“Well, I want Luke to see what he can’t have.”
“What do you mean, what he can’t have?” She giggles. “He can totally have it.”
“Well, maybe. Maybe not.” I wink at her.
The fact of the matter is that I want him to appreciate my body. I want to tease him, and I have no idea why.
“Hey, girls. How’s it going?” Luke strides up with aLiving the Sweet Life in Coconut Beachtote bag over his shoulder. He looks over at Juniper and then at me and holds up a hand. “I’ve got some towels in here and your bikini. Are you hungry? Do you want to swim first or eat?”
“I am actually not hungry. We had fish tacos from the new Loco Moco food truck, and now I would love to swim. I’m so hot and sweaty right now. I want to get these clothes off and put on my bathing suit and submerge in the water.”
“Are you going to go for a proper swim, or are you just going to float and pretend to swim?”
“Luke, do I ever pretend anything?”
“I hope not,” he says in a soft voice as I gaze at him. “Especially when it comes to getting wet.”
I know the double entendre to his comment, and I blush a deep red.
“I didn’t fake it,” I say, and he chuckles.
“We really can read each other’s mind, can’t we?”
He moves closer to me, and I forget that there is anyone else in the world as we gaze at each other.
“I think you two should have a cold swim, Mia,” Juniper says quickly with a teasing smile. “I really do not want to be a witness to your sexual flirting.”
“Hey, we weren’t sexually flirting,” I whisper at her, jaw dropped.
“You forget that I am also one of your best friends, Mia, and I can also read your mind, and I know exactly what you were both saying just now. Like, after last night, who wouldn’t know?”
“She knows about last night?” Luke looks at me, surprised.
“She knows. All the girls know.” I make a face. “I, um, well …”
“I guess maybe you will grow up to be one of the busy Bees.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means that you like to gossip.”
“Hey, I was just telling my friends because?—”
“Well, what? You were telling them how good I was in the sack?”
“No, I was not, and it’s not like we had sex, so I don’t know how good you are in bed.”
“But I’m good with other things, right?”
He waves his pinkie finger at me, and I just shake my head and groan. Luke needs to grow up.
“I’m gone,” Juniper whines. “Come on, Wendy, Josie, Summer, Silvie. We do not have to listen to their X-rated conversation.” She tuts at me as they all head into the bookmobile.
“See what you did, Luke?”
“What did I do?”
“You scared off Juniper and the girls.”
