“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 a three-hour drive.”

We’re having lunch on the lake house’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 Johnson 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 vacations. 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 find Maddie and my sister stepping out from the treeline. Both dressed in bikinis, they’re 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 arms 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,” Paige 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, drawing out my name. “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, its fabric desperately clinging 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 tan lines, 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 curves of her breasts tempt my fingers. When I reach her barely covered butt, she eagerly presses herself into my touch.

But when I feel Maddie’s hand snaking up my leg, I deliver a sharp smack across her cheeks, and she bursts into a joyful giggle.

“What the Hell, Roman?” Paige asks, surprised by the slapping sound. She props her head up to eye me suspiciously.

“Mosquito,” I shrug, doing my best to ignore Maddie biting her lower lip and the mischievous twinkle in her eyes. 

Paige, blissfully unaware, flops back onto her towel with a satisfied sigh. Of course, from where she is lying, my sister cannot see her friend’s teasing grin.

I shoot Maddie a warning look. 

She pouts but finally relents, withdrawing her hand. Though not before letting it graze my thigh on the way down. I can’t help but smirk at her shamelessness.

Sighing, I resume my task, rubbing lotion along her long legs. Her skin is already warm from the sun, and when I reach her feet, she playfully lifts them, wiggling her toes in the air.

“Alright, you’re good to go,” I say, sitting back down.

“Ugh, I was about to fall asleep,” Maddie complains. “But a deal’s a deal. Get on your belly, big boy.”

With my growing erection to consider, I don’t see much point in arguing. Besides, I can feel the sun slowly burning my skin.

I hear Maddie spurting sunblock into her hands when Paige interjects again.

“Jesus Christ, Maddie!”

I glance over my shoulder, only to find the nineteen-year-old leaning over me. 

She’s not bothered to put her bikini top back on, leaving her perky breasts exposed. Quickly, I turn back to my towel, but not before catching Maddie’s smug leer at my obvious interest in her body.

“Relax, P,” she answers casually. “I have this French girl in one of my classes. She says people go to the beach naked over there. This is nothing compared to that.”

As she speaks, her hands press into my back, spreading the cool lotion across my skin.

There’s no tell-tale rustle of fabric suggesting she’s putting her bikini top back on. How very European of her.

“Besides,” she continues, sounding even more roguish now. “We’re basically all family here, right?”

“I guess …” Paige answers, hesitant but not entirely unconvinced. “There’s no harm in it.”

Well, that settles it. My opinion doesn’t seem to matter.

Maddie’s hands continue their work, her touch becoming more of a slow, deep massage than a simple sunscreen application. Her fingers knead greedily into my muscles. 

And, though I’d never admit it to her face, it feels ridiculously good. 

The rhythmic sound of her breathing and the slick strokes of lotion mingle with the gentle splash of waves nearby, and before I know it, I’m lulled into a warm, heavy sleep.

===

Cold water crashing on my chest yanks me back to reality.

I blink a few times, scrambling to escape the icy droplets. My eyes finally focus on Maddie standing beside my towel, an amused smile tugging at her lips. 

Her wet blonde hair clings to her forehead in damp strands, while the rest is gathered into a thick tress draped over her shoulder, which she casually wrings out over me.

“Seriously,“ I mutter, wiping my face.

Water glistens as it trickles down her body, catching the sunlight and making her glow. 

Her bikini top is still conspicuously absent, and with her arms folded over her shoulder, her breasts are pulled up. The stiff peaks of her drenched nipples stand out against the heat of the breeze. 

The sight snuffs the nascent frustration right out of my mind.

“Can you be normal, please?” I ask, half-annoyed, half-joking.

Maddie grins, completely unfazed.

“You rolled over in your sleep”, she explains. “Just making sure you’re not burning up.” 

Before I can protest, she squeezes her hair again, and another splash of icy water cascades over me, making me yelp.

“You’ve slept enough,” she says, eyes sparkling. “Come swim with us.”

Maddie lets go of her hair and leans over me, offering me her hand and an incomparable view of her curves. It might look almost innocent if not for the sultry smirk on her face.

I sigh but take her hand and groan as she pulls me to my feet. She picks up a plastic ball I’ve not noticed before and presses her wet, cold hand between my shoulder blades, egging me on toward the lake.

“Let’s go,” she urges in a soft voice.

In the distance, I can see Paige's head bobbing above the water’s surface. 

The lake's soft, sandy banks are only slightly sloped. As Maddie and I walk side by side, the lazy waves lap first at our ankles, then slowly reach our knees. It’s a while before we’re waist-deep in the water.

Without warning, I snatch the ball from her hands and hurl it toward Paige, who gives up on swimming in the shallow water to jump up and catch it.

To my utter dread, she’s topless too.

I freeze mid-step, my face heating as I immediately avert my gaze. 

Nope. Nope. Nope. 

There are things I do not need to know, and what my little sister’s breasts look like tops that list. Unfortunately, my self-preservation instincts keep me from watching the ball as Paige tosses it back.

