Read Online Aged to Perfection by Lauren Fraser - Free Book Online Page A

girls with their fruity drinks with umbrellas. God, had she ever been that young? “Yeah, a beer would be great.”
    “Beer? Really? We have lots of other stuff,” Tony told her.
    “No thanks, beer’s good.”
    Tony slapped his hand across his heart. “I think I’m in love. You don’t, by any chance, follow sports.”
    “Season Bronco’s tickets,” she replied, then arched her hand towards Mark. “He’s eagerly anticipating the season.”
    “No shit.” Tony shook his head. “How come you always find the good ones?”
    Mark shifted his shoulders. “It’s a gift.”
    Tony reached into the cooler and pulled out two beers for them. “Enjoy.”
    Beers in hand, Mark led Rachel over to a group of people sitting under a gazebo. “Did you make that?” she asked him.
    “Yep. Other than the pool, I did all the landscaping for Tony.”
    Rachel let her gaze roam around the yard, taking in the bar, multiple seating areas mixed in with green space. It was a fantastic backyard.
    “You did an amazing job. I’m definitely going to be able to fire a lot of referrals your way.”
    She looked at the gazebo in amazement. It rose from the ground like a monument to masculinity. Its huge chunky frame, strong and powerful. “Mark, you truly are talented. That gazebo is great. It completely suits Tony.”
    He laughed. “Loud and ostentatious.”
    She smacked his arm. “No. It’s fantastic.” She looked down at the path. “Is this slate?”
    Mark groaned and grabbed her. “No work. Turn that designer brain off,” he joked.
    “Sorry. Occupational hazard.” She took a pull of her beer, enjoying the yeasty brew sliding down her throat.
    As they walked up to the group, Mark grabbed a chair with one hand and pulled it into the circle. He sat and pulled Rachel down onto his lap, making it clear to everyone that she was with him, and introduced her to everyone.
    She noticed more than one jealous look from the girls at the party. One in particular, a girl named Lisa, was shooting daggers at her. Yep, this was going to be fun.
    Rachel sat listening intently to the conversations around her. The guys had clearly been friends for a long time. The camaraderie and friendship was obvious to even the most unobservant outsider.
    Lisa did her level best to exclude Rachel from the conversation. Annoyed, Rachel excused herself to go to the washroom. When she got back, Mark was in the pool with most of the people from the gazebo.
    “Hey, Rach, come join us,” Mark called as she walked past.
    Before Rachel had a chance to answer, Lisa pulled on Mark’s arm. “Come on, we’re going to play volleyball. Sorry, Rachel, we have enough for two teams as it is.”
    Rachel raised her eyebrow at the girl. “No worries. I’ll just enjoy my beer.”
    “You sure? I can get out if you want,” Mark told her.
    “No, don’t be silly. Have fun.”
    Mark looked at her then nodded his head.
    Rachel sat back down in a vacant seat in the gazebo and talked with Sheila, another woman who’d opted out while the volleyball game went on. Rachel couldn’t help but grit her teeth watching Lisa try her best to hang on Mark and get his attention.
    “She is so pathetically obvious,” Sheila said.
    “That’s one word for it,” Rachel replied, getting more annoyed by the minute.
    When the volleyball game wrapped up, Rachel set her beer down on the ground. “I’ve had enough of this shit.”
    Sheila grinned. “Crush her.”
    Rachel smiled. “Oh, I intend to.”
    Mark looked over as Rachel stood. She made sure she had complete eye contact with him and shot him a look that promised a night of sin.
    Lisa continued to try and get Mark’s attention. Without breaking eye contact with Rachel, he shoved Lisa away and moved towards the edge of the pool. He rested both elbows on the edge. “You coming in?”
    She nodded and slowly untied the halter of her dress. Deliberately taking her time, she dropped the straps and slid the material down, exposing her bikini