Page 6

I made her uncomfortable with my confession.

I knew it was weird, but I didn’t know how else to phrase it.

And now she wants to swim in the lake. I don’t want that but I’ll show her why I refuse the access.

She’ll understand and then she’ll move on.

Probably leave before the end of the bet.

I don’t want her to go. But as soon as she deems the lake unsafe, there’s nothing else that binds us. It’s probably for the best.

And freezing water sounds nice when it’s this hot out. I nod in agreement.

“I’m going to get changed,” she says, like she feels safe with me, closing herself in the tent, dressing down right next to me.

I can’t handle it. I can’t think of her naked without losing my mind.

I want her. There’s no question. I want her so much, and in a way I never wanted anyone else.

She’s this pool of positivity that I want to plunge into.

And sink into if the tightness of my jeans is anything to go by.

She’s humming a song I don’t know and I hear the fabric of her dress tumbling to the plastic floor of the tent.

I look down, urging my cock to not react this viscerally to hearing someone undress next to me.

I’m not a boy. Fuck. I want to touch myself right here and make sure she hears what she does to me, make sure she understands how powerless I’m around her, that I’ll do anything for her.

But what I want most is go back in time and make an effort learning how to talk to people properly, so she could be mine. But no, I’m just the guy who’s standing between her and her goal.

I rush to my cottage before I do something crazy I’ll regret and completely drive her away. If I can at least spend this weekend with her, I tell myself, that will be enough to last for the rest of my life.

When I reach the hill, feeling a bit more myself and less like a lusting lunatic, she’s wearing the cutest swimsuit, pink, full of frills and ruffles, looks like straight out of a vintage shop.

I bet they’ve lots of those in the city, not just the few that exist here on Pepys Island.

It suits her; it hugs her generous waist in a way that completely kills my already very weak resolution to keep my distance.

Her hair is in a high ponytail now that I want to undo.

I’m back to being a lusting lunatic. Fuck.

She waves at me like she’s excited to see me. It ruins me. Her smile. It’s so pure, so brilliant.

She turns towards the lake, not waiting for me to get to her. I speed up my pace. I don't want her to get in without me. It's not common for fear to hit me up like this.

“Be careful!” I shout. She stops and I exhale. Good, she's going to wait for me.

She drops her beach towel right by the margin, or is it a blanket, I can’t figure it out, maybe the best way to describe it would be a bedsheet.

But she doesn't wait for me. She gets to the water. Halfway in, she turns,“You’re very protective, aren’t you?

” she shouts back, The smile on her face is taunting, almost like she wants me to admit something. But I don’t want to admit to anything.

“It’s colder than I expected.”

“Just be careful! I’m serious, there’s a big–”

One second I’m seeing her, the next I’m not. I run and jump in the lake, finding her waist and pulling her towards me and the shallowest part of the lake.

“Are you okay?”

“There’s a big drop there. I couldn’t tell,” she says, shakering. “But I know how to swim. It was just unexpected. It was too sudden.”

“You don’t have to play strong for me. You can tell me you were scared.”

Her eyes lock onto mine, cloudy, her lips tremble, she looks lost. “I was.”

“I know. You scared the shit out of me, sunshine.”

My arms are still wrapped around her waist, our chests touching, but it’s not enough.

I hug her tightly, hoping it’ll be enough to comfort her after the scare.

I don’t know how long we stay like this because I’m physically unable to let go.

I’m never letting her out of sight again.

It was stupid of me to not tell her. What a fucking useless ass!

I know better. I should have made her wait.

She pulls back slightly, just enough to look up at me. Her breath is uneven. Mine too. I’m mesmerized by her.

“I…” I can’t help but brush the strands of hair off her face. I’ve avoided touching her but now it seems it’s urgent that I do. I'm so relieved she's safe.

“Thank you. For saving me.” She puts her hands on my chest, like she wants to feel how hard my heart is beating.

For a moment, we just stand there, breathing each other in.

I’m not smooth, I’ve never had much luck with the ladies with my awkward self and my awful mood, but she doesn’t seem to care.

She presses her mouth against mine, knowing exactly what she wants, not waiting for me to make a move.

I like that about her. She doesn't let me hesitate, taking charge, confident.

My sunshine. Mine.

Eventually, I'm the one taking charge. My arms tighten around her, pulling her closer like she belongs with me, right here by my chest. I don't know if she does, but I belong here, with my arms around her.

When she moans, I grip her hair, wanting to hear it again and again.

It's the sexiest sound I've ever listened to.

And she did it because of me. With each brush of our lips, she gives me excuses to obsess more and more over her.

I carry her to the towel, my mouth still pressed to hers, feeling like the luckiest son of a bitch in the world.