Arthur,
Before
Truth or dare?”
Eva lay face down on the sun-warmed dock in a bikini top and shorts, her hair spread loose over the slats of wood. She turned her head and considered. “Dare.”
I grinned. “You sure?”
“What, do you finally have a good one?”
I guffawed. “Awful lot of talk from a girl who never picksdare.”
She rolled onto her side to face me. “You never pick anything exciting.”
My eyes cheated past her to the blue-green ripples of water slapping the side of the dock. I nodded to the pond. “I dare you to jump in.”
Eva groaned. “Wait, no. I changed my mind.”
I tsked. “No take-backs, bee girl.”
“I am a lizard! I deserve to sun myself on a rock!”
“You mean dock.”
She stuck out her tongue. “Tomato, potato.”
I leaned over where my camera sat between us, close enough tolet my breath heat the shell of her ear. “Eva Moreau,” I murmured, “I dare you to skinny-dip with me.”
Her lips rounded. “You don’t skinny-dip.”
“I don’t?”
“You’re too shy!” she said, gesturing with a hand.
I snorted. “Just what part of me are you pointing to?” Pushing to my feet, I peeled off my shirt and shorts, leaving me in nothing but my boxers. “I’m going to beat you into that water.”
I needed a distraction anyway. It had been nearly six weeks since that farmers’ market afternoon, and I hadn’t relaxed for a second, worried I’d done the wrong thing by promising to keep what Lenny had tried to do in the Honey Shoppe a secret.
But the bee girl was in a good mood today, and I didn’t want to ruin that.
Eva’s cheeks pinked as her eyes slowly dragged up my body. Instead of shrinking, I arched a brow.
“I like this new you,”the monster hummed.“She’s been very good for your confidence, hasn’t she?”
Maybe she had. I’d never given much thought to my appearance, too consumed with the monster beneath it, though I supposed I liked my eyes and the shade of my hair. I wasn’t overly tall or brawny like the lords and dukes in her books—yes, I was a snoop, and I had no shame in peeking at her novels—but the way Eva looked at me now made me shiver pleasantly.
With her arms crossed under her chest like that, she gave me a rather stirring view herself.
“Fine.” Eva popped to her feet and wriggled out of her shorts. Her swimsuit was the same deep cobalt as the sky above. I couldn’t help the spread of my grin. “Why are you smiling?”
“You are very pale.”
She swatted my arm. “Ifreckle.”
“I know.”
The monster snorted.
