Page 10 of The Do Over
If she was getting rid of the dress, then he was calling Andrew to come get his sister immediately. Or he’d call Emily and tell her what’s happening with her maid of honor—even if it made him feel like an overprotective person. Andrew did say that he should watch over his sister, didn’t he?
From his peripheral vision, Jack saw one of the groomsmen, Jerry leave the swimming pool and began walking in their direction. He was drying his hair with a towel while the rest of his body was dripping wet.
“Jack, my man.” With no sense of personal space whatsoever, he came to stand in front of Jack. “You could have had Andrew take your boy home and let him stay with the older folks.
“This is a singles-only party. Or,” there was a sly grin on his face, “for some of us that want to have a lot of fun and keep it secret before we return to our cats, dogs, and nagging partner.”
He had a partner. Jack would bet his last dollar that Sophie hadn’t thought about it. She’d end up spending a night with a man who wouldn’t think of her as anything other than a tally to the list. He had to keep Jerry from Sophie.
“You were going to babysit, remember?” Jack reminded him. “You told me to bring your boy since I didn’t want to leave him at home and opted to stay while you guys came to have fun.”
“Oh!” Jerry dropped the towel on the ground. “Yeah, I did. My bad. My bad. I got so caught up talking to Andrew's younger sister. Can you believe that that’s her? She looks so different from college. So fucking hot and her body is just—
“Are you babysitting or not?” Jack cut in. He didn’t want to hear the things he already knew from someone who shouldn’t know them.
Jerry leaned and gently took Aidan from Jack’s arms, letting the boy rest on his shoulder. “I’ll watch him while you mingle. I need to call my girlfriend, so I’ll go in. I see you have a woman—“he acknowledged Bethany for the first time, then slapped Jack on the shoulder. “I’m happy for you man. Happy that you’re getting some after a long time.”
Jack shook his head as Jerry walked away. Leave it to his former friend from college to say the most outlandish things.
“He doesn’t know, does he?” Bethany asked, siding up to Jack and wrapping her hands around his arm. She pressed her cheek against his shoulder. “I bet you didn’t tell anyone. You wanted to keep me all to yourself. I understand. I would have done the same too…but I’m afraid I’m bad at keeping secrets.”
“It was a one-time thing, Bethany.” Jack felt the need to set her straight. Bethany was on a level of delusion that he shouldn’t have messed with. “It was a mistake and it will never happen again, so there was no need to tell anyone.
It’s not because I’m hiding you. I don’t want you.” Jack stood up when she didn’t stop touching him. “You invited yourself to the party. You might as well mingle and have fun with the others because I’m no fun.”
“I’ll take what I can get,” Bethany insisted. She quickened her steps to match his retreating ones, linking her arm through his hand that was tucked into his pocket when she got to him. “I don’t want to talk to anyone else but you.
"Why do you think I came here? I could have any man I want. Anywhere. But I want you. I’ve always wanted you. Even in college. Even when you were so sure that she was the -“
The look Jack shot Bethany when he stopped in his tracks was warning enough for her to swallow whatever was coming next.
“Don’t you. Don’t you dare talk about that time? You know nothing.” He was already walking away, his attention on Sophie who was trying to get out of the pool at this point. She kept failing, though and he knew that it was because of her gown.
He also knew that Micheal, who was focused on another of the ladies that were in the pool, would eventually notice her and, under the guise of trying to help, end up touching her inappropriately. Bethany was saying something beside him, that sounded like an apology, but Jack’s steps were faster and he was already lifting his shirt up.
Thankfully, Sophie didn’t look like she was in a hurry to leave the pool, so he had time to take off his shirt and jump in before Micheal could notice what was happening.
“Here,” he said, swimming to Sophie and wrapping his hands loosely around her waist. He wasn’t ready for the feel of her body pressed against his when she tried to get out and fell back against his chest.
Maybe it was because he had gone a while without being a woman he truly liked, but Jack had to step back so she wouldn’t feel the embarrassing proof of his desire that sprang out of nowhere, against her butt. When she gasped from the impact, Jack felt himself lose control for a second, before he brought himself back to reality.
“Here,” he, without touching her, pointed to where she could get out with little resistance. Then he watched—like the hypocrite he was—how her dress rode up and her inner thighs glistened from the pool water as she made her way out of the pool.
Sophie turned to look at him. Her hair was plastered around her face and her clothes were sinfully molded to her body, but it was her eyes that held him. That refused to let him go.
“Thank you,” she said.
He shook his head. “No worries. I’ll advise you to wear something better when you want to come into the pool again. Gowns are a no-no.”
And then he heard her laugh. This time, for him. It was a sucker punch to the gut of deja vu.
“I should have thought a little more before jumping in. I’ll go get dry now. Thank you again.”
Jack felt he was the one to thank her instead. That she didn’t see through his actions. That she couldn’t see that he didn’t want anyone touching her, because he couldn’t touch her. Hopefully, Sophie would be blind to the obvious for the next week and some days, so he could pretend and then go home.
CHAPTER5
BETHANY.
