“She was being annoying.” I shrug, aiming for casual, but my eyes drift back to the water like it suddenly needs my full attention.
“Mhm…” he hums, unconvinced, though his gaze stays on me. “You were jealous.”
Jealous isn’t the word I’d use. Not exactly.
But something tight and sharp had flickered in my chest when I saw the way Lila looked at him. It was like she was trying to climb inside a story that didn’t belong to her.
I press my lips together. “I was not.”
“You absolutely were.” He bumps his shoulder into mine, the contact easy, familiar.
I roll my eyes, but there’s no heat behind it. “You’re imagining things.”
“Am I?” he asks, amused, like he enjoys the question more than the answer. Probably because he already knows the answer.
I don’t respond. Just bump him back.
He huffs out a quiet laugh.
“You know,” he says, voice turning thoughtful, “I actually kinda like it when you get territorial like that.”
Heat rushes up my neck.
“That little ‘he’s not interested’ moment?” His smile tilts, voice dipping. “I loved every second of it.”
“Oh, shut up.” I laugh, shoving him.
Hard enough to knock him off balance.
Alex lets out a surprised yelp as he tips forward, splashing into the pool with a dramatic crash of water that sends ripples sloshing against the concrete. I gasp as the water soaks my legs, then immediately grin, watching as he resurfaces, pushing wet hair back from his face.
“Worth it?” I call down to him, arms crossed, thoroughly pleased with myself.
He wipes water from his eyes, then looks up at me with a slow, knowing smile. “Oh, absolutely.”
Uh-oh.
He starts toward me, unhurried, water shifting around his shoulders as he closes the distance. I barely have time to move before he reaches out.
“Alex—”
His hand closes around my wrist and with one firm tug, the edge vanishes from beneath me.
Cold water rushes over me, stealing the breath from my lungs as I go under, the world turning into a blur of bubbles and blue light. When I break the surface, sputtering and laughing, he’s already directly in front of me, watching as I blink the water from my eyes.
Droplets cling to his lashes, catching in the glow of the pool lights. His smile softens at the edges, less teasing now.
I don’t think about it. I just move.
Or maybe he does.
Our lips meet in a kiss that starts gentle and almost questioning. Both of us holding back in case the other wants to pull away because of where we are.
Neither of us does.
His hand slides to the small of my back, anchoring me as the space between us all but disappears, and the kiss deepens—tentative at first, then with a little more certainty, like something we’ve been circling finally settles into place.
“Taylor…” he murmurs against my mouth, breath warm, voice rougher now. “If we keep going…”
