Total pages in book: 176
Estimated words: 164533 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 164533 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 823(@200wpm)___ 658(@250wpm)___ 548(@300wpm)
“Sure, of course,” he said, his throat bobbing as he swallowed.
Turning, I left the staff room, my heart racing for some strange reason.
Ugh, please don’t tell me I was developing a crush already. I’d only arrived two days ago, and I certainly didn’t need to start complicating things by liking one of my cousins’ friends. Not to mention, Derek had warned them all to keep their hands off me, which I still intended to talk to him about.
I wasn’t some weak-willed damsel whose virtue needed protecting. But I also wasn’t seeking romance or the inevitable heartbreak.
Even if that potential heartbreak had the most provoking, ocean-blue eyes.
4.
Charli
I was lounging on Nuala’s bed flipping through a photo album. There were lots of her and her friends. I recognised a few from the group that showed up at the party the other night. Nuala hadn’t mentioned them since. In fact, she didn’t mention any of her friends, which I found strange since, from what I’d gathered in our emails, she was popular at school. It made me wonder what exactly had gone down with the blonde Tristan had ordered to leave the party.
“I can’t decide which swimsuit to wear,” Nuala said, distracting me from my perusal of the photos.
Glancing up, I saw she held two options. A plain black one-piece and a bright pink bikini. They were so opposite I hardly believed the same person owned both.
“Which would you be more comfortable in?” I asked.
“Well, obviously the one-piece, but …” she trailed off.
“But?” I prodded.
Nuala cast me a look like she was being indulgent. “I’d feel prettier in the bikini.”
“So, wear the bikini.”
“There’s just the hazard of my boobs slipping out. And Derek won’t be pleased.”
“Derek shouldn’t be looking at his own sister in a bathing suit,” I said, still a little peeved about the whole warning his friends away from me thing.
Nuala sighed. “It’s not like that. He just knows what teenage boys are like because he is one, and he wants to protect me. Well, us. Now that you’re here for the summer, he’s taken you under his wing of brotherly protection as well. There’s not much you can do about it.”
“I don’t need a protector,” I grumbled. “I should talk to him.”
“You can try, but he won’t listen. Anyway, never mind about my overbearing brother, which swimsuit am I wearing? You pick for me.”
“The pink,” I said with a smile, and Nuala grinned.
“The pink one it is, then.”
I didn’t have the same dilemma as Nuala since I’d only packed one bathing suit. It was dark blue and functional, though I planned to wear a maxi dress over it since I was still undecided about swimming in the sea. It was summer, and the weather was nice—by Irish standards—but I still suspected the water was going to be very cold.
There was also the fact that I was sometimes a little self-conscious about my body. If only I’d taken after my mother’s side of the family. The Balfe women were naturally slim and waifish. Delicate. Me, on the other hand, well, I had big boobs, a definite belly, and a butt that often struggled to fit into jeans. Let’s just say, if I were to don Nuala’s tiny pink bikini, it would be considered downright indecent.
“Right, you better go get ready. The boys will be leaving soon,” Nuala said, shooing me from her room since I was still wearing my sleep shorts and ratty T-shirt.
I took a quick shower then changed into my bathing suit and patterned maxi dress before sliding on my flip flops. I twisted my hair up into a knot then put on a little lip gloss and mascara. I figured there was no point putting on too much makeup in case I did end up going for a dip.
There were voices out front, and I went to my bedroom window, peering down onto the drive. The boys were loading stuff into the back of a grey SUV. It was Aunt Jo’s car, but she must’ve been letting them borrow it since there were too many of us to fit into any of the other vehicles.
Grabbing the bag I’d packed with a towel and some water, I went downstairs to join the others. Nuala was already there chatting with Theo and Tristan.
I was making my way towards them when Aidan called, “Moretti! Come sit next to me.”
He waved me over, wearing shorts, a blue shirt, and a pair of Ray Bans resting on top of his head. I was sceptical of his overt friendliness since the other night he’d expressly stated I wasn’t his type. Maybe he was just a genuinely friendly sort of guy, which was fine, but if he was manipulating me, then that wasn’t fine. Had he said I wasn’t his type so I’d start wondering why I wasn’t his type and then begin obsessing?