"How'd you even manage to make it here so fast?" Dad asks bluntly. "That motel you spent the night at is supposed to be three hours away from here."
We're having lunch on the lakehouse's terrace, surrounded by the sounds of nature and the smell of grilled fish. Mom and Dad share one bench, and my sister Paige and her best friend Maddie huddle on the other. I'm sitting in my own creaky chair.
"We followed Mr Jonhson on some country road," I answer, trying my best to sound casual. "He drives like a madman. I had a hard time keeping up."
"Yeah," Maddie follows up. "Bumpy ride."
She shoots me a side glance, a sly smile dancing on her lips. The same lips she had wrapped around my cock while I was driving the car just thirty minutes earlier. Paige catches the exchange but is none the wiser. I shudder.
"Good thing you made it in one piece then," Mom declares as she scoops another portion of vegetables onto my plate, her face warm and oblivious. "It's been ages since we've had the three of you here for the summer."
Another chill goes down my spine. Maddie has always been a fixture of our family vacation. But she just had to act out her childish crush on me and make things weird. Well, weirder, really.
Paige wraps an arm around her best friend and rests her head on her shoulder.
"It's been so weird not having you around for an entire year," she says, sounding like a sad puppy. I still don't get why they did not apply to the same college.
"Oh," Maddie coos before burying her face in my sister's hair. "I've missed you too, P."
Mom presses her hand to her chest, almost shedding a tear, and even Dad looks touched. I sit there silently, unimpressed, knowing for a fact that the two freshmen call each other basically every day. Meanwhile, I moved out five years ago and don't get the waterworks when I come home.
Then again, I don't visit much.
"Alright, I'll go lie down for a bit," I say, the display of affection a little too much for my confused mind. "I'm pooped."
Dad shifts uncomfortably. "Yeah, about that... We weren't exactly expecting you," he says, scratching his head. "I'm renovating the third bedroom, so you'll have to crash on the couch for now. Real sorry, kid."
Fantastic. One month ago, I was supposed to spend the summer with the girl of my dreams, my ex-fiancée. Instead, I'm stuck on a lumpy couch for a week, trying not to think about how soft my little sister's sex-crazed best friend's tongue felt on my balls.
Frustrated, I retreat to the kitchen, stacking the dirty plates and ferrying them to the sink. It's been a while since I was last at my parents' lake house. I can't help but feel a surge of nostalgia from the earthy smells and the wooden furniture strewn around the place. I've spent so much of my childhood here.
There's no point trying to nap in the middle of the living room for now, so I get changed into my swim trunks and grab a towel. I cross the little backyard to find the flight of stairs across the short patch of trees.
Barely a few steps later, the landscape opens up, and I find myself on the shores of the lake. A thin sandy beach, shaded by vegetation, circles it, while its surface is broken by a constellation of small islands. Here and there, private docks extend into the lake, boats bobbing lazily with the gentle rhythm of the water.
I set my towel under a tree. The sun is already beating down hard, and I settle there, draping an arm over my face to try and get some peace and quiet.
But my hopes are short-lived, and before long, I can hear feminine voices coming down the path.
"There you are," Paige says. "We've been looking for you everywhere."
I lift my head to see Maddie and my sister stepping out from the treeline, both dressed in bikinis and giggling as they deliberately step over me to lay their towels down. Right next to mine, of course.
"We should move closer to the water," Maddie suggests, shading her eyes. "The trees are blocking the sun."
"That's the point, genius," I retort, crossing my arm back over my head.
The girls are not satisfied, and an instant later, I can feel my towel being dragged, moving me from the relative freshness of the shade. There's not much I can do if I don't want to play their game, so I just lie there, defeated.
"Seriously?" I manage to grumble.
"You could use some sun," Paige offers. "You're as pale as a ghost." But her concern for her brother is quickly forgotten. "Maddie, can you put lotion on my back? I can feel myself burning up already."
"Sure," her friend agrees, ever the helpful one.
For a few minutes, the three of us say nothing, with only the wet noise of the sunblock to disturb the silence.
"All done," Maddie finally announces. "My turn!"
"I'm not getting back up," Paigne whines. "Roman can do it."
What the hell. Is Paige working for Maddie now?
"No way," I cut without hesitation.
But Maddie's already latched onto the idea. She grabs my hand and tugs on my arm to pull it away from my face.
"Come on, Rom," she simpers. "I'll do yours after, promise."
"I'm good," I say, finally meeting her insistent blue eyes.
She pouts, overdoing the little girl routine. This is not working for me.
"Your choice. But if you don't help me, I'll spill all the secrets you shared with me on the road," Maddie says. The tone is playful, but then she lifts a finger to her lips and sucks on it, slow and deliberate. Her gaze stays locked on mine, the actual threat implied by her words a little more explicit.
Paige perks up, barely missing Maddie's not-so-subtle gesture.
"What secrets?" She asks, unable to contain her curiosity.
"There are no secrets," I reply, aiming for bored indifference.
I might've pulled it off--if I hadn't immediately gotten to my knees, snatching the lotion bottle from Maddie's outstretched hand.
She rewards me with a delighted smile as she stretches out on her towel. Only now do I fully take in just how little her red bikini bottom covers, the fabric clinging dangerously to her curves. I squeeze a dollop of lotion into my palm, but before I spread it on her, she suddenly springs back up.
"Wait a sec," she says. Baffled, I watch as she unhooks her bra's strap and slips it off, leaving her naked back completely exposed to my gaze. "I don't want to stain my top," she explains. "Not a fan of big tanlines, either."
"Smart," my little sister nods in agreement as if this were the most natural thing in the world.
Shaking my head, I finally put my hands on Maddie. Despite my better judgment, I can feel a swell of masculine pride as she visibly shivers under my touch. Something else swells too, but in my current position, no one can see.
I trace my way down from her shoulders, careful not to wander too far to the sides where the soft curve of her breasts tempt my fingers. When I reach her barely covered butt, she eagerly presses herself into my touch.