Thwack.

It hits me right in the face, sending me tumbling back under Maddie’s laughter. I land on my ass, and my head dips below the water for a second.

“Eyes up, big bro!” Paige calls out as I emerge, sputtering.

Once again, Maddie pulls me back to my feet, but she’s laughing so hard she loses balance and wraps herself around my arm and shoulder. 

She’s not shy about rubbing her chest all over me as her last few cackles come out in hot, breathy bursts against my neck.

Summoning the gentleman in me, I push the girl away, causing her face to shift to a surprised expression. She almost falls down right as Paige wades over to us. 

So much for chivalry. 

My sister picks up the ball floating forgotten in front of me.

“Go put your top back on, Paige, will you?” I ask, keeping my voice calm, hoping not to set off an argument.

Paige sticks the ball between her arm and her hip, planting her feet firmly into the ground as she stares me down.

She arches an eyebrow, unimpressed. 

“You don’t seem to have a problem with Maddie going topless,” she fires back, her voice sharper than I expect. At that moment, she sounds more like a self-assured adult than the bratty girl I grew up with.

“She’s not my sister,” I reply, baffled that I even have to explain this. 

I glance at her friend, who’s watching the exchange, clearly enjoying the show.

“Oh, sure, like you haven’t known me since I was five,” Maddie quips, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Hypocrite much?” Paige presses, her eyes narrowing.

For a split second, I teeter on the edge of disaster, ready to spill the beans on Maddie’s little roadside distraction this morning. But I swallow the words down, my mind still somewhat functional.

Better to let Paige think I’m a hypocrite than ruin her decades-long friendship over a bit of road head.

“Whatever,” I relent, admitting defeat.

Maddie and Paige share a victorious look. Big mistake. It leaves my sister vulnerable when I dash and snatch the ball from her even more easily than I’ve done with Maddie earlier. 

I rush forward, fighting the resistance of the water on my legs as outraged cries ring out behind me. When it becomes too hard, I dive in, trying to swim away. I cover some distance before slippery fingers try to wrap around my ankles and calves.

We spend a good chunk of the remaining afternoon like that, frolicking in the water, playing catch with the ball, and swimming to deserted islands. I feel like I’ve aged down ten years, back to being a carefree teenager enjoying his summer on the lake.

Of course, Maddie takes every opportunity she can to rub herself on me, with Paige seemingly oblivious to the situation at hand.

“Crap, what time is it?” Paige asks after a while as the three of us sit on a sun-bleached driftwood trunk on the island closest to the beach.

“Uhm, dunno,” I look up to see where the sun is. “Maybe five, six?”

“Crap, crap, crap!” Paige bolts up to her feet. “I promised Mom I’d help her with dinner tonight!”

Just like that, she rushes back to the shore, making record time. Maddie and I both gasp as we watch her climb up the stairs to the house to meet Mom, wearing only her skimpy bikini bottoms. 

Thankfully, she comes to her senses, goes back down to put on her top, and wraps herself in her towel.

“Crisis averted,” Maddie comments.

“You’re a bad influence on her,” I say.

This earns me a punch in the arm, but Maddie follows it up by leaning into my side. 

I can’t help but feel like her bare nipples, poking into my ribs, help prove my point.

“You wouldn’t say that if you knew what she’s been up to in college,” she counters, her signature sly tone back. “She told me about a party last month where she…”

I plug my ears. “Lalalala, I can’t hear you.”

Maddie puts both hands around one of my wrists and presses it down until it is forced to leave the side of my head. But instead of telling me about Paige’s exploits, she takes the opportunity to lick my earlobe.

I jolt and back away from her. 

“What are you doing?” I ask more for myself than anyone else.

Maddie moves a leg over the trunk, straddling it. She arches her back, thrusting her exposed breast in my direction.

“Don’t act so surprised,” she’s dropped the little girl from this morning, opting to sound like a grown woman. “I told you. I’m your lake girlfriend.”

“Cut it out,” I say, standing up. “You caught me off guard in the car, but I can just walk away.”

She tilts her head, visibly amused, not taking my weak threat seriously.

“Really? I might have to go after your dad, then. You two look so much alike …”

“Christ, Maddie,” I interrupt her, barely able to believe how crass she gets. “Could you stop dragging my family into your weird games?”

Maddie’s expression softens, sensing she’s pushed too far. She steps up to me, wrapping her arms around my waist, standing on her toes to press a light kiss to the corner of my jaw.

“I’m sorry, baby,” she whispers, low and sweet. “You know I’m kidding.”

I lean into the touch. I’ve never had a woman throw herself at me so openly before. 

Especially not one as attractive as Maddie. 

Because, yes, as I glance down at the half-naked blonde pressed against me, it is impossible to ignore how stunning the annoying little girl I once knew has become.

And, of course, she has to ruin the moment.

“But,” she says, looking up at me with a mischievous look in her blue eyes....