Off Limits, But Yours

Chapter 3

I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and twist the cap off, gulping like I've just crossed a desert.

"Need to replenish your liquids?"

I nearly drop the bottle.

Corbin's leaning in the doorway, fresh from the shadows, looking like he just rolled out of someone's bed. His hair's a tousled mess, and all he's wearing is a pair of gray sweatpants that hang way too low on his hips.

God help me.

I tear my eyes away from the trail of sweat glistening down his chest. "f**k off, Montgomery."

He smirks, eyes dragging over me slowly, deliberately, like he's committing every inch of me to memory. I tug Bryce's shirt lower over my thighs, suddenly aware of how thin it is... and how very little I'm wearing underneath.

"If you're gonna sneak to the fridge half-naked, maybe don't look so shocked when someone notices," Corbin murmurs, his voice like a warm hand around my throat. "You look like you didn't even break a sweat. Did he hold you after, or just roll off and pretend it never happened?"

I stare at him. "Wow. Concerned about my post-s*x cuddling situation? How sweet. Didn't peg you for the sensitive type."

He steps closer. Too close. The air shifts. Thickens.

"You should try being with someone who actually gives a damn whether you finish," he says, voice low and infuriatingly confident.

I shoot him a withering look. "Maybe you should go check on your ego. It's hanging out of your sweats."

Corbin laughs—quiet and smug. "Cute. I use my left hand, though, just in case you were wondering."

"God, you're disgusting."

Before he can respond, a girl's voice floats in from down the hall. "Corbin? What's taking so long?"

He raises an eyebrow. "Duty calls."

"What a weird name," I mutter, stepping past him.

He doesn't move. He just tilts his head toward the glass wall where Bryce is still outside—back to me, phone pressed to his ear.

Corbin nods toward him. "So he just rolled off you and went back to work. Charming."

I shove past him harder this time. "f**k you, Corbin."

He calls after me, voice teasing. "Yeah, anytime. You know where I'm sleeping."

I flip him off over my shoulder, storming back to the room.

Sunlight filters through the window the next morning, lighting up the room in a haze of gold. I blink up at the ceiling and stretch. Bryce is still next to me, dead asleep.

I study him quietly—he looks different like this. Softer. Younger. It reminds me of when we first met, when his hair was longer, messier, and he used to laugh more.

His lashes flutter, and then he's blinking up at me. "Hey."

"Hey," I whisper. "Didn't mean to wake you."

He stretches, groaning a little as he rolls onto his back. "It's fine." He reaches for his phone, but then surprises me—he checks the time, then sets it back down without opening a single app.

"Let's go for a swim," he says.

I blink. "Really?"

He nods. "We're on vacation, right?"

"Yeah," I say quickly, trying not to sound too excited. "Okay. I'll go change."

The lake is mirror-still, barely a ripple in sight. The sun's just high enough to sparkle across the water like glitter. I make my way toward the dock in a sheer cover-up, my bikini underneath still damp from yesterday's swim.

Bryce is already there, legs dangling over the edge, phone nowhere in sight. I smile as I approach.

But then he frowns.

"What's that?"

I glance down at myself. "What's what?"

He waves a hand at me. "That... dress? Thing?"

"It's just a cover-up. For my swimsuit."

He squints at it like it's offensive. "Doesn't really cover anything."

I laugh softly. "That's kinda the point."

He doesn't laugh. "Looks slutty."

My stomach twists. But before I can even respond, a voice cuts in from behind.

"You're kidding, right?"

I turn to find Adam. And behind him—Tyler, and of course, Corbin.

Adam's eyebrows lift. "She looks great."

Wait. Is my brother... defending me?

"Yeah, man," Tyler adds. "She looks hot."

I suddenly feel like I'm on display. "It's fine," I say quickly, waving them off. "I'll go change."

I turn around—and run right into a brick wall. Well, no. Just Corbin. Broad and annoyingly unmovable.

"Keep it on," he says, voice low. "It's cute. Your boyfriend needs his eyes—or his attitude—checked."

I grit my teeth. "I don't need your opinion, thanks."

"You don't need his either," Corbin shoots back. "What is this, middle school? Does he pack your lunch, too?"

I open my mouth to tell him to go straight to hell—but then Bryce steps up behind me, close enough that I can feel the heat from his body.

"What's your problem, man?" Bryce snaps. "I don't want my girlfriend walking around half-naked while you all stare at her."

Adam steps forward, jaw tight. "Did you just call my sister slutty?"

My breath catches. Adam's tone is sharp—deadly sharp.

Bryce scoffs. "I didn't call her slutty. I called that tiny thing she's wearing slutty."

I wrap my arms around myself. The fabric is sheer, I guess. And short. And now I feel like an i***t for thinking it was cute.

"Okay," I say, raising my hands. "Let's cool it. I'll change, and we'll stay on this side of the dock. You guys do your thing. Let's just not... cross paths."

Adam stares at me for a second before grabbing Corbin by the arm and steering him away, still muttering under his breath.

I turn to Bryce. "Sorry," I say quietly. "Didn't think it was that bad."

He wraps his arms around me, pressing a kiss to my temple. "I just don't want them looking at you like that."

I nod, even though the knot in my stomach says something different. "Thanks," I whisper.

He smiles. "Come on. No phones today. I'm yours."

And for the first time since we got here... he actually means it.