Well, that conversation didn’t go as planned. I’m not sure how it went sideways so quickly. Honestly, all I’d meant to do was encourage Daisy to cover up that delectable little body of hers. Instead, all I’ve managed to do is piss her off. And now, just to spite me, she’s walking around in a tiny bikini that barely covers her tits.
It’s aggravating as shit.
I drag a hand over my face, and it comes away with beaded sweat. It’s hot as balls out here. What I need is another dip in the pool. But that would be ill-advised considering I’m rocking some major wood.
My eyes narrow on the girl responsible for my current condition.
Daisy must feel my gaze drilling into her backside because she glances over her shoulder and meets my gaze head-on and frowns. Even though she’s wearing sunglasses, I feel the burn of them like a physical assault. It’s been that way since the day we met. The attraction was instantaneous. The moment I laid eyes on her, I couldn’t look away. I didn’t even want to.
Which sucks. There’s no way I would ever mess around with Noah’s cousin. He’d chop off my nuts and roast them over an open fire. If I know Noah, he’d probably sing a few campfire songs while doing it.
I shift uneasily as that image clouds my head. But it’s not nearly enough to kill my chubby.
I can’t blame Noah for wanting to protect Daisy from guys like me. Hell, all I want is to protect her from guys like me, too. It drives me flipping nuts when I catch other dudes checking her out.
When I don’t look away, Daisy’s scowl intensifies. Unable to resist, I raise the bottle of water I’m holding in a silent toast. Her body tenses and she whips around again, continuing to talk with a couple of my teammates.
I fucking hate the way they’re ogling her. Kind of like she’s a juicy steak and they haven’t eaten red meat in years. With that little pink and black bikini, I can’t blame those assholes for salivating. I’m parked over here drooling like a total hypocrite.
Rather than stare at her shapely ass, I search the crowd for Noah.
Where the hell is that guy?
He should be over there knocking some skulls together and putting a stop to this BS. I’m tempted to put a stop to it myself, but there’s not a damn thing I can do about the situation.
Daisy’s not my cousin.
Or my girlfriend.
As soon as that thought roars through my brain, Noah materializes out of nowhere and drops onto the chair next to me. He gives me a lazy grin and stretches out as if settling in for the next few hours. In this heat, I can’t blame him. The only thing we can be thankful for is that we aren’t on the field running suicides.
“It’s hot as balls,” are the first words out of his mouth.
“Right?” This is why we’re such good friends and clicked from the first day of training camp. It’s like we can read each other’s minds. Thank God Noah has no idea what’s going through my brain when it comes to his cousin because he sure as hell wouldn’t like what he found.
Daisy may be a senior like Noah—in fact, she’s a few months older than him—but he treats her like the baby sister he never had.
Noah props himself up on his elbows as something at the far end of the pool catches his eye.
I glance in that direction, hoping that he’s caught on to the guys hitting on Daisy.
Instead, I find Tanner, one of the football players who just transferred in. He’s sitting next to Daisy’s friend, Olivia. Tanner grins, and Olivia throws her head back and lets loose a loud peal of laughter, which is odd because she’s normally quiet. Her golden-brown hair is piled on the top of her head in a messy bun. She’s wearing a bikini much like the one Daisy has on, but it looks entirely different on Olivia since she’s slender with fewer curves. Daisy, on the other hand…
Yeah, best not to think about that right now.
Not that Noah would notice.
Sometimes I think Noah has a thing for Olivia, but he’s never said anything about it to me. He’s dating Ashley, and although there are guys on the team who enjoy having a girlfriend and a piece of ass on the side, Noah isn’t one of them. But still, this seems like the perfect opportunity to test my theory.
“Looks like Olivia has made a new friend this afternoon,” I comment in a casual tone.
As long as Tanner’s not getting overly chummy with Daisy, I’m good with it. In fact, I prefer it this way. I would hate to destroy him in practice since he seems like a decent enough guy.
All I get is a grunt in acknowledgment. I’m a little disappointed that Noah didn’t take the bait. But then again, it’s probably for the best, because Ashley, along with a few of her cohorts, saunters over to where we’re parked in the shade.
“Hey, babe,” she greets, settling her bony ass on Noah’s lap.
One of Ashley’s friends gives me a flirty grin, and because I need a distraction and this girl will do rather nicely, I give her a slow smile in return. She takes that as a green light to proceed and sidles up to me.
Added bonus—she looks nothing like Daisy.
