Page 1 of Take My Name
prologue
Warren
NINE YEARS AGO
“I can’t believeyou talked me into this.” Maisie laughs, treading water and glancing around to make sure no one’s around. The sun’s about to set, so most of the guests from the resort are at the restaurant for dinner or they’re in for the night.
Wrapping an arm around her bare waist, I pull her closer into my chest. She wraps her limbs around me, and I hold her up in the river with my body.
“Skinny dippin’ is a rite of passage,” I tease, cupping her ass cheek and squeezing.
“Yeah, right. You find any excuse to get me naked.” She tightens her grip, causing her abdomen to rub against my cock that’s half hard between our bodies.
When she rocks against me, I groan and she chuckles at my discomfort.
“You’re gonna pay for that,” I warn, reaching up to pinch her nipple.
She yelps, then splashes water on my face, distracting me long enough to get away. I swim after her, easily catching up, then dive under the water to yank her ankle.
“Warren!” Her scream is muffled when I bring her down with me.
We aren’t submerged for long before I release her and meet her back up above the surface.
“That was mean!” She splashes me again, but her smile is wider than before.
The sounds of crashing water off the cliff echo around us as I pull her toward me. She fits against my chest in a familiar way that calms my heart.
“I’m gonna miss you so much,” I tell her softly.
She tangles her legs and arms around me, hugging me closer. “Gonna miss you more.”
“Impossible,” I breathe out, holding in my emotions the best I can.
Maisie returns to college in New York City for her third year tomorrow. She’s majoring in English and hopes to get an internship or apprenticeship before she graduates. We’ve been doing long-distance for two years, and though she comes home during the summer and holidays, it’s not enough. Not when I got used to seeing her every day since we were twelve.
“I’ll be back for Thanksgiving,” she reminds me. “And we’ll still video chat and text.”
I tip up her chin so I can see her gorgeous hazel eyes, but they look more brown than green during the golden hour. “It’s not enough. I want you here with me.”
“Only a couple more years.”
“Yeah? And then what?”
Her tongue peeks out, wetting her bottom lip, and she hoists herself up higher on my waist as I stand in shoulder-deep water.
“Then we…” She lifts a shoulder. “Start a life together.”
“Hmm…” Her words swirl in my head. “Why wait another two years to do that?”
“Whaddya mean?”
“We should get married.”
“After graduation?”
“No.” I tighten my grip on her. “Next summer.”
The area around her eyes creases when she flashes a white, toothy grin. “Are you proposin’?”
