After about an hour drive, we arrive at the lake's marina. Chase pulls his truck into the parking space closest to the dock's entrance and Victor's Volvo pulls in next to us.
Without realizing it, I must have a permanent scowl of annoyance plastered across my features. That or Victor just knows me. "Whoa, what's with the face?" he asks after taking a good look at me.
"Vance invited his girlfriends." I use my fingers to quote the word ‘friends’.
"Really?" Melissa says as she joins us, then looks at Victor.
"It's not my boat." Victor shrugs and pulls her to him. "Don't worry, those girls have nothing on you," he says to Melissa, then places a kiss on her forehead. It's so sweet.
Despite him being my brother, it's swoon worthy. He looks up at me, "We'll have fun." They walk around to the trunk and grab a cooler out, along with some towels and a beach bag.
Loud music grabs all of our attention, causing us to look at the convertible Beetle driving our way before parking behind Victor's car. I instantly recognize Talia behind the wheel. Her eyes are covered by big sunglasses, her honey-brown hair is pulled up into a messy bun, and her tan skin on full display. It goes quiet when she shuts off the car. "Hey guys!" she yells out to our group along with a wave. Her two friends climb out of the back and help Talia close up the top.
Talia has on a cute long tank that dips low on the sides,showing off her bright pink bikini while her offcuts peek out at the bottom. Her friends have nothing but their bikini tops and some shorts on. I hate judging people before I get to know them, but I can't help but be envious of their assets--therefore I hate them. Well, hate is a strong word, so let's just say...I strongly dislike them. I have a mental battle with myself as I watch them work together, admiring their bodies, and wishing I look half as good as they do.
Once they're all finished, they close the circle of our group. Talia comes to hug Vance, although when they pull apart his arm remains wrapped around her shoulder. Talia's face lights up when she sees me, standing across from her. "Oh my gosh! V! It's been forever." She moves forward--out from under Vance’s arm--and embraces me in a hug.
"Hey Talia," I respond as she steps back. She pulls her sunglasses off, placing them atop her head. Her caramel eyes widen. "Look at you, girl!" she says as her eyes roam my body, even though it’s covered by a white romper. "You're hot!" her voice is loud. It seems as if she's almost shocked by this. I've never had another girl openly admire my body, but I don't find it awkward in the least. It's actually a very empowering thing.
"Thanks?" I say, not knowing how to respond.
She laughs. "Work that body!"
"Uh, No," Vance chimes in from behind, and she waves her hand at him.
"Oh shut up, Vance." There’s a smile playing on her lips.
Talia moves around the circle saying hello to my brothers, stopping to chat with Victor and Melissa for a bit, then ends up by her friends. "These are my sorority sisters, Jenny and Laura." She introduces us all one by one. Laura's eyes linger on Chase a bit longer before moving to me and smiles. This, of course, annoys me. But it's completely understandable because, well, Chase is hot. We all exchange pleasantries with the girls.
"How come you haven't told me you were in a sorority?" Vance asks, surprised.
"Why?" she asks, placing her hands on her hips.
"Education reasons." Vance smiles.
"Uh-huh." She smirks.
"Let's get a move on!" Vin suggests. Vance and Vaughn shout out their approvals. Chase leads our large group out onto the dock towards one of the larger boats parked on the water. Someone whistles. "Damn, Chase," Talia's voice cracks, "I am with the wrong guy." she quips, causing Chase to laugh.
"He may a big boat, but I have a big—"
"ALRIGHT!" I yell out, stopping Vance from finishing his sentence, and he erupts into a fit of laughter.
Chase climbs on and has Vance come up with him to help the girls over. Victor does the same, helping Melissa with their stuff and then bringing her over. I move to allow Chase to help me. I grab his outstretched hand and he pulls me over as if I weigh nothing. When I am safely standing on two feet, his free hand moves to my hip, giving me a slight squeeze. "You good?"
"Yeah."
He laughs lightly following that with a wink, then releases me to help the others. My eyes scan the boat, taking in the seating options. There's seating in the front, a seat across from the driver, and then seating at the back of the boat where Melissa is sitting--looking slightly peeved. I don't blame her. I decide to take the seat next to her, she gives me a weak smile.
Once everyone is on board, Chase goes about getting the boat ready to go. "Chase, you need help?" Victor asks him.
Chase starts the engine and looks at Victor. "Yeah, if you can untie the ropes from the dock and reel them in."
"V." Victor gets my attention. "Can you help?" I nod and get up moving towards the front. He unties the rope, and I pull it up. He moves to the back and then quickly jumps back onto the boat pulling that rope up. Once I've pulled all the rope up into the boat, trying to keep it organized, I yell, "What do I do with this?"
"Here." The voice is closer than I expected, which startles me. I turn around and come up close and personal with a nice set of smooth, tan, muscular pecs. I look up into Chase's vibrant blue eyes. He's standing really close, and it makes me nervous and excited at the same time. Chase has lost his shirt, and it's making my mouth water.
He gives me a wicked grin and it hits me low, low, low. He takes the rope from my hands. "You okay, V? You're looking a little flushed." He smiles wide, giving me a nice view of his, near-perfect, teeth.
I release a breath, "Yeah." It comes out airy. I take a step back, hitting the boat, which startles me again. I hear his laughter and I clear my throat. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. I'm good." I move away from him before I do something stupid.
I take my seat next to Melissa, who is now staring at me as well, but I avoid looking her way. I take in the nearby boats, realizing just how big this boat is compared to those around us. My heart has slowed to a normal rate. I glance away, still feeling eyes on me, eyes that belong to Mel. "What?" I ask. Her smile widens then her eyes flick to Chase. I ignore her.
A whining noise comes from behind me, startling me. "What is that?" I quickly look at Chase. He's amused on behalf of my frightened state. "I'm pulling up the anchor."
"Oh. Okay." I settle back into the seat while the boat starts to move away from the dock. More of the lake comes into view--it's stunning. The other side is nothing but a mountain of trees, and it truly looks like something out of a movie. Other boats glide across the glistening water. He's driving slowly, but I still feel a slight breeze. The sun is shining bright, and I bask in the feeling of it on my skin.
When we're a decent distance away from the marina, Chase yells for everyone to hold on. He slowly pushes the throttle down, and while the boat picks up speed I grab onto a handle on the side. I'm so glad I sat in the back because sitting at the front looks frightening. The girls up front squeal out as the tip shoots upward.