Twenty years old

It was officially summer break. But while most of my friends were celebrating the end of our second year of college, I was spending my time interning for my father at his fashion company. I didn’t consider it my dream job, but at least the work was interesting and kept me entertained. Every free moment I had was spent with Deacon, either over at the Lockharts’ or at my place.

That day, I was heading over to his place to hang out by the pool and relax. Bypassing the front door, I went around to the back and found Deacon already in his swim trunks, lounging on one of the long cushy chairs that sat around the pool.

“Hey.”

His head lifted at the sound of my voice, his aviator-covered eyes homing in on me at the same time a big smile stretched across his face. He always smiled at me like that, like he hadn’t seen me in years when the truth was we hung out all the time. We even went to the same college, and made an effort to have at least one meal together every day.

“Hey, yourself,” he said, sitting up and swinging his legs over the cushion so his feet were on the ground. “Why aren’t you in your suit?”

The perfect view of his abs struck me momentarily speechless. The changes to Deacon’s body over the past few years weren’t lost on me at all. Hell, they weren’t lost on any female in a three-mile radius. That was why he always had a girl on his arm the past two years of college. He’d always been cute. Hell, he’s always been one of the best looking guys I’d known, but it was no longer in that boy-next-door kind of way. Deacon had grown into a man. He was taller, broader. He had taken to working out and running, and the effort he put into his body definitely showed. The muscles beneath his smooth, tanned skin stood out everywhere, from his biceps, to his chest and stomach, to his thick thighs.

I shook off my stupor and did my best to stop gawking. “Uh, I left it here last time we went swimming. I just need to change in the pool house real quick and I’ll be ready.”

But even as I spoke, I couldn’t make my feet move or keep my eyes from trailing back down to those abs. Damn, those abs.

Deacon cocked his head to the side in curiosity. “You gonna change or keep standing there looking at me all weird?”

I jerked out of my fog. “Change. Definitely change.” I wandered over to the pool house and entered, closing the door behind me without looking at Deacon in the hopes of hiding the way my cheeks were burning with embarrassment. By the time I got my bathing suit on and headed back outside, I’d managed to get myself under control.

When I came back out, everything between Deacon and me was back to the way it had always been. But I couldn’t help but notice every move he made, and the way tiny beads of sweat were starting to trickle through the valleys of those freaking abs. Good Lord, when had Deacon gotten so hot?

I took the lounger next to his and laid back, ready to soak up some rays when I heard the hiss of a bottle being opened. Lifting the sunglasses I’d slid onto my face, I looked as Deacon extended a beer my way.

“Thanks.” I grabbed the bottle and took a sip, the cold liquid refreshing on such a hot day. “So where’s Rory?” I asked about Deacon’s latest fling in the hopes of getting my mind out of the gutter when it came to my best friend. I had no business noticing him the way I was, and if he knew what I was thinking, he’d probably freak right the hell out.

He laid back, resting his arms behind his head. “No idea,” he answered nonchalantly.

I let out a snort and flipped to my stomach, aiming my sunglasses his way. “You don’t sound like you give a damn about where your girlfriend is,” I pointed out.

With a snort of his own, he replied, “Rory was never my girlfriend. She was just someone I hooked up with for a while.”

I rolled my eyes behind my lenses. “You’re such a playboy,” I teased playfully. “Deacon Lockhart, the ultimate heartbreaker.”

Deacon didn’t say anything for a while, and when he finally did, I couldn’t help but feel there was something meaningful behind his words that I didn’t quite understand.

“I’m not a heartbreaker. It’s just that none of them were the right ones. When I finally have her, I’ll treat her like a queen.”

He sounded so damn certain. I hoped with all my heart that someday he’d find the girl to treat like a queen. I wanted nothing but happiness for my best friend.

* * *

I broke through the surface and sucked in a lungful of air. “I totally beat you!” I shouted just as Deacon resurfaced. Brushing the hair out of my face, I grinned triumphantly as he scowled. “Suck on that, loser.”

“You know, there’s such a thing as a poor winner,” he grumbled.

Laughing brightly, I started climbing the stairs. “Says the loser. I’m getting a soda from inside. You want anything?”

“Grab me one too.”

Wrapping a towel around my waist, I gave Deacon a salute and headed into the house. I pulled two cans from the fridge and slammed the door shut, letting out a startled shriek at the sudden appearance of Grayson, Deacon’s big brother. “Damn it, Gray, you scared the crap out of me.”

I’d grown up with both Lockhart brothers, but seeing as Grayson was a few years older, Deacon was the one I had a closer bond with. Also, there was the little fact that I’d had a teeny crush on Grayson for years that made it a hard to get closer to him, seeing as I couldn’t help but behave awkwardly. It was one of those unrequited, childish crushes that I never thought would go anywhere. I had relegated myself to appreciating Gray from afar until I eventually got over him, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t a stuttering, blushing mess whenever he was around.

And it was only made worse by the fact that he didn’t seem to notice my existence beyond me being his little brother’s annoying friend.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to frighten you. I thought you heard me come in.” He smiled at me, his eyes trailing from my face down my body. It was only at his unusual gaze that I remembered I was only wearing a tiny bikini with a towel wrapped around my waist. I was suddenly very aware of how much skin I was showing, and the fact that it was much chillier in the kitchen than I’d realized.

Crossing my arms over my chest to hide the evidence of the temperature, I cleared my throat and did my best not to stutter. “No, it-it’s cool. I mean, it’s your house, right? I just… didn’t realize you were here. I mean home. I didn’t realize you were home.”

Gray had recently graduated from college, and word was he planned to spend the summer in Europe before coming back to start his new position at his father’s company.

He came farther into the kitchen, which brought him only a foot away from me. Leaning against the closed fridge, he crossed his arms over his chest, giving me his complete attention. “I’m not leaving until next week.”

“Oh, well….” I was forced to uncross my arms so I could set the cold-ass soda cans on the counter. “That’s… fun.” Jeez, I’m such an idiot.

“Wow, Fee, how long has it been since we’ve seen each other? Months?”

It was an odd question for him to ask. “Uh, I guess?” I had to give it some thought. “I think it was… wow, it has been a while. I didn’t realize. I think it was around Christmas.”

Grayson did another full-body scan before declaring, “You’ve changed. Or maybe I’m just seeing you as a grown-up for the first time, I don’t know. But you look good, Fee. Real good.”

I was pretty sure every inch of my skin was burning with a furious blush. “Um, I… well th-thank you.”

The back door opened and Deacon came waltzing through.

What’s taking so lo—” He jerked to a stop at the sight of Grayson and me. “What’s going on in here?”

“Uh….” I wasn’t sure how to answer because I honestly didn’t have the first clue what was happening at that moment.

“I was just telling Fiona that she’s grown up really well. Why didn’t you tell me, bro?”

His gaze went back and forth between me and his brother. “Didn’t realize I was keeping it a secret.”

“Hmm,” Grayson hummed thoughtfully. “Then I guess I’m an idiot for not noticing sooner.”

Oh. My. Wow.

I went from crushing on Grayson to immediately smitten in the blink of an eye. And when he asked me out shortly after, I didn’t hesitate to say yes. I wouldn’t realize it right away, but that was the moment when everything in my life changed, and not necessarily for the better. And it would be years before I got back everything I lost with that one simple yes.