Page 51 of 10 Ways to Accidentally Fall in Love

“Yeah,” I say quietly. “It’s nice.”

Joey clears his throat. “Want to try floating in place? Just a little?”

I give a slow nod. “Yeah. Might as well give it a shot.”

Joey pushes off from the edge with an encouraging smile. He explains to me what to do. That he’ll help support my arms while I get my bearings. That, once I feel comfortable, he’ll let me go. That I should use my arms and legs as needed to keep myself in place.

Sounds easy enough.

Turns out floating in place is fucking hard. But Joey makes it fun. After several attempts, I manage it for about three seconds before grabbing for Joey’s arm.

“You’re getting the hang of it,” he says.

“Sure,” I agree. “Now I know if I go overboard at sea, I’ll have just enough time to panic before slipping under.”

Joey’s expression is almost reproachful, his lips twisted into a wry smile. “You’ll get it,” he says. “It just takes time. Want to try floating on your back instead?”

“Oh, hell no,” I say, immediately wincing as I check where the kids are. I lower my voice, even though they’re far away. “Heck no. You never turn your back on a foe, Joey.”

He stifles a laugh. “Fair enough.”

“I do want to try going under, though. Could you hang on so I don’t sink to the bottom?”

“Sure,” he says, clasping my arm tight.

I grab his elbow as he holds mine, and then I let myself drop, which takes more effort than I thought it would. I don’t open my eyes under the surface, not sure how the chlorine would feel, but I do blow a couple bubbles, my hair feeling as if it’s floating around my face. It’s nice, the sensation of weightlessness, Joey’s hand like a tether keeping me from floating away.

When I kick upwards, Joey gives me a tug. I break the surface with a grin, wiping the water off my face. Joey looks…serious, almost. He’s not smiling.

“What?” I ask, not liking a not-smiling Joey.

He shakes his head, his eyes skimming over my face. “Nothing, bub. Want to get out or stay a while?”

Noticing a couple of Joey’s cousins heading toward the pool, I decide my swimming lesson is probably done for the day. “Would you hang out with me on the kiddie side?”

He nods, motioning me toward his back. With a grin, I loop my arms over his shoulders and hang on as Joey swims to theshallow end of the pool. I let go once my feet can touch the bottom.

“I’ll grab us some water,” he says, diving forward with a few powerful strokes before standing upright, his waist clear above the surface. Water cascades down his shoulders and back, along his spine, over the fabric sticking to his—

“Ahh,” I murmur, looking away. What iswrongwith me? A bro does not objectify his fellow bro’s ass, no matter their gender.

Sonia makes an amused sound. “Thirsty, hun?”

“Yeah,” I admit. I am kinda parched. Good thing Joey is grabbing us drinks. “He’ll be back soon,” I let her know.

“I can’t imagine he’d be able to stay away for long,” she says. “You two are absolutely adorable, by the way. It’s good to see my cousin happy.”

Heh. That’s…nice.

“I want to see him happy, too,” I land on.

She gives me a smile, and I head over to the stairs, taking a seat half in the water as Iggy and Reggie cannonball into the deep end. Iggy sends me a wave that I return.

When Joey comes back, handing me a bottled water and taking a seat beside me, I remember what I forgot to mention earlier.

“Hey, are you free Thursday night?”

“Think so,” he says. “Why?”

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