Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 125866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Giana had picked up a couple of twelve-packs of hard seltzers and beer on the way over, and I sipped from one as I watched Madelyn with an amused smile.
She was next to me, one foot on the bench as she stretched. She hadn’t picked up a beer when everyone else did. Instead, she’d been doing jumping jacks and high knees — in a dress, mind you — and now she was stretching and swinging her arms, a determined look glossing over her eyes.
Those eyes flicked to me the longer I stared. “What?”
“Nothing.”
She narrowed her gaze even more.
“Just love to see you’re still as competitive as you were when you were in high school,” I said, holding a hand up in surrender.
“I’m not competitive,” she said, cracking her neck.
“Uh-huh,” I mused. Then, I finished my beer and leaned in close enough for my next words to sweep across the back of her neck. “And I’m not still thinking about you in that bathtub.”
She froze, and even in the darkness, I could tell she was blushing.
But she swatted me across the chest after only a split second, and I barked out a laugh, jogging over to where everyone was gathering by the net. Madelyn followed, standing next to me with her arms crossed.
“Alright, a quick rule refresher,” Clay said, tossing the ball up and catching it. “There will be two captains. We’ll alternate picking people until we’re in two teams of five. Giana is sitting out, for obvious reasons.”
“Go team!” she yelled from the sideline, doing a fake cheerleader kick.
Clay smirked and shook his head before his attention was back on us. “She’ll be in charge of blasting the music and will be line judge, should we need one. Winning team needs fifteen points and to win by at least two. Otherwise, regular rules of volleyball apply.”
Madelyn nodded, bouncing on her toes as I tried and failed to stifle a laugh.
She elbowed me in the ribs.
“Braden, Madelyn — you’re captains.”
Braden frowned. “Why us?”
“Because you’re the only single one here and Madelyn is our guest of honor.”
She didn’t even hesitate. Madelyn strode up to stand next to Braden, pointing at Riley. “My first pick.”
She and Riley high-fived each other as I gaped at her with my jaw on the court, and the guys bent over laughing at my expression.
“That’s just cold,” I said.
“Oh, don’t be a baby. I’ll get you next time,” Madelyn said.
“What if Braden picks me?”
“Holden,” Braden said, and I turned my look of betrayal on him. He just shrugged. “Sorry, man.”
I shook my head, tonguing the inside of my cheek as I crossed my arms over my chest. I pretended to be offended, but really, I couldn’t help but smile as Madelyn stepped fully into her element. And when she called me to be on her team next, I walked slowly over to join her, dropping my voice low enough so no one else could hear.
“Enjoy being the one to call the shots now because that’ll be my role when we get back to the room.”
She stilled, swallowing.
And when she called out Clay’s name, I smiled at how it came out in a squeak.
When the teams were set, we split up on the court, Giana blared EDM music so loud we couldn’t hear each other even if we wanted to — and the game began.
The first few volleys were a mess. Ravey Ball meant you couldn’t hear your teammates calling out if they were going for the ball, which meant we were running into each other and slamming down into the sand more than we were successfully hitting anything. Add in the fact that it was dark other than the flashing ball, and you couldn’t tell you were about to hit someone until it was already too late.
I didn’t mind the few times I ran into Madelyn, our bodies tangling as we rolled down into the sand.
I also found it amusing how pissed Madelyn was getting, especially when we fell behind by two. She painted on her game face, and when Riley served the ball, I knew my girl meant business.
We scored five unanswered points before the serve switched to Braden’s team.
Giana cheered from the sideline, though we couldn’t hear her over the music. Back and forth, we battled it out, playing volleyball in the dark in the same clothes we wore to the party.
The girls didn’t give a fuck they were in dresses. Mary tied her long one up by her hip to stay out of her way while Julep pinned hers together between her legs with a safety pin, creating makeshift shorts.
The guys had all stripped out of their shirts, me included, and half of us had our slacks rolled up to just under our knees. Leo had tied his tie around his head, looking like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.