Free Only One by Kelly Mooney Page B

her shoulder gently touching my arm as she did. “Sure thing.” She grabbed the spatula from my hand and smacked my ass. “Get moving. I’m starving.”
    I winked and grinned. Once I had the spatula back, I hightailed it outside to start cooking. There was some weird silence downstairs, so I peeked down to find one couple in each of the corners of the pool, making out. This trip was supposed to be about me forgetting Belly, laying a roof, not babysitting a bunch of horny teenagers. “Yo, AJ! You and your friends get up here and get yourself dried off.” Now, I felt like a fucking old man. I heard a few grunts, but the swoosh of water let me know they were listening.
    I had to give them credit when they all walked up the steps to join me. The girls they had with them were real cute.
    Belly was still inside making the salad when AJ stepped up behind me. He rested his hand on my shoulder. “Hey, man, you’re not going to be cockblocking all week, are ya?”
    I shot him a quick what-do-you-think-look. “If it keeps you from knocking up one of those pretty little things—fuck, yeah, I am.”
    AJ got closer. “Don’t sweat it, Cole. I have an entire box of condoms in my suitcase.” He grinned, wiggling his eyebrows at me. “We’re all good, brother,” he shouted out as he walked away.
    Great! I had this sudden urge to jump into my Jeep and get the fuck out of there. But then Belly came strutting out and a few of the boys’ mouths dropped open when she did. That sweet little dress was gone and she was back in her bathing suit that almost did me in earlier. “Salad’s done. I’m gonna take a quick swim before dinner.”
    I wielded my spatula at them. “Don’t even think about her like that.”
    “Fuck me. That’s your sister, AJ?” Brian asked AJ, but he was too busy shoving his tongue down some poor girl’s throat already.
    I squared my shoulders and crossed my arms over my chest. “Brian, why don’t you pay attention to the one next to you instead of one you can’t have.”
    Brian held up his hands in defense. “Sorry, man. I didn’t know she was yours.”
    I remained quiet, refusing to contradict him, wishing it was true.
    “Besides, a man can look, right?”
    “Yeah,” I laughed. “maybe when your boys finally drop you can look, but for now stick to the ones you can handle.” I nodded at the little blonde next to him who looked pissed.
    From the time I played ball and then hit the store and to the time I’d spent grilling, my buzz had worn off. I couldn’t take my eyes off of Belly doing laps in the pool. Every once in a while, when I couldn’t hear the splash of water, I’d peer down and find her resting her chin on her arms at the edge of the pool, spacing out, like she was deep in thought.
    After dinner and all the plates were cleared, it was painfully obvious these chicks had no intentions of going anywhere anytime soon. Annabelle and I kept glancing at each other, and I could tell she was thinking the same thing I was. How the hell could we kick these girls out without being the bad guys?
    Belly and I were cleaning the last of the food up, wrapping any leftovers, when the one AJ had been keeping occupied every chance he got, shouted, “I know, let’s play strip poker.”
    “No,” Belly and I both shouted at the same time. All heads turned to us. AJ muttered something under his breath that we couldn’t hear from here. Belly stepped around me, dropping the dishcloth on the island.
    “How about a good board game, or we could play poker if you want, but no stripping.”
    AJ stared her down, with murder in his eyes. “How about a little something like ‘I Never,’ or ‘Truth or Dare?’” he suggested.
    “Ooh, ooh, I vote for ‘Truth or Dare.’ I love that game,” one of the girls shouted, and they all started rubbing their hands together like the fools they were. Belly rolled her eyes and started to walk away, but AJ stood up. “Where you going, sis? I thought you wanted to