Page 19 of Stealing Summer

I followed him toward the pool deck, taking in my surroundings. Being here with Reese felt special, like he could be here with anyone, but for some odd reason, he wanted to be here with me.

“C’mon, let’s jump in,” Reese said eagerly, pulling his shirt over his head.

My eyes immediately gravitated to his sculpted body, the defined muscles rippled with every breath he took. I blushed and looked away. “Get a grip, Chandler!” I scolded myself.

“What’s the matter, Hartford? You chicken?”

I rolled my eyes, attempting to conceal my thoughts. “You wish.”

He took a running start, cannonballing into the pool. I laughed and jumped in after him, and we came up gasping.

“Not bad, but your cannonball needs a little work,” Reese said, pushing his wet hair back.

We joked back and forth, our banter flowed easily. Reese’s laugh was cute and melodic, and I didn’t hate hearing it. Then, the playful mood shifted, and our eyes locked. A blush rose to my cheeks as we took a moment to catch our breath. There was an intensity in his emerald eyes that made me nervous.

“So...” I said, looking down at my hands in the water to try to calm my nerves. “This view is amazing. It feels like we’re swimming right on top of the lake. Do you come here a lot?”

Lame small talk, but I couldn’t think straight with him looking at me like that.

“Sometimes,” he said. “When I want to get away from everything. It’s peaceful here.”

I paused, silently wondering what kind of things he wanted to escape from. He seemed like the type of person who could have anything he wanted—whenever he wanted.

“I was hoping I’d get to talk to you again after the party.” Reese’s voice broke through the brief moment of silence.

His interest took me by surprise. I peered at him, searching his eyes for any hint of his usual cockiness, but found none. “What did you want to talk about?” I asked cautiously.

“More about you.” His answer was simple, yet it piqued my interest. He leaned back against the pool edge, arms stretched out along the tiled border, casual yet somehow commanding. “I’m intrigued by you,” he said, softly. “I like that you’re not caught up in the drama of Bayside, and your line drives are pretty impressive.”

“Is that so?” I teased, keeping my tone light. “And here I thought you enjoyed all the attention and being in the center of the drama.”

“Maybe—sometimes it’s entertaining,” he conceded with a sly grin. “But there’s something refreshing about someone who isn’t a part of it. Like you.”

“Be careful, Carrington. Someone might think you were actually trying to be kind,” I joked, splashing water in his direction playfully.

Reese’s eyes glinted with mischief as he pushed off from the pool’s edge to float closer. “Don’t tell anyone,” he said, flashing a smile. “I wouldn’t want anyone to think there’s anything kind about me.”

“Your secret’s safe with me,” I joked, trying to play it cool as my heart raced because the space between us was shrinking.

The embarrassing truth was that no matter how cool I tried to play it around him, he made it impossible for me to ignore his appeal. His self-assurance, charm, toned body—that was now just a few inches away.

“So...” he said, his curiosity evident. “What’s the deal with you and Riley?”

“Huh? Boston? What do you mean?” I asked, caught off guard.

Reese raised an eyebrow. “Come on, I see the way he looks at you. He’s totally into you.”

My cheeks flushed. “No way, he’d never look at me like that. He’s Parker’s best friend, and we’ve just known each other forever—practically since diapers.”

“There’s more to it than that, I can tell,” Reese said genuinely before he asked, "You aren't hoping he'll ask you to the Bayside Ball?"

"No," I answered. "I honestly don't think it sounds that fun."

"You don't hear that often around here," he smirked—not his usual, confident smirk, but it seemed more genuine, almost fascinated.

"Well, I'm not from Bayside," I reminded him.

“Speaking of Boston..” I began, hesitantly. He raised an eyebrow in that infuriatingly arrogant way of his.

---