Page 28 of Fourth Wall

“Nope. Why don’t you ask whomever you fucked last night if they enjoy your witty comebacks and stalker vibes?” This time, she lowered her sunglasses only long enough to glare at me. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Only you like them, firecracker.”

“You cannot be doing that shit when the girls are around.” I nodded, understanding what she was saying. Honestly, I shouldn't be doing that in general, but I needed a release in one way or another. As unhealthy as it was, it was a much safer option than walking to the bar.

“I am really fucking sorry.”

“Don’t be. You’re a single guy just doing the same thing you’ve always done.” She jumped back into the pool but not before she shook her fine little ass in front of my face.

“Can we be serious for a second?” I all but begged.

She dunked her hair into the water and chucked her sunglasses over to where she had just been sitting. When she emerged from the water, she looked like she belonged on freakingBaywatch,and my brain couldn’t register what was happening. It felt like I was in a slow-mo video.

But that image got erased quickly when her eyes locked onto mine. It was worse than I imagined. She met me with nothing but pure apathy. It would be a different story if I saw hate in her eyes, but nothing was there. I could work with hate. Instead, she was totally checked out. This somehow felt worse than the one time I sat in a bar drinking myself stupid when Julian first found me.

“It’s no big deal, Christian. I get it. It’s fucking embarrassing for me to admit that when I kissed you, I definitely overstepped.There will be nothing between us other than friendship. You’re allowed to do what you need to, and I’m allowed to do what I need to. Once these six months are up, the game we’re playing no longer needs to be played. Endgame. We are done.”

She swam toward me, pulling my thighs apart this time and looking up at me as my legs dangled in the warm water.

“Let’s just go back to being friends, please. It was much simpler that way. Plus, I promise to thank you from here on out with my words and not my mouth.” I narrowed my eyes at her. I knew she didn’tmeanwhat she said, butfuckkkif it didn’t make me so hard.

“Ew, you perv,” she all but screeched as I tried to adjust my boner so she didn’t see it. Too late, I guess.

She splashed me with water.

“Firecracker,” I warned.

"Chill out, Christian," she teased, swiftly dipping beneath the water's surface. Then, out of nowhere, she burst back up, grabbing my hands and yanking us straight into the pool.

At that moment, as the water enveloped us, her laughter reverberated, creating an enchanting symphony of delight. I swear, it was like the freaking elixir of life, breathing energy into every damn thing around us.

"You think you're a real comedian, huh?" I shot back, a mix of excitement and curiosity fueling my words.

"I don't just think. I know it," she confidently replied, stoking the flames of suspense and mischief.

17

Maeve

And suddenly, he was taking his shirt off, and I felt like an incredible stalker for staring. When he got home a few hours ago and sat staring at me in the corner of the house, I knew I had him exactly where he needed to be. He felt bad for yesterday, and Iwanted him to stew a little bit before I gave in to him. It was a dick move, but someone needed to put him in his place.

Now, he stood, fully clothed in the pool and slowly removing his black button-up shirt. As he peeled the layers of it, he slowly exposed hints of glistening, taut golden skin. Once he got it completely off, he chucked it to the side of the pool and then undid his belt and shimmied out of his pants.

“You’re lucky I had my phone on the counter inside, firecracker.” He winked at me when he finished. This was the Christian I knew. This was the Christian I liked to be around. The person without the heavy emotions and feelings. He was someone I could spend time with and be myself around.

But the closer he got to being freaking naked in this pool, I realized the wetness tightening in my core wasn’t from the pool water. I just had to convince myself it was okay to look, but touching him very clearly blurred a boundary, and I wasn’t ready for him to walk out on me again. It was a big blow to my self-esteem, so I had to protect my own peace and mentally vowed there was only permission to look.

“Oh, hey, neighbor,” someone said from the side gate, and I realized that Tatum, Gianna, Julian, and Elio were at the gate.

“Remind me to get a taller gate or better lock,” Christian grumbled.

“Go get some pants on, and I’ll distract them.” Christian swam over to me before hoisting himself onto the ledge of the pool.

“Are you going to wear your bikini around them? I think—” He gestured to where they had now anxiously gathered around the back gate, and Julian was trying to pull the lock from the inside.

“Oh, you’re right. Maybe I should go change, too.”

A large, reassuring hand held my shoulder as I prepared to jump out of the pool.

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