Page 37

And then I dive in, cutting through the surface as the water closes over me, the cold rush hitting my skin and going straight to my head. It feels wrong in exactly the way I want it to. I like getting a rise out of Rowan. I like the way he flushes. I like the way he growls when he realizes I’m doing it on purpose.

Staying under as I move past him, I leave him alone in the wake of the ripples I’ve made, surfacing again only when I’m inches from him. Water sheets off my shoulders as I rise, and he looks mortified when I box him in against the tile.

He’s fucking shaking. The flush has climbed all the way to his ears now, bright against wet skin. He looks down at my chest, close to his, then away again, breath catching in short, uneven pulls.

And yet, he doesn’t move.

Tilting my head, I move closer until my chest brushes his arm. “You’re still here. I thought you’d be halfway to the lockers by now.”

“I’m not staying in here with you.” He tries to shove past me, but his hands slip on my wet skin. That causes a frustrated sound to tear out of him, low and rough enough to hit me somewhere dirty. “Move. You’re being ridiculous.”

A laugh slips out of me and I cock my head. “Me? Ridiculous? I just came for a swim.”

His face goes even redder. “You know I booked this hour.”

“So?” I slide one hand over his where it’s braced against the railing. Pin it there. Let my fingers loosen just enough to feel the tremor in his. I lean in, close enough that he has to tip his head back to look at me. “Can’t we swim together? Spend some time together?”

Rowan makes a strangled sound, somewhere between outrage and panic, and jerks against the rail. “Go away,” he snaps, breath catching on the words. Then louder, flustered enough that it almost sounds as though he hates himself for it, “Go away from me.”

Fuck me, but I like this version of him too. Shy, flushed, trying to fight anyway. He looks like a cornered animal trying to bite.

I’d like to see him try.

Bracing my hands on the ledge on either side of him, I lean in until my forehead is almost touching his. “You know, you’ve made me very sad. You haven’t replied to my message, Rowan. My phone has been very quiet.”

He huffs, a small, defiant sound that does nothing to mask the way his chest is heaving. “I don’t want to have contact with you,” he snaps. He finally meets my eyes, his pupils blown wide. “I’m here to study. I’m not here for… for whatever this is.”

“That’s bullshit,” I say, my voice dropping lower as I crowd him harder against the stone. “You can pretend this doesn’t affect you all you like, but your body is doing a terrible job of backing you up. Don’t lie to me, Rowan. Not when I can see exactly what I do to you.”

I feel a flicker of real annoyance. He’s still trying to act as though this is nothing, as though the truth of it weren’t written all over him. Reaching up, I brush a stray soaked strand of hair away from his forehead. His skin is burning. The flush has spread all the way down to his collarbone, a deep, beautiful pink that tells me exactly how much of a liar he is.

Grinning, I lean in and flick my tongue against the shell of his ear. The sound he makes goes straight through me, and it takes everything I have to keep my hands where they are. Why I bother holding back for him, I don’t want to look at too closely.

“You can tell yourself whatever you want,” I murmur against his ear. “But your heart’s trying to beat its way out of your chest, and that little cardiac monitor on your wrist is telling me everything I need to know.”

I lean closer, trapping him between the cold tile and the heat of my body. Every part of me wants to close the last inch. I don’t. He’s shaking hard enough to move the water between us, and when his gaze flicks toward the exit, I know exactly what he’s thinking.

“Think that was a question? Well, it isn’t. I need to know where you are. I need to know you’re not wandering into libraries, back alleys, and empty corridors after dark when someone’s already close enough to make you panic.”

He stiffens, his back hitting the stone with a dull thud as his hands brace harder against my chest. “What do you actually want from me? I came here to study, and a lot depends on that, so if you want something, just say it.”

I stare at him, dragging my gaze slowly over his face before shaking my head. “You really don’t get it, do you?”

His jaw tightens. “Then tell me.”

I exhale, wishing he’d let it drop as I crowd him closer against the tile. “I want you where I can see you. And I want you to stop pretending you don’t know what the hell you’re doing to me.”

“I don’t,” he snaps, shoving against my chest. It isn’t enough to move me far, but it’s enough to make me shift, which is more than I’d expect from someone built like a strong breeze.

“Bullshit.” Crowding him right back against the tile before he can get any ideas about winning, I smirk. “Don’t act like you hate the attention, Rowan.”

Blinking at me like I’ve genuinely caught him off guard, Rowan’s green eyes flash with pure confusion before his expression hardens again. “Let me go.” He shoves at my chest again, harder this time, his palms slipping against my wet skin.

And then the little bastard surprises me.

Before I can catch what he’s doing, he ducks down and slips straight between my legs underwater.

“You little⁠—”