Page 38 of The One

His face was warming, and there was a bit of mischief in his eyes. Before I could ask what he was plotting, he was lifting me in the air.

“Rhett? What are you doing?” My legs wrapped around him, and I held on to his shoulders.

He moved us through the dining room and living room to the sliding glass door. “Probably what I should have done an hour ago.”

“Which is?”

The door opened, and he brought us outside. “Get you wet.”

“Wet—” The word was barely out of my mouth before he was running us across the patio and jumping into the pool.

With my legs and arms still around him, we sank under the water.

I didn’t have a bathing suit on, just a pair of cutoff jean shorts and a T-shirt, both sticking to me as I surfaced, pushing my dripping hair off my face.

Rhett’s arms stayed around me as I bobbed. He chuckled as he looked at me. “Sorry. I had to. It was the only way to get you to focus on fun instead of obsessing over these applications. We’ll get them done, don’t worry.”

“You’re the worst.”

“But I thought you loved me?” His smile was bigger than I’d ever seen it.

I wiped the water out of my eyes. “I did. Past tense.”

He tugged my bottom lip into his mouth, releasing it to say, “I don’t believe you.” He kissed me. “And what I believe is that you know I’m right.”

“Right about what?” Penelope asked as she swam over, pulling me out of Rhett’s grip and giving him a playful push before she surrounded me in a hug.

“That I need to stop working on college apps and start having fun,” I groaned to my sister.

“You’re so fucking right about that.” She gave Rhett a pound. “Lain, I’ve been waiting for you and your hottie to come and join me out here, and you’ve been takingforever. Shots! We need shots! Where’s the tequila?”

I tried to keep us afloat in the deep end while holding the weight of my sister. “No shots for me.”

“Come on. You never get wasted with me.” She dragged me to the edge of the pool, where there was a bottle of tequila close by that she could grab without even having to get out of the water. She poured some into three plastic cups and handed a cup each to Rhett and me, holding hers high in the air. She then wrapped her arm around Rhett’s shoulders, using him to stay above the water. “To spending the weekend at lover boy’s house”—she tapped her forehead against Rhett’s cheek—“and to hooking up with that sexy linebacker.” Her gaze shifted to the shallow end. “Oh my God, he’s so hot.”

“You’re done with my quarterback?” he asked Pen.

She sighed. “He was summer. I’ve moved on to fall.”

“And both of the guys know that?” he pressed.

“Who cares? It’s not like things are ever serious or I’m going to marry one of them. And once I’m done with the linebacker, I’m moving on to the lacrosse team. Those boys know how to party, and I love that.”

“They’re also nothing but trouble,” Rhett said. There was an edge of concern in his voice that I didn’t miss.

I wondered where it had come from, considering the football team had a reputation for getting rowdy too.

Did he know something I didn’t?

“It’s our senior year,” Pen replied, pulling him even closer to her. “You’re the one who’s harping on having all the fun, not me. Maybe you should take your own advice.” She released him and held the edge of the pool, putting her glass in the middle of us. “Oh, and don’t be surprised if I climb into your bed in the morning and cuddle between you two. Lain knows I like to spoon.” She laughed. “Cheers.”

Rhett moved slowly, but he met her cup, and I did as well.

Then, the two of us said, “Cheers,” in unison.

While they leaned their heads back and downed the liquor, I pretended to do the same, except the tequila went into the pool instead of my mouth.

The last thing I was going to do was get drunk.