Heart Of A Star

Chapter Thirteen - Natalie

I found my friends just settling in down at the pool, where they were occupying two adjoining cabanas.

Callie had already stripped down to her pink string bikini, and Rachel was setting her sarong on a beach chair, revealing a beautiful green two-piece. The three guys were completely distracted by anything that walked by in a bikini, and I had to refrain from making any sly observations to that fact.

"There better be a bathing suit under that tank top, McKinney." Ray-Ray warned, from the far side of the second cabana. He had just pulled off his t-shirt so that he stood bare-chested in a pair of black swimming shorts. He alone was enough to distract my thoughts, but I felt a certain comfort in the presence of my friends. They were always able to make me feel better.

Wishing that I had swung by my room beforehand to change, I merely shook my head, and dipped my foot into the luke-warm pool water. I turned to face Rachel, and was about to ask her for the room key that I had forgotten to take with me, when I felt a strong arm around me, knocking me off balance, and sending me flailing helplessly into the pool, pulling me under the water.

When I came to the surface, Ray-Ray still had his arm wrapped around me, and was laughing along with my other friends. Not sure if I was irritated or amused, I splashed him, only causing him to laugh more, and wrap his other arm around me, holding me close against him.

"You had to know that was coming," Callie accused, "I'm actually a little disappointed that you didn't."

I wriggled to try to free myself, unsuccessfully. He had a good grip. "Shame on me." I muttered, giving in, and just enjoying the feeling of him holding me for a moment. His skin was hot and wet against mine, and it was making me wish we were alone in the pool all of the sudden. I felt him take a deep breath before releasing his grip, and I wondered if he was wishing the same thing.

Rachel lowered herself into the pool. "So, third row tonight? You must have some pretty good connections, my friend."

"That's right, only the best for my friends." I had to use both hands to brush my wet hair out of my face. I wasn't in a hurry now to get out of the pool, even though the water was pulling at my clothes. It was a small sacrifice to get to be within close proximity to Ray-Ray.

"Wouldn't front row have been 'the best'?" Nathan spoke up. He was sitting on the edge of the pool, legs dipped casually in the water.

"Any more surprises we should know about?" Josh inquired, sending a spray of water cascading in my direction. "You're not secretly married to Dax Crowley or anything... Are you?"

I wiped my face with the back of my hand somewhat ungracefully, and leaning back against the wall of the pool, sank down until the water covered my shoulders. It was a welcome refreshment from the blazing sun above us.

"Time will tell, my friend." I gave him a quick wink, trying to keep my eyes off of Ray-Ray. He was a surprise I hadn't been expecting.

When we were ready to leave to go back to our rooms, Ray-Ray offered me his towel. "It's kind of my fault you're in this predicament, so it's the least I can do."

I raised an eyebrow. "Kind of?" I took the towel and started drying off my drenched clothes. It was almost a hopeless cause, as my denim shorts were holding more water than I could ever dab out with a towel.

He studied me for a moment, amused at my attempts to stop the incessant dripping. "If you just take those off, you'd probably dry off a lot faster..."

I wanted to tell him right then and there that I would take them off back up in his room, but we still had this issue of no privacy whatsoever. I gave in and handed him his wet towel back, then rung out the front of my tank top onto the concrete pavement around the pool. "You know," I announced, "I might just sit out in the sun until I dry out a little more. I'll meet you guys around five or so for dinner at Tributes?"