extensively,”
I told Austin.
“This really is the bare minimum,” Derek assured him.
“Okay.” Austin shrugged, resigned to the task. “You and Ryan and
Carson load up the coolers and the keg in the 4Runner. I’ll get the
lesbians to load the truck.”
“What are you going to do?” I asked him.
“Look pretty and direct.” He walked back toward the house. “Hey,
lesbians,” he called to Reese and Kerry. He was so annoying.
We started loading. Kerry and I stood in the bed with Reese and
Austin handing shit up to us. I had to help Aus lift some of the heavier
items, but we made good time.
• 53 •
AShley BArtlett
“What the hell is this?” Austin asked when we got to the bedding.
A rolled up sleeping pad was tossed over his shoulder. Next to him,
Reese held a pile of blankets.
“Bedding,” I told him. “Kerry, you want another beer?”
“Yeah, it’s only eight. We should probably drink throughout the
day,” she said. I was starting to like this chick.
“That’s the plan.”
“I’ll go grab ’em,” Kerry said. “Austin, you want one?” He shook
his head. “Baby, do you?” Reese just glared at her some more. “I think
I’m in trouble,” she whispered to me before jumping down.
“Cooper.” Austin was still standing there waiting.
“What?”
“What happened to air mattresses? And sleeping bags?”
“We’re still using them,” I said. They looked skeptical.
“Then what’s the deal with this?” He hefted the bulky sleeping
pad onto the truck bed.
I considered answering, but decided against it. “You know what?
None of your damn business. There’s room up here. It’s going with us.”
“Fine, whatever.” Austin strutted off.
“Really.” Reese set the blankets next to the sleeping pad. “What’s
with this stuff?”
“You ever share an air mattress with someone else?” I sat on the
tailgate.
“Yeah.”
“Was it comfy?” I asked even though I knew the answer.
“Not really.”
Kerry walked up and handed me a beer. “Can you guys handle
this? I’m going to help Austin with the rope.” She pointed to where
Austin was standing surrounded by a tangle of rope. He was staring at
it like it was algebra.
“That’s probably a good idea,” I said. “Thanks for the beer.”
“No problem.” Kerry went to help Austin.
“Coop?”
“Yeah?” I said like I forgot what we were talking about. Reese
set a hand on the blankets. “Oh, yeah. You, uh, ever had sex on an air
mattress?”
“Can’t say I have.” Reese raised an eyebrow.
• 54 •
Dirty Sex
“It’s really, really not fun.” Her mouth opened a little in surprise.
“You can’t get any rhythm, you know?” I rocked my hips back and
forth a little and grinned. “Anyway, guess you’ll never know.” I set
my hand next to hers on the blankets. Not touching, but almost. Then I
jumped down to join Austin and Kerry.
“Wait,” Reese called.
“What?” I turned back to look into those shadowed eyes.
“Thanks. That’s sweet, in sort of a Cooper way.”
I was pretty sure she meant that as a good thing. I mustered all of
my strength for a sort of apology. “I was an asshole before. You didn’t
deserve that.”
“I kind of did. I called you a whore.”
“You did.” I contemplated. “But I guess I am. If you think about
it.”
“No, Coop. You’re a playa.” For once, she wasn’t mocking me.
She was still lying, but in a nice way.
❖
Reese drove Ryan’s SUV. Ryan and I took the truck. He drove.
They were the only people who hadn’t been drinking all morning. After
the two-hour drive up winding mountain roads, I was pretty sober. We
rolled down the windows as soon as the heat tapered off. At home, it
was supposed to be pushing one hundred, but up in the mountains, we
were loving the high seventies. I thought they would beat us up there
since we were towing four Jet Skis and they only had one, but we only
got there fifteen minutes behind
I told Austin.
“This really is the bare minimum,” Derek assured him.
“Okay.” Austin shrugged, resigned to the task. “You and Ryan and
Carson load up the coolers and the keg in the 4Runner. I’ll get the
lesbians to load the truck.”
“What are you going to do?” I asked him.
“Look pretty and direct.” He walked back toward the house. “Hey,
lesbians,” he called to Reese and Kerry. He was so annoying.
We started loading. Kerry and I stood in the bed with Reese and
Austin handing shit up to us. I had to help Aus lift some of the heavier
items, but we made good time.
• 53 •
AShley BArtlett
“What the hell is this?” Austin asked when we got to the bedding.
A rolled up sleeping pad was tossed over his shoulder. Next to him,
Reese held a pile of blankets.
“Bedding,” I told him. “Kerry, you want another beer?”
“Yeah, it’s only eight. We should probably drink throughout the
day,” she said. I was starting to like this chick.
“That’s the plan.”
“I’ll go grab ’em,” Kerry said. “Austin, you want one?” He shook
his head. “Baby, do you?” Reese just glared at her some more. “I think
I’m in trouble,” she whispered to me before jumping down.
“Cooper.” Austin was still standing there waiting.
“What?”
“What happened to air mattresses? And sleeping bags?”
“We’re still using them,” I said. They looked skeptical.
“Then what’s the deal with this?” He hefted the bulky sleeping
pad onto the truck bed.
I considered answering, but decided against it. “You know what?
None of your damn business. There’s room up here. It’s going with us.”
“Fine, whatever.” Austin strutted off.
“Really.” Reese set the blankets next to the sleeping pad. “What’s
with this stuff?”
“You ever share an air mattress with someone else?” I sat on the
tailgate.
“Yeah.”
“Was it comfy?” I asked even though I knew the answer.
“Not really.”
Kerry walked up and handed me a beer. “Can you guys handle
this? I’m going to help Austin with the rope.” She pointed to where
Austin was standing surrounded by a tangle of rope. He was staring at
it like it was algebra.
“That’s probably a good idea,” I said. “Thanks for the beer.”
“No problem.” Kerry went to help Austin.
“Coop?”
“Yeah?” I said like I forgot what we were talking about. Reese
set a hand on the blankets. “Oh, yeah. You, uh, ever had sex on an air
mattress?”
“Can’t say I have.” Reese raised an eyebrow.
• 54 •
Dirty Sex
“It’s really, really not fun.” Her mouth opened a little in surprise.
“You can’t get any rhythm, you know?” I rocked my hips back and
forth a little and grinned. “Anyway, guess you’ll never know.” I set
my hand next to hers on the blankets. Not touching, but almost. Then I
jumped down to join Austin and Kerry.
“Wait,” Reese called.
“What?” I turned back to look into those shadowed eyes.
“Thanks. That’s sweet, in sort of a Cooper way.”
I was pretty sure she meant that as a good thing. I mustered all of
my strength for a sort of apology. “I was an asshole before. You didn’t
deserve that.”
“I kind of did. I called you a whore.”
“You did.” I contemplated. “But I guess I am. If you think about
it.”
“No, Coop. You’re a playa.” For once, she wasn’t mocking me.
She was still lying, but in a nice way.
❖
Reese drove Ryan’s SUV. Ryan and I took the truck. He drove.
They were the only people who hadn’t been drinking all morning. After
the two-hour drive up winding mountain roads, I was pretty sober. We
rolled down the windows as soon as the heat tapered off. At home, it
was supposed to be pushing one hundred, but up in the mountains, we
were loving the high seventies. I thought they would beat us up there
since we were towing four Jet Skis and they only had one, but we only
got there fifteen minutes behind
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