Page 19 of I Wish I Would've Warned You

“You sure you want it?” he murmurs.

I say nothing.

He slips it over my shoulders, slow, like he’s draping silk.

His fingers linger, brushing my pierced nipple through the fabric.

“A virgin with a nipple piercing,” he says, voice dark. “That’s new.”

“It was a dare.”

“I like dares.”

He presses the towel tighter around me, gaze locked on mine.

“Anything else pierced I should know about?”

I blink. “Are you done?”

“Almost.”

His hand trails down the edge of the towel. Then he steps back—just enough to let the air cool where his body heat had been.

“I’ll check next time,” he says. “Wouldn’t want to interrupt again.”

“You didn’tinterruptanything.”

“Good.” His voice dips lower. “Then I can leave without feeling bad.”

He finally steps out of my way, but not before letting his gaze linger on me one last time—slow, unhurried, like he’s taking mental notes for later.

“Goodnight, Emily,” he says, voice low.

Then he walks out, stark-ass naked, like nothing about this moment has rattled him at all.

The door shuts behind him with a soft click.

And with it, any last illusion that I’m going to survive this summer untouched.

7

COLE

There’s no point in trying to sleep.

My cock’s still hard and I’ve taken three cold showers back-to-back-to-back. Nothing helps. Nothing dims the image of her—flushed all over, standing there in my towel, not even pretending not to stare.

I roll out of bed and throw on sweats, cracking the window for air. The ocean breeze does nothing.

I set up my easel, flip on the lamp, and tell myself I’ll paint the need out of my system.

I log into my site and pull the next order.

Can you paint me a picture of me and this girl [attached] kissing under the moonlight? And then in the skies or the clouds, add the words in a messy cursive, “I wanted to fuck you on day one?” as like a cheeky joke?

Oh and can you make sure that our work name tags show? Hers is kinda blurry in that photo, but her name is Emily.

I freeze.

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