“The plan…changed.” Her voice dropped.

“No, everyone wanted the plan to change.” Because they don’t have something to prove like I do. She shook her head at me, but I cut her off before she got a word out. “Do you really want to go there? Constance, Joey, hell, even Parker have all given me their godlike opinion. Are you ready to throw your hat in that ring?” She flinched. Fuck. I’d never taken that tone with Mia. How the hell was I going to make her understand? “This is all I have.” Even my throat was tight, and it took effort to force out every word. “This is it. I’m here working my butt off, and when I’m not, I’m back in Nags Head with Grace. Forgive me, if I want just one thing for myself.”

Her face fell. “Gray…”

“I’m not asking for your approval, or your understanding. I’ll tell them after graduation. He’ll need me to prove myself.”

She got that stubborn look on her face, the one she’d had since she was two, scrunching her nose. “Fine.”

“That’s why you’re my favorite sister,” I said and turned around to grab my flash cards.

“Yeah, well that’s not hard to do looking at the rest of them.”

A skinny jackass whistled as he passed by us, lowering his sunglasses and scoping Mia out like a piece of steak, or worse—a piece of ass.

I pivoted toward the pool, tripping him with my foot in the process. He screamed like a girl and fell into the pool. I stepped in front of Mia, taking the splash. He sputtered to the surface, and I crouched down to pool level as he swam to the side.

“Dude!” the kid called out, wiping the water out of his eyes.

“That’s my baby sister. Would you like another look?” I dropped my voice and narrowed my eyes.

“N-n-no,” he sputtered.

“Gray, come on, you’re scaring the guy. He probably thinks you’re about to go all Hulk on him.” Mia tapped my shoulder, which was still tense.

I grunted but offered my hand to the guy and pulled him out of the pool easily. His street clothes dripped enough water to fill the baby pool.

“Hey, Sam!” Mia waved her arm above her head.

My eyes latched onto Sam before the rest of me even registered that Mia had spoken.

From beneath the wide brim of a straw hat and huge sunglasses, Sam gave off a megawatt grin that could have tanned my soul. Her florescent orange wrap made her skin look like dessert. The tension in my chest instantly dissipated, like she’d pulled the thread on an old sweater, slowly unraveling me, dissolving not only the strain but my defenses as well.

“Hey, guys!” She came over to us and claimed the chair closest to Mia.

Well, that sucked. Wait. It was for the best. Damn, I couldn’t even decide where I wanted her to sit. I waved. Lamest wave in the history of man.

“How was your tutoring session?” Mia asked.

“Long,” Sam answered, dropping her hat to her chair with her glasses, and then stretching her arms toward the sun. At six p.m. the temp should have started dropping from its ninety-nine-degree high, but damn if mine wasn’t spiking.

Get a fucking grip on yourself.

“Want to swim?” Mia asked, dropping her towel.

“Sure!” Sam nodded enthusiastically. She untied the belt around her waist and let her wrap fall to the chair.

Holy. Fucking. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuuuck.

Her suit was made up of a halter top and boy shorts. It left the toned muscles of her stomach bare to the sunlight and hugged her ass. Her breasts rose high and her nipples stood out against the fabric.

My mouth watered at the thought of peeling the tiny scrap of fabric away and taking a taste.

“What’s with the disapproving look? Are you going to tell me to put on more clothes again, Grayson? Because last time I checked, we are at a pool, and I technically have on more clothes than you do.” She motioned to my bare chest.

I looked disapproving? Hell, I’d take it. It was a lot better than horny like the kid I’d tripped into the pool…who was still standing just to the side of me. I glared at him, but his eyes were focused on someone else. Samantha.

“It’s hot as hell out here,” Mia commented.

“Language,” I snapped out of habit.

She raised her eyebrows at me. “I don’t see Mom. Hell. Hell. Hell.”

“You’re going to be the death of me, Mia.” I sat back on my chair and reached for my cards to keep from reaching for Sam, but the chair put me at eye line with her ass, so I stood back up. “Go swim.”

“I’d love to get in,” Sam said and touched her toe to the water.

“I’d love to get in, too,” the skinny kid remarked with a whistle, his eyes wide as he blatantly appreciated Sam a little too much.

My arm was out before I could stop it, my open palm connecting with his chest and sending him back into the pool.

“Grayson, what the hell?” Sam asked, racing to the edge of the pool.

He spit water out as he surfaced. “What, is she your sister, too?”

When he’d checked out Mia, it had annoyed me, but putting his sights on Sam sent cold rage through my veins, locking my muscles. “Fucking far from it.”

“Gray! Language!” Mia mocked me.

I didn’t bother to turn around, just kept my glare locked on skinny-no-mannered-asshole until he got the point.

Stop cat-calling my girls.

Shit. I blinked. When had I started to think of Sam as one of my girls? The moment you caught her off the counter.