“Jesus, Tiff. Get a grip!”
Edith… I could always count on with these things.
“Fucking come the fuck on, ladies! Greyson Edwards ain’t going anywhere! Let’s play some games. I need some titties in bouncing action!” Jet bellowed from the other side of the volleyball net. “Edith, hop on me, babe. We could knock them out. Trust me, you’d feel like a champion.” He tapped his shoulders before winking at her.
Jet was an idiot. A good idiot. He knew that Edith was getting too clingy and was only looking out for me. So, when two pairs go bout to bout when the whistle blew, and with Edith and Tiffany against each other, well, you could just say that whatever pent-up anger these two had with each other, they channeled it in this fight.
When Tiffany won, my team, Edith was left with a lot of energy to be spent. We barely just finished and she was already onto something.
“Olivia and Gavin, I challenge you both,” Edith called out, flashing those green eyes somewhere.
When I finally checked behind me, her silver blue eyes clashed with mine. She changed from her little skirt and fitted top to a black matching bikini, emphasizing those accents of hers.
My eyes darkened when I saw Gavin whisper into her ear and I saw her nod, accepting Edith’s challenge. “Sure.”
Tiffany excused herself to get another drink, while I weaved towards the end of the pool, passing couples who looked like they were getting hot and heavy in the deeper end of the pool area.
Ignoring the moans and heavy panting, I was wondering why the hell I went all the way over here instead of getting out of the water and drowning myself in more alcohol. My body was buzzing with the feel-good inducement, but watching Liv and Gavin interact, sobered me up completely. When she got on his shoulders, an angry growl emanated from me. My moment of tension got disrupted when a bunch of kids from another school came in and joined the fun, but this time, some idiot requested to take out the net, making the fight more fun, or so they claimed.
The only thing I thought this whole time, watching this whole game play out before me, was how crazy this whole thing was. This wasn’t for “fun” anymore. It seemed that the different school rivalry also became a big issue here.
I saw Edith try to push and kick Olivia off Gavin’s shoulders with a quick, hard, drastic push. Olivia didn’t stand a chance. My breathing ceased as I watched her fall into the water. By then, everyone thought it was a great idea to just jump in and join the fun, so Gavin was oblivious that. Yes, the woman who climbed on top of him wasn’t Olivia, but some random chick who didn’t have a top on.
My eyes scanned where Olivia landed, but the woman hadn’t surfaced yet. Erratically, I started to swim towards them when I saw her emerge on the other end, barely hanging onto the edge, coughing like she had tuberculosis. I came to her rescue. Even though I somewhat hated her, I couldn’t fathom watching her this way. Spitfire Olivia I could handle, but her in a fragile state, I simply couldn’t walk away.
Once I reached her, I automatically wrapped my arms around her stomach, making her tense before I pulled her to the other side, with less commotion and drunken people.
“I got you,” I whispered, pedaling away as I pulled her to the other side. She weighed nothing against my arms. Feather light. Even drenched in chlorine, I could smell her sweet scent. She was intoxicating.
When I felt the cold wall against my back, I spun her around, resting her against the tiled pool wall, while my eyes were busy scanning her delicate face, needing to see if she had any cuts or if she got hurt in any way.
My hands were all over her soft, silky face; above, on the sides and underneath her chin, scanning for a scratch or any abrasion. “You okay?” I murmured, looking at her with concern. My face was so close to hers that I somehow felt like it was just the two of us here. Even though it was dark with only a few slashes of luminescent lighting from the trees, it was enough to see her clearly. She looked more beautiful this close up with her eyes dilated and flushed—simply breathtaking.
She looked rattled with a touch of curiosity, looking like she didn’t know what to do and yet, she kept staring at me, as if she didn’t understand what I was asking her. When I saw her lip quiver, I used my forefinger to lift her chin up towards me, making her look straight into my eyes.
“You okay?” I repeated again, my face moving another inch, needing to read her eyes. She was so close, I could kiss her. Even if the urge was strong, I wanted her to want me, to chase me, to come after me like how I did back then.
Her eyes flickered back and forth, unsure. Eye-to-eye, we silently spoke to each other. She looked fragile and yet strong. I could feel her submit and yet withdrawal at the same time. It was exhilarating and mind-bending to feel this kind of palpable connection to someone I despised. Our eyes battled what we couldn’t communicate through our voices before she finally gave me a small nod, cutting whatever it was we were in trance with.
“Let’s get you out of the water to dry.” Game time was over.
Taking hold of her elbow, Olivia let out a small yelp, cussing like a sailor when I saw that she had a cut. It wasn’t big or anything, but it was enough to make me aggravated.
“Come on.” My hand reached behind her back to guide her out of the water when people, including Gavin and Edith, came towards us with curiosity.
Oh, now they noticed, I thought with irritation. It took Gavin long enough.
“I’ll take care of her, Grey,” Gavin intercepted, already slightly pulling her towards him.
The cocky bastard wanted to play the hero now? “If you took good care of her, she wouldn’t have a cut in the fucking first place. Move the fuck out of my way!” I fumed as I gathered Olivia in my arms, carrying her as they watched like I had lost my mind. Well, maybe I did.
“Put me down!” she hissed through gritted teeth as I climbed the pool stairs and then walked towards the back entrance of the house to avoid other guests. “Grey! Put me the fuck down!” She tried twice to maneuver out of my arms, but I wasn’t letting go.
Why was she angry anyway? I wanted to help, was all.
My nose flared at her audacity to be angry, but I remained silent until we reached her room. With one hand, I opened her bedroom door. Walking directly towards her bathroom, I switched the light on before I cleared whatever cosmetic paraphernalia she had on the counter with a quick swipe of my hand. Placing her on the marbled bathroom counter, I was about to move away when she tried to get off from her position.
“Don’t even think of moving, Olivia. Sit still.”