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Ari turned to politely refuse when one of the women grabbed her hand and started dragging her toward the now empty volleyball court.
“Hi. I’m Lia and this is my sister, Rachel. Thanks for joining us. ”
“Um… I’m really not very good at volleyball,” Ari said as she tried tugging her hand away.
“That’s okay. You don’t have to be good. We just need a full team. What’s your name?”
“Ari. ”
“Pretty name. It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I was thinking about taking a swim, getting some exercise after being cooped up in the office all week,” Ari said, trying to politely get out of the game.
“Oh, that water is freezing. Besides, a couple rounds of sand volleyball and you’ll be begging for mercy. It’s great exercise, especially for the thighs. They’ll be burning by the time we’re finished. ”
“I guess I can give it a go, but when you find out how horrible I am, you’ll want to find a new player,” Ari warned.
She had no clue she was with Rafe’s sisters and they could care less about her volleyball skills. They wanted to find out all the information on her that they could.
“We found another player. We’re ready,” Lia said as she bounced onto the court.
“Nice. You girls ready to lose?”
“I wouldn’t count on it, slim. We’re pretty feisty,” Rachel countered as she got into position in front of the net.
There were six of them all together, and Ari felt better when she saw some of the other bikini’s the women were wearing. Their outfits made hers look downright modest. One of the women was barely keeping her large br**sts contained and Ari had a feeling the large orbs were going to pop out at least once during the game.
“Heads up!”
Ari turned, but not quickly enough to avoid the spinning ball which smacked her right in the forehead. Going down about as ungracefully as she possibly could, she groaned as a pair of strong calves stepped into her vision.
“I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I think my pride is the only thing that got wounded. ”
“Let me help you. ” Before Ari could refuse, the man reached beneath her arms and lifted her into the air, letting her body slide down his before her feet touched the ground again. “I’ll make sure to be more careful,” he said with a wink.
Ari was shocked speechless as she realized he was flirting with her. She didn’t know what to say back. He was stunning, in a beach bum, bleached blonde kind of way, but there were no sparks flying.
Who cares, she thought. She had just been moaning and groaning about sexual frustration and here was a red-blooded, hot male practically groping her.
Before she could make a decision one way or the other on whether she should flirt back, Rachel came running up.
“Oh, Ari. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. ”
“Good, then let’s play. ” Rachel dragged her away from the too tanned man, and she forgot about him as the game started.
A half hour later, Ari was feeling good. She was certainly working up a sweat, and laughing so much her stomach hurt. Lia and Rachel were right about the sore legs though as she could already feel a slight burning in her thighs.
“We need a break,” Rachel said as she grabbed the ball and jogged over to a water cooler. Ari was right on her heels. She needed a large guzzle of the cold liquid.
“See? It’s a lot of fun, huh?” Lia said as she handed Ari a water bottle.
“I have to admit that it is. I haven’t enjoyed an afternoon so much in a long while. I may have to come back next weekend and try this again,” she answered with a bright smile.
“I’ll meet you here. You’re a lot better than you said you’d be,” Rachel piped in.
“It’s been so long since I played that I really didn’t think I’d be any good,” Ari admitted.
“Time out’s over, ladies. Well, unless you want me to massage your sore muscles. ”
Ari turned, and was surprised to find one of the other guys gazing directly at her. She was even more stunned when he nodded her way. What was going on? Maybe it was the bright red bikini top that was giving them the wrong impression. Before she could decide whether to flirt back with him or not, Lia grabbed her hand.
“We’re just fine, John. Quit trying to unnerve us by flirting. We’re not that naïve,” she said as she tugged Ari back onto the court. Ari was mortified. What if that’s why they were flirting? It made more sense than her suddenly becoming a sex magnet.