Judging by the sinking feeling in my gut, I think today will besomethingtoo. “I heard about what happened,” I say. “I’m so sorry you got stung.”
“It’s so unfair.” Aaron sniffs. “We were all in the water andI’mthe one it decided to get freaky with?”
“Come on,” Trixie says as she leads him away. “Let’s not cry on our friends. Remember the buffet? We’re heading there!”
“Yay ...” Aaron mutters as he walks down the hall.
I want to run and hide in the room. I want to forget that Nate seems far more comfortable with Aaron than me.
But I don’t.
“Is that how he acted yesterday?” I ask with a laugh.
“Yeah. He was very needy.”
“Wow. Poor guy.”
Nate shrugs before looking at me. “So, the pool?”
I’d honestly rather jump off a dock again, but just the thought of hurting Nate like I did the day before makes me push aside what I’ve just seen and smile at him.
“Yep. We’re heading to the pool. What could possibly go wrong?”
chapter nineteen
The best partabout having a fear of the water is that no one has ever seen me in a swimsuit.
When I get to the pool deck and see that’s about to change, I’m tempted to scrap the entirety of this idea and go back to bed.
I’m already slightly wet, since I did a quick wash of the swimsuit before I came out here and didn’t have time to dry it. And my discomfort makes it even harder to take off my clothes and expose myself.
“Are you ready?”
“No.” I say it immediately. “What if you get in first?”
“And leave you to do it all by yourself? Absolutely not.”
It was worth a try.
“Fine,” I mutter as I finally take off my shorts and tank top.
The first thing I feel is wind. It hits the skin of my stomach and legs, and I’m tempted to curl inward to avoid it.
But I refuse. I know I look good in this. I’m not chickening out now.
That’s when I notice Nate’s watching.
His eyes have gone wide and he’s looking at every single inch ofme. This isn’t the fond gaze he gave me when I took my hair down. This ishungry, like he wants me.
My stomach flips just as he shakes himself out of it.
“Shall we?” he offers. His voice is off. It sounds breathless.
I stare at him for a second, trying to make sense of his reaction. He doesn’t want to touch me ... but he looks at me likethat?
I’m confused.
“Berry?” he asks again. “Are we swimming today?”
