He takes one look at my face and sighs quietly, leaning his shoulder against the doorframe and pushing my door open wider. “I’m guessing you finally met her.”
I nod. “What gave it away?”
“Heard her calling for Zale earlier.” He studies me for a moment before speaking again. “And you also look like you’re about to burst out crying.”
My throat tightens and I swallow the feeling away. “I’m fine,” I say, but I definitely don’t sound fine.
Colton nods, sighing deeply. “Do you want to get out of here and go for a night swim?”
Before I can answer, Alessia’s laugh echoes up the staircase and panic shoots through me as it gets closer and closer. Without thinking, I grab Colton’s arm and yank him inside my room, shoving the door shut and pushing him against it. When he opens his mouth to speak, I slap a hand over it and pin him with a frown.
“Shush,” I hiss.
Zale and Alessia’s voices drift down the hallway as they pass my door, the floorboards creaking beneath their feet. Only when I hear Zale’s bedroom door close do I finally exhale, and that’s when I realize my body is flush against Colton’s. His hands are on my waist, steadying me, and his eyes are on mine—dark, and focused.
The room suddenly feels too small, and too quiet. My eyes drop to his throat as his Adam’s apple bobs when he swallows.
“Sorry,” I whisper, pulling my hand away.
His hands slip away from my waist, falling to his sides, and I step back quickly, my heart hammering in my chest.
“So, yes to a night swim?” he asks again, clearing his throat.
“Yeah,” I say, breathless. “Let me just change. I’ll meet you downstairs in five minutes.”
He nods, then opens the door, glancing back at me one more time before stepping out. When the door closes behind him, I press a hand to my chest, trying—and failing—to slow my heart down.
What the hell wasthat?
FOUR
COLTON
A night swimwith Kairi seemed like a good idea earlier, but now she’s standing at the edge of the pool in a tiny, pink, two-piece bikini with her curls pinned leaving the line of her neck completely exposed, and I’m realizing just how stupid that idea was.
All I can think about is how badly I want to peel that thin fabric off her and press kisses along the length of her body.
Kairi is beautiful. I’ve never seen hazel eyes as layered as hers, green and brown swirling together like a kaleidoscope. Her curls are my weakness, even when they’re wild and tangled from surf practices, and her tawny skin always glows golden under the light.
She lowers herself into the heated water with a soft exhale and starts drifting toward me.
“That was way longer than five minutes,” I say, though my voice lacks any real conviction. “Thought you cried yourself to sleep.”
She scoffs. “There will be no sleeping for me tonight,” she pauses, then adds, “or crying.”
Kairi stops in front of me, causing the water to ripple between us, and I fight the urge to reach out and pull her closer.
Having her pressed up on me in her bedroom earlier was something I didn’t realize I needed. The constant pressure I carry about whether or not I belong on this team faded in an instant, and all I could focus on was her; the feel of her; the smell of her; the way she fits against me like she belongs there.
I want to feel that again.
A quiet pause stretches between us before my brain finally catches up to the present. “Why didn’t you want Zale to see me outside your room earlier?”
The question’s been burning holes in my mind since she dragged me into her room. What was she so afraid would happen if he saw me?
She holds my gaze for a beat before answering. “I don’t know,” she says softly.
I click my tongue. “I think you do.”
