Private 10 - Suspicion by Kate Brian Read Free Book Online

you," he said, reaching over to tuck a stray hair behind my ear. "I didn't want them thinkingyou were, you know, that kind of girl."
    He pressed his teeth together in a sort of grimace and I laughed even as I blushed. I didn't exactly care what Upton's parents thought of me, but maybe it was good that Mrs. Ryan and Poppy had stopped us. It gave me more time to consider how far, exactly, I wanted to take this thing with Upton. To figure out if I was really that kind of girl.
    "So you didn't go off to comfort Poppy. Because Sawyer said that when you came back to the party, you were with her," I told him.
    Upton's expression clouded and he hesitated for a second. "Oh. Maybe for a minute, but just for a quick chat. Then I didn't see Poppy again until we boarded a search boat to go out looking for you."
    I glanced past Upton's shoulder at Sawyer, who sat on a towel closer to the water, hunched over a tattered novel. He had seemed to think it was more than a quick chat. Was it possible that he had simply inferred something that wasn't actually there? Or was Upton downplaying it on purpose?
    "So, are we friends again?" Upton asked, looping one strong arm around my shoulders and pulling me into him. I sighed, happy to be so close to him again.
    "I guess I can take you back," I joked.
    "I appreciate your benevolence," Upton smirked.
    "Gage! Quit it!" Kiran squealed, running up the beach from the water, her long dark hair soaking wet and her tan body beaded with water. Gage Coolidge chased after her with a huge dead crab, its limp legs flappingaroundashetauntedherwithit. Classic immature Gage. Sometimes I wondered why they ever let the guy graduate kindergarten.
    "What? The international supermodel is afraid of a little crustacean?" Gage said, holding it out as he lunged for her.
    Kiran squealed and whirled away. "Hello? Aren't any of you guys going to save me?"
    "I'm on it!" Graham volunteered, tossing the volleyball to Dash. He raced down the beach and charged Gage, tackling him to the sand. The crab went flying and dropped to the ground right at Amberly's feet. She screamed and scampered away on her hands and knees, kicking sand all over Noelle's back as she lay on her towel.
    "Amberly! What the hell?" Noelle spat.
    "Sorry! He threw a dead thing at me!" Amberly whined. Noelle rolled her eyes and turned her head away from Amberly. Graham and Gage, meanwhile, laughed, grunted, and trash-talked as they wrestled each other in the sand. Kiran, looking decidedly untraumatized, walked over, grabbed her towel, and dropped down at my other side.
    "You know what we need?" she said as Graham shoved Gage's face into the sand with the heel of his hand. She blithely rubbed her hair with the towel. "A party."
    "There's a shock," Noelle muttered.
    Dash trotted over to join us now that the volleyball teams were uneven, trailing Tiffany and Taylor, who had been playing with the guys. They all stood around in a semicircle, watching as Gage flipped Graham over and pinned him to the ground.
    "Nice move, dude!" Dash yelled as he sat.
    "No, I'm serious!" Kiran said. She flicked a speck of sand off her flat stomach and leaned back on her elbows, stretching out her perfect bikini body for all to see. "I think we need a New Year's Eve--slash-Thank You, Sawyer, for Saving Reed's Life party."
    "You hear that, Sawyer?" Graham shouted to his brother as he pushed Gage off himself and stood. He walked over to Sawyer and dragged him up off his blanket. "Kiran wants to throw you a party!"
    Upton picked up the stick I'd been playing with earlier and jabbed it at the sand. Graham got Sawyer in a headlock and bullied him over to our group. By the time they got there, Sawyer's face was bright red--either from exertion or embarrassment or both.
    "You really don't have to do that," Sawyer replied, shoving Graham off him. Upton tossed the stick at the ground, where it happened to land near Sawyer's feet. I felt a sizzle of tension pass between the two guys.
    Was Upton angry