His eyes grow more intent as they search mine, and the pressure of his fingers on my waist increases again. I let it draw me toward him, then lift my chin, waiting.
Beau doesn’t makeme wait long. His lips meet mine, soft, warm, and ready. I melt into him, letting out a sigh as my defenses slip away with the tide. His hand cradles the back of my head as his mouth explores mine like he’s been waiting for this, imagining it for days, and knows exactly what to do.
I let him take the reins because, beyond that quick flash of image at the Belacourt, Ihaven’tallowed myself to visualize kissing Beau. This is new and forbidden territory for me. His lips are across enemy lines, and the way he uses them makes me wonder if I’ve been fighting on the wrong side this whole time.
His taking control, his kissing me so intently after so many days of watching him do nothing but smile and tease…even if I could reach the ground, my legs would be useless. Instead, I hold on to him all the more tightly, letting go of every thought but how to keep up with him.
A pocket of colder water sweeps past us. I shiver, and Beau pulls away, then wraps me in his arms and brings me against him, resting his chin on my head.
“So,” I say, my cheek against his wet shirt. “Thisis the way to conduct a proper citizen’s arrest.”
A deep chuckle rumbles in his chest. “More or less. But mostly a whole lot less.”
I smile, my eyes settling on the dark water slowly moving past us. The current is much less strong in the canal, but it’s there, and even Beau’s presence can’t keep away the intrusivethoughts filling in the blanks the impenetrably dark surface offers.
“Can we go back?” I pull back to look at him instead of the water.
“I haven’t even taken your statement yet,” he says with a sexy curve to his lips.
“Oh, but you have,” I reply.
He brushes water from my cheek, smiling. “And what aboutmystatement?”
“You’re the cop. You don’t get a statement.”
“I’m also the accused criminal. And the victim.”
“Alleged victim.”
He reaches a finger to the lock of wet hair hanging at my cheek, guiding it past my crown and back behind my ear. It sends chills down my spine. “Being all three of those things, you can probably imagine how much I have to say.” His eyes grow dark and intent again, and I fiddle with the wet collar of his shirt.
“My imagination isn’t great.” Blatant lie. I haven’t stopped imagining kissing him since our lips parted.
“I can help with that,” he says, coming in for more.
I don’t make any attempt to stop him. If this is his statement, I’ll listen indefinitely. But the more he kisses me, the more I have to say in response. I take charge, and he lets me, but the grip of his hands on my waist sends the message loud and clear that he wants me right where I am.
With his lips on mine, I don’t think about sea creatures anymore. Every neuron in my brain is firing Beau.
A shout from somewhere back by Grams’s house has us pulling apart again. Another one follows, and I’m almost certain it’s the party crew vacationing next door.
“Your friends are calling,” I say.
Beau laughs. “Come on. Let’s go.” He grabs my hand underthe water, and it sends my heart racing in a completely different way than our kisses did.
We have to let go just seconds later to swim back to the dock. We use the ladder to climb up, and I brace myself for the chill I’m used to feeling when I get out of the water. It never comes. It’sthatwarm here, and I kind of love it. Or maybe my body temperature is still coming down from those kisses.
I can’t believe I let Beau kiss me. Or that I kissed him.
I watch him squeeze the excess water out of the bottom of his shirt, which is completely plastered to his body, leaving very little to the imagination. Just like that kiss.
I also can’t believe half an hour ago, I was trying to place him under arrest. My gaze goes to the birdfeeder—that ugly thing that’s represented the animosity between our families for a couple decades now.
I swallow, my stomach suddenly uneasy as my thoughts turn to Grams. I don’t even want to know what she would think if she found out what just happened in that canal. She might legitimately have a heart attack.
Shecan’tfind out. She won’t. There’s no point at all breaking her heart over nothing, right?
Because, if I’m being honest with myself, that’s what this is. Nothing. I’m leaving in two days. Beau knows that. I know that. We both knew that going into this tonight. We just got carried away in some vortex for star-crossed lovers.
