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I exhale a laugh at her usual greeting. “What’s going on?”

She shrugs. “It’s hot. Thought I’d take a swim.”

Putting my hands on my hips, I watch a few minutes as she turns onto her stomach again, spreading her arms in front of her in sweeping motions as she crosses the pond. The water glazes over her body, and I can see she’s wearing dark underwear.

She circles around, looking up at me. “You coming in?”

“You want me to?”

Another shrug, and she arches back, letting the water slide down her body. “I want you to do what makes you happy.”

Words I said to her not so long ago. I get it. She’s ticked, still I toe off my boots and shove my jeans down, whip off my tee and do a shallow dive into the pool in my boxer briefs. It’s cooler than the air surrounding us but warm from the sun beating down all day.

Like a magnet to steel, I’m drawn to her. I slice through the water like a knife, coming up for air at her side. Water swirls around us, and it feels good. I wonder why we don’t do this more often at the end of the day.

“Nice to see you’re still alive.”

I swear. This girl. She looks at me like I did exactly what she expected, spotted her through the kitchen window and came running like a dog after a bone.

Reaching out, I slide my hands around her waist, pulling her to me. “I’m alive.”

She exhales a little noise, putting her hands on my shoulders. Her breasts are soft against my chest, and my dick stands at attention.

“I hope you don’t mind…” I lean closer, kissing the side of her jaw, right at the base of her ear. The scent of lilac is faint on her skin.

“I don’t mind a kiss.” Her fingers tighten on me.

She’s in my arms as I swim us to the shelter of the pier. I want to slide her panties to the side and sink into her depths. “Just a kiss?”

“Just a kiss.” She reaches overhead for the pier, turning and pulling her whole body out of the water.

I move back, out of her wake, sweeping my arms beneath the surface. I won’t lie and say I’m not disappointed.

“My bad.” Lifting my chin, I look up to where she’s sitting on the pier. “So you’re just here for a friendly swim?”

Her cute little nose lifts as she looks toward the fountain. “And I was curious.”

“About what?”

“I haven’t heard from you since Saturday.”

I’m treading water, wondering what she’s up to. “I sent you a text.”

“And I sent you one.”

Diving forward, I catch the end of the pier and pull myself up to sit beside her. Water splashes around us, running down my arms. Our thighs touch, and I really want to kiss her again. “How can I satisfy your curiosity?”

“You already have.”

I place my palms on the pier behind me, leaning back. “You came to see if I was alive?”

“I also wanted to see if you were still interested.”

Cocking my head to the side, I grin. “I’m interested.”

“Good.” She reaches for her dress, dropping it over her black lace bra and panties.

I reach out before it falls, sliding my palm across her bare stomach. “Why don’t you tell me what all of this is about?”