“Can’t help it,” I said, voice low. “You look… unreal right now.”
Her smirk faltered. “It’s the sweat and bug spray combo, right?”
I stepped in, shaking my head. “No. It’s you. Just you.”
She studied me like she wasn’t sure if I was teasing, and for a moment, I thought she might say something that would tip us over the edge. But then she smiled and bumped her shoulder into mine.
“You’re getting sappy. I think the fake boyfriend thing’s going to your head.”
Oh, honey. I’m not your fake boyfriend. I am your boyfriend. You’ll see.
She turned toward the kayak, and I let my eyes linger on the curve of her neck, the swing of her hips, cataloguing every detail because I was going to need it later. I was already too far gone to play this off like a game.
She was the real thing. For me, at least.
Nothing had ever felt better than this.
Nothing ever would.
“You ready?” I asked, my voice low.
“Yep! Let’s go!” she said, smiling. “It’s going to be dark soon; I thought we could go swim at the Blue Baths.”
I didn’t care where we went. She could’ve said we were heading straight into a storm, and I’d have followed without hesitation. But the Baths did spark something. It had been years since we’d been there. Back when we were sixteen and too young to name the things we were feeling.
“Did Graham give the green light?”
“Yeah, he said today and tomorrow are perfect. The water’s clear.”
I could feel Jackson’s stare before we even pushed off. He stood motionless on the bank, arms crossed and jaw clenched so tightly I feared he might shatter his teeth. His piercing expression sent a wicked thrill through me. He could watch all he wanted—she was mine, and he waspowerless.
She was laughing, fixing her hair again, joking that we’d sink because I was ‘too big now.’ Yet, I saw the flicker of tension in her shoulders, the way she furtively glanced back toward shore, as if nervously expecting something to go wrong.
“It’s showtime,” I murmured. “He’s watching.”
Her eyes cut toward me and narrowed. “Who?”
She knew.
She’d already clocked him. Still, I tilted my chin toward Jackson.
“Tall, brooding, looks like he wants to stab me.”
She huffed, small and sharp. God, she was beautiful when she was irritated.
I dug my paddle in and steered us further out, the dock shrinking behind us.
“I can kiss you if you want,” I said, casual on the surface but inside every nerve was on high alert.
Her head whipped around so fast the kayak swayed.
“What?” she squealed.
“To make him jealous,” I shrugged nonchalantly.
“You’re unbelievable. I thought we’d set boundaries.” She was trying to be serious, but I could see the small smile on her lips.
“I’m just committed to the gig,” I said with a slow smile. Her eyes softened, and I knew she’d considered it.
