Page 66 of Wish You Were Mine

I did as he said, fully expecting him to squirt a big blob of cold sunscreen onto my skin to repay me for backing him into a corner, but he didn’t. Instead, his strong fingers smoothed along the tops of my shoulders. His thumbs dug into the meat of my upper arms, and I groaned.

“God, that feels good,” I murmured.

He worked his way down my back leisurely, massaging between my shoulder blades and along the ridges on either side of my spine. If not for the witnesses, I might have melted into a puddle at his feet. As it was, I struggled not to moan with pleasure.

“Good?” His voice was husky, as if touching me had affected him as much as it had affected me.

I cleared my throat. “Yes, thank you.”

I took the sunscreen bottle from him and quickly did my legs, arms, chest, and stomach.

Bailey side-eyed me. “You were so lucky no one was paying attention. I know I set you up for that, but I didn’t mean for you to get quite so into it.”

I ducked my head sheepishly. “I can’t think when he touches me.”

She giggled. “That much is obvious.” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “If it helps, he couldn’t take his eyes off you.”

Heat unfurled in my lower belly.

Good.

I’d known, theoretically, that he wanted me—he must, since he’d kissed me—but having someone else see it somehow made it more real. I wasn’t built for secrets, even though I’d carried one for years.

Kennedy and Liam, who’d taken up the rear, arrived just as Nate called everyone to gather at the edge of the tarn. We slowly made our way over, clustering beside the water.

I stood with Bailey on one side and Asher on the other as Nate lectured us all on the importance of being careful, not drowning, not staying in too long, and so on. Finally, he reached the part we were all waiting for: the countdown.

“Ten,” he called.

“Nine,” we all chorused. “Eight, seven, six…”

I took Bailey’s hand, and we smiled at each other.

“Five, four, three…”

Asher’s arm brushed mine, lighting me up inside.

“Two, one.”

The group lurched forward, into the water. I hobbled behind the mass, splashing into the shallows.

“Ready?” I asked Bailey.

“Never.” She gritted her teeth. “Let’s do it.”

Together, we powered into deeper water, releasing our grasp on each other and diving in. My abdomen quivered from the cold, and I burst through the surface, spraying water all around me as my hair flicked over my shoulders. Bailey emerged a moment later, panting and wiping water from her eyes.

Droplets stung the side of my face, and I spun sideways, glaring at Asher, who was poised to splash me again. I cupped my hand and splashed him back, then splashed Bailey, and Toby, who was just ahead of me. They returned fire, and I giggled and shielded myself.

When it became obvious I had no chance of winning, I trotted back to the shore, favoring my left foot. I headed for the blanket and wasted no time grabbing one of the towels Asher had pulled out of his bag. I dried myself quickly, then wrapped the towel around me and flopped onto the blanket.

A moment later, Kennedy, Liam, and Asher joined me. Asher sat close enough that I could feel the heat from his body. We exchanged a glance, our gazes catching for a long moment.

I tore my eyes away from him and immediately noticed a man staring at me from the next group over. I dropped my gaze for a second, taken aback, but then raised it again.

He was still watching me. I cocked my head, wondering whether I knew him. He was perhaps in his early forties, with a stocky build, brown hair and brown eyes. He was fully dressed, in contrast to most other people here.

I was so preoccupied that when a hand landed on my shoulder, I jumped, my heartbeat ratcheting up a notch.

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