Page 69 of The Penalty

“Nah. Just want it to be perfect.”

“Do you have pictures of it?”

He glanced up and lifted an eyebrow. “I do. But they’re on my mobile phone which is turned off and locked away.”

His gaze drifted down my bikini-clad body. I purposely brought this one to show off in front of him. It didn’t leave much to the imagination.

“Are you coming in with me?” I pulled my hair free from the elastic, letting it fall in loose waves on my shoulders. He continued staring. “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue, Maddox?”

I added a little extra sway to my hips when I walked toward the pool. I even glanced over my shoulder when I waded in, biting down on my lip. Xavier’s shoulders held a tension that hadn’t been there before.

“You’re missing out,” I coaxed.

All flirtatious motivations aside, he actually was missing out. I luxuriated in the water, swimming a few laps while the sun completed its descent. When I finished, I slicked my hair back and blinked water out of my eyes. Xavier remained by one of the tables. His notebook sat closed beside him.

I held on to the edge of the pool.

“Were you watching me this whole time?”

“Does that bother you?”

“No.”

Xavier rose to his feet, pulled off his shirt, and walked over. My lungs decided now would be a good time to malfunction. His lean, sculpted body sliced through the water, as silent and focused as a shark.

“Hi.” He came up beside me, propping his arms on the pool’s edge. A piece of dark hair fell over his eye. “Mind if I join you?”

“Took you long enough.”

“Wow. Zero to feisty in less than three seconds. Must be a personal record for you.” He motioned to the corner pool bench. “Come sit with me.”

My intention was to sit beside him but once he positioned himself, he pulled me onto his lap.

“I like you here better.”

“I bet you do,” I smiled.

The fleeting colors of dusk reflected off the water before they faded, replaced by the vast darkness of night. I couldn’t help but think of my sister again. The uncontrollable wave of emotion I’d felt last night didn’t threaten now. Instead, a comforting peace settled over me.

I looked up.

A single star twinkled to life. Then another. And another, until they crowded the sky.

“They’re fireflies,” I said out of nowhere.

Xavier held my chin and tilted my head down.

“The stars. Last night you asked if I thought they were fireflies or giant balls of burning gas. Definitely fireflies.”

A loud pop went off in the distance. Fireworks exploded above us in perfect bursts of chaos and predictability. Red, white, and blue blazed long trails against the dark sky. Shimmering pieces of color floated gracefully among the stars and burned out in the blink of an eye.

“Beautiful isn’t…it…” My voice trailed the second I met Xavier’s molten stare. Black swallowed blue, leaving nothing but promises and sin. Pinpricks of charged energy buzzed beneath my skin.

One of Xavier’s hands moved to cup the back of my neck. His fingers gently scratched up into my hair.

“Most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. Do you want one of your birthday presents now?”

Ravenous desire exploded through me.

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