“Good.” He nods and looks over toward my house. “It’s coming along fast.”

“It’s a good crew,” I agree, and cross my legs, enjoying the sway of the swing. Jill leans against me and rests her head on my shoulder.

“What’s new with you, big brother?” she asks.

“Absolutely nothing.” He pushes his hand through his raven hair and turns his eyes to Jill. Their eyes and hair match perfectly. No one would miss that they’re siblings. But where Jill is petite and delicate, Ty is tall and broad. Not quite as tall and broad as the King brothers, but then, few are.

“Nothing at all?” she asks doubtfully.

“Nothing at all.”

“You’re boring.”

“What’s new with you?” He narrows his eyes on her, and I know he sees what I do: pale skin and sad blue eyes.

“Nothing.”

“Now, I know for a fact that’s a lie.”

“I’m not in a courtroom,” she snaps, her voice hard, and it surprises the hell out of me. “Back off.”

He just tilts his head to the side and watches her for a moment, then nods. “Okay. For now.”

“You’re so pushy.”

He shrugs unapologetically and grins. “Job hazard.”

“No, you’ve always been pushy.”

He nods and grins at her, then turns his gaze to me and I squirm in my seat.

“I’m not in a courtroom either,” I remind him lightly.

“How are things with King?”

“Good.”

“He’s phenomenal in bed and he came to the hotel in the middle of the night just so he could snuggle with her,” Jill smirks, and evades my punch to her leg.

“Shut up,” I say.

“I really don’t need to hear about Josh’s sex skills,” Ty responds dryly, a smile tickling the corners of his lips. Finally, he gives in and lets out a belly laugh.

“Jilly hasn’t gotten lai—” Jill’s hand covers my mouth hard, her eyes wide with panic.

“Mmmph mmph poph,” I mutter against her hand.

“What?” she asks, and drops her hand.

“Don’t fuck with me.”

“Cara’s a badass.” Ty laughs. “If you’re not good, she’ll show you the jail.”

“Yeah,” I agree with a laugh. “I’m a badass.”

“Let’s go get ready for the party, badass.”

Chapter Eleven

I absolutely love the Fourth of July.

Cunningham Falls always does it up big. Most of the townspeople gather by the city beach, which is nothing more than about one hundred yards of sandy beach at the shore of a large lake at the edge of town. The kids swim, and adults bring coolers full of food and blankets to lounge on. Boats float in the lake or zoom around, pulling water-skiers swiftly about the lake.

It’s a day of fun and sun, and even the tourists get into it.

This year is no different. We’ve spent the majority of the afternoon with our friends, enjoying each other’s company, laughing and eating good food.

Josh and I are sitting in the shade, on a blanket, very much like the night at the movies. He’s leaning against a tree, me between his legs, and I’m leaning against his chest.

“Are you comfortable?” he asks into my ear, making shivers dance down my body.

“I am,” I sigh happily, and watch Zack and Jill chat with each other several yards away. She is telling a story about a mansion she sold in Bel Air, gesturing wildly with her arms, her pretty face expressive, and Zack is laughing with her.

Seth is sitting under another tree not too far away, clad only in his swim trunks, listening to his iPod.

“What time do the fireworks start?” I ask.

“At dusk, so around nine thirty, I guess.” I rest my hands on Josh’s bare thighs and grin when he inhales sharply. He never wears shorts, so to see him in his tan cargo shorts and sexy black T-shirt is a treat. His soft hair tickles my fingers as I rub them rhythmically against his muscular thighs. “But if you keep doing that, we’ll put on a fireworks display of our own, for all of our nearest and dearest to see.”

I laugh and look up into his soft chocolate eyes. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“I think I would.” He removes my hands from his legs, kisses them both, then links his fingers through mine and rests them on my belly.

“I like touching you,” I pout.

“You’re killing me,” he whispers. “I haven’t been inside you in almost twenty-four hours,” he growls against my ear.

“Oh, no! Whatever shall we do?”

“Smart-ass,” he mutters, and tilts my chin up to plant a soft, wet kiss on me, and I forget that our friends are standing nearby. His lips glide over mine, once and then again, and then he kisses my cheek and my jawline before pulling away to smile down at me.

“Get a room!” Zack calls out.

“They had one last night,” Jill responds dryly, also watching us closely. “Unfortunately, I was also in that room.”

“Kinky.” Zack grins and nods, earning a punch in the arm from Jill. “Ow! Easy there, killer.”

“The King men are pervs,” Jill complains as everyone laughs.

Ty grabs two beers out of the cooler nearby and hands one to Josh.

“Thanks, buddy.”

Just then, I notice Zack allows his gaze to roam up and down Jill’s body, paying special attention to her hips and her thick, lush dark hair. He takes a pull on his beer and turns away, looking for Seth.