I put the phone down like it’s a loaded gun. Nope. Not doing it.
Buzz buzz.
dumb girl:My parents are out of town. Come to my place and we can talk about your brother’s case. 11AM
Oh, she’s good.
Me:Talk about it over text.
dumb girl:Have it your way.
dumb girl:CONTACT BLOCKED.
My heart stumbles.
Oh, she’sreallygood.
I pull up to Morgan’s gilded palace and grip the steering wheel. Iron gates. Manicured hedges. Stone glowing white in the sun. I was sure security wouldn’t let me through since her dad hates me, but Morgan put me on a list. That alone feels wrong.
Don’t fuck up, Jack. Get in, get out. Keep the conversation about Noel and it’ll be fine.
I open the car door and some butler with polished shoes and no smile escorts me through the houseto the backyard.
In a crystal clear pool, Morgan swims to the edge. I stare as she pulls herself out of the water. It seems like slow motion as droplets cascade down her body. She’s wearing a white and gold one-piece, but with those curves, she’s lethal. Too much sex wrapped in wet elastic.
“Hey, Jack,” she says sweetly. “Decided to stop by after all, hm?”
I can’t look. My jaw tightens. Instead, I stare into the distance. I am about to recite my Noel-speech, but growl, “Unblock me.”
“Oh?” She steps into my line of sight, forcing me to look at her. “Why bother texting if you won’t hang out with me?”
Before I can answer, her gaze dips to my waist. Hesitantly, she reaches for the hem of my shirt and tugs. “Take this off and swim with me.”
I’d love to jump into that sparkling water and hold her soft body close to mine. Touch her skin. Fuck her senseless.
A toxic combination.
“I don’t have swim trunks,” I say.
“Wear your underwear.”
I search around, assuming her dad arranged babysitters for his spoiled princess.
Nobody.
That’s when it hits.
She thinks she’s in control. And maybe she is. She had all of this planned. She’s teasing me, half-naked, hoping I’ll bite for some reason. Why? Either way, I won’t. I can’t.
I glare down at her. “Let’s get one thing straight. This? You and me, ain’t happening.”
“Jack,” she says and wags her finger. “Conceited much? There’s no us. The couch-thing was just a sleepy kiss. Honestly, I was about to stop you.”
The words land hard. I blink several times, unsure if this is the same girl. She was into it... I thought. If she wasn’t, what the fuck does that make me? My body tenses and heart races.
My voice lowers. “Your panties were drenched.”
Her face flushes, but she resets fast. “Just hormones. Thank God nothing happened. My faith is very important to me, and losing my virginity out of wedlock, to anatheist...” She places her palm over her heart. “It would have been a lifelong regret.”
