Young Love Dies Hard: The Young Brothers, Book 1 by Nikki Lane (old books to read txt) 📗

“Old friends,” he said, clinking his glass with mine.

“Old friends,” I repeated with a smile.

I slung back the shot, feeling the burn glide down my throat and flare in my chest. Jacob set his glass down when he was done.

After I refilled my glass, we clinked again and took another shot. Jacob clicked his tongue and set his glass down on the table. “Oh my God. How do you do that more than once? It’s terrible.”

I refilled my glass for one more after he politely declined a third. He looked on with this tilted smile.

“What?” I asked, wiping my chin with the back of my hand.

“Nothing,” he said.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?”

The crickets chirped as I stared back at him. “Never mind.” I shot up from my seat, feeling the whiskey slosh around in my stomach. “I’m going to bring these back to the compost bin.” I grabbed the bucket full of vegetable scraps.

“I’ll go with you.” Jacob stood up, grabbed the other bucket, and followed me to the pole barn. My foot caught a divot in the grass, and I lurched forward.

Jacob chuckled behind me. “Klutz.”

I turned around to shoot him a look. “Shut up.” I caught another divot and tripped again. “Not a word.”

Jacob chuckled again. I dipped my hand into the bin and felt for a squishy tomato. As quick as I could, I threw it in his direction, and it landed square on his shirt. His laughing ceased as he froze and looked down as his chest, bits of tomato skin still clinging to it.

I hid my giggles with my hand, smelling the rancid tomato juice.

Jacob looked up at me with a wicked grin. “Oh, it’s on now.”

He darted toward me, and I took off in a sprint, still lugging the bucket. I felt something soft and squishy pelt me on the back of the head. I gasped and turned to deal another tomato at his head. One hit me square in the face. Then another. He was too quick.

I stopped running and dropped the bucket to use both hands. Hair clung to my sweaty face as I scooped out mushy tomatoes with both hands and threw it in his direction. Globs fell off his shirt as he pitched toward me. He lifted the bucket in the air.

“Jacob,” I said, laughing. “Don’t.”

He smiled, ignoring my pleas, and dumped the contents of the bucket on my head. He dropped it to the ground and staggered back in laughter.

My mouth hung open as tomato juice ran over my face. It felt like I had a wet mop sitting on my head. Jacob came close and picked up a clump of tomato dangling from my hair. I took it from his hand and smashed it in his face, making sure to smear it in good.

I smiled and wiped my hand on his shirt as he spit out bits of tomato from his mouth.

“Truce.” I held out my hand.

His hand squished against mine as he shook it. “I have tomato up my nose.”

“I know a good place to wash off.”

He raised his eyebrows and took off his glasses to wipe them off. “Bet I can beat you there.”

We made a dash for the trail to the lake. Once we were a good ways into the woods, we both slowed. The light of the moon trickled in through the trees, and the last thing either of us wanted was to trip into a bush of poison ivy.

The trail opened to a clearing, revealing the placid lake.

Jacob rested his hands on his hips and looked around. “Still looks the same.” His chest heaved up and down as he tried to catch his breath.

“Not much changes around here.” I gave him a playful push. “You first.”

He looked at me and smiled. “As usual.”

“You need to scare away any wild animals that could be lurking in the water.”

He took off both shoes and tucked his glasses on top before heading toward the lake. I watched as he made a slow descent into the water. He let out a loud yelp.

“What’s the matter?” I said in a panic.

He turned to look at me. “Cold.”

I shook my head and smirked.

Jacob waded into the water, splashing and making a scene. “Coast seems clear.”

“Are you sure?”

“Pretty sure.”

I slipped off my shoes and hesitated at the edge.

“Just come in, you baby.”

I tiptoed in, the chill of the water taking my breath away. “Holy shit. This is obscenely cold.”

Jacob splashed me a few times as I swam closer. We paddled in the water, just inches from each other.

“What the fuck was that?” he asked with wide eyes.

“What?” I cried, my heart thumping in my chest.

I felt a grip on my leg and screamed like a little girl.

The wide smile on Jacob’s face gave him away.

“Jerk.” I splashed water in his direction.

“You fall for it every time,” he said, laughing.

“Do remember that time when I made you try to lift me like they did in Dirty Dancing?”

He scoffed. “Yes. Almost drowned me.”

“Bet we can do it now.”

“You’re nuts.”

“Come on.”

“Fine,” he grumbled.

We swam a little farther out. I latched an arm on each of his shoulders. They were strong and sturdy. Not scrawny like I remembered.

“Okay, grab hold of me.”

He couldn’t look me in the eyes when he placed a hand on each side of my waist. The smell of his skin rocked me back in time. It made my head spin. His grip wasn’t firm enough.

“Harder,” I said. First time I said those words to a guy outside of the bedroom.

He applied more pressure and pressed closer.

“Better?” He looked straight at me.

“Yes…” Oh, shit. Something was stirring deep in my gut. And it wasn’t the whiskey. “Now on the count of three. One, two, three.”

I shrieked as Jacob hurled me into the air. He lost his grip right away and sent me back into the water.

I popped back to the surface, smoothing the hair from my face.

“Are you okay?”

“Again,” I said.

It took five more attempts