nice to meet you both. Katie, it’s great to see you again.”
“Yeah, you too. I’ll see you both around. We gotta go pick our friend up from the airport.” She waves as we walk out the front door. Looking over her shoulder at us, she laughs. “You both were so obviously checking Zeke out.”
***
“God, it’s fucking hot out.” Knox has an unopened ice-cold beer bottle placed on the back of his neck, groaning about the same shit I have been all day.
“Fucking thank you!”
“For fuck’s sake, you both are pathetic. It’s cooled way down now that the sun has gone down, and the breeze from the water is helping, too.”
We picked Weston up earlier, and Branson and Luca arrived via their bougie ass RV about two hours ago. Now all of us are at the beach house, grilling, drinking, and hanging out.
“You’re the most dressed out of all of us,” I say to Katie. “How are you not sweating buckets?”
“Boy, don’t you know? Southern girls don’t sweat, they glisten,” she drawls, taking a swig of her beer and flipping the burgers. Her accent is much thicker here than it is back home.
Rolling my eyes, I turn my attention to Crew, who’s sitting beside me, petting the white kitten Branson and Luca rolled into town with. Apparently, they found him abandoned at some rest stop, and Branson fell in love and wouldn’t leave without him.
“We’re not getting a cat, Crew. Don’t get too attached.”
“Don’t be such a fun sucker, Anderson,” he replies with a sexy smile. He turns to Branson. “Are you guys taking the cat back home, or what’s your plan?”
“Hell yes, we’re taking it home. This is our baby now.”
Luca smiles and rolls his eyes, finishing the rest of his beer. “Anyone want another?”
“Yes, please,” Branson says. “Thanks, babe.”
Twenty minutes later, the food is done, and we all pile around the picnic table that’s set up on the beach. Everyone passes the plate with the burgers on it, grabbing some and dishing up the rest of their plates. Katie and Weston made most of the meal—Crew and I are almost positive something is going on between them, but they both deny it heavily when we confront them.
We’re all in the middle of stuffing our faces, when someone comes walking up from toward the house. “Who is that?” I ask Katie, who hasn’t seemed to notice the stranger approaching us.
“Shit,” she says, getting up from the table and spinning to face the man, who I can now see is wearing a police uniform. What the fuck? “What are you doing here, Enzo?”
“No one is usually here. I saw the lights on when I was patrolling. Wanted to make sure nothing shady was going on, Kit-Kat.”
Kit-Kat?! What the hell is that about?
Crew and I look at each other, smiling at this interesting turn of events. The officer who apparently knows Katie well enough to be on a nickname basis is covered in tattoos, and his muscles have him almost busting out of his shirt. What is with the men in this town? Are they all dangerous looking hotties?
“My aunt gave us the key. Nothing fishy. You can ask Zeke; he was there when we picked it up.”
“Aye, you gonna introduce us to your friend, Kit-Kat?” Knox yells from the head of the table.