Page 127 of The Naughty List

“Felicity,” I breathe out again. “I didn’t know you felt that way. I mean, I know we kissed, and I enjoyed it. I really did. But I thought it was just a drunk make-out thing. I figured you would’ve kissed any guy in that moment.”

“Seriously, that’s what you think of me?”

I shrug. “I mean, last summer I had to pull you off a table because you were stripping in front of a bunch of guys.”

Her eyes tear up. “Screw you, Carson.” She turns and walks back into the house.

Fuck. Why did I say that?

I go after her, but she’s found comfort in the arms of some guy. Which is fine. She’s taken care of and I’m still here to keep my eye on him. As long as she’s okay, I’m fine. I stop in the kitchen, leaning against the counter so I can watch her without being too close. I get offered a drink and I accept it. If I’m going to be stuck at this party, I might as well enjoy myself a little at least.

Hours pass and I find myself getting more and more drunk while she gets more and more comfortable in the arms of that guy. They’re on the dance floor now, slow dancing. He’s holding her close, his hand dangerously close to an area I will break his fingers if he touches. Her head is on his shoulder and every time they spin, her eyes lock on mine. Jealously is eating me up from the inside out. I finish off my drink and something inside of me takes over. I don’t even know what I’m doing.

I walk up to them and get her attention. “Can I cut in?”

The guy pulls back and says something, but I don’t hear a word of it. Instead, she comes to me willingly. The guy walks off, pissed off and grumbling but I couldn’t care less. I have her in my arms now. My hand is on the small of her back and her arms are around my neck with her head on my chest.

“What are you trying to do? Make me get in a fight?”

She giggles. “Still the same old Carson, I see.”

“That’ll never change, Felicity. I’ll always chase away any guy that comes near you. I’ll always protect you, even when you don’t want me to.”

She lifts her head off my chest and her eyes meet mine.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why does it mean so much to you? I mean, clearly you don’t want me.”

“What I want and what you need are two completely different things, Felicity.”

I know she’s taking that to mean, it doesn’t matter if I want her because she needs protected, but what I really mean, is that I want her, but she doesn’t need that.

Her eyes are still locked on mine and the urge to kiss her is stronger than ever. “Come on, let’s go get a drink,” I say, needing to stop this before it starts. She kissed me before and I loved it, but she doesn’t know that. If I kiss her, she won’t know where she stands with me and I don’t want to confuse her more.

I take her outside and we get another drink along the way. We’re hanging out by the pool, talking, laughing, and just having fun for hours. The drinks go down too smoothly and I forget to keep an eye on how much she’s consuming. Actually, I forget to limit myself as well. She sits up on the poolside chair, putting her knees facing me. I sit up the same way and her eyes light up.

“Hey, let’s go swimming. For old time’s sake. You know like we did in the creek behind the house.”

I look down at myself. I’m wearing shorts and a t-shirt. “I don’t have a suit.”

She shrugs as she stands up. “Me either.” She pulls off her top and pushes her skirt down her legs. She’s wearing a black bra and black boy short panties. Without warning, she dives into the pool. The pool and the night around us are dark. This part of the house has clearly been closed off to the party. With nobody around, I strip down to my boxers and dive in after her. When I break the surface, she’s giggling and swimming over to me.

“Not so shy this time, are you?” I say, thinking back to that time she was too shy to be in front of me in her bikini. Now she’s running around in her underwear.

She wraps her arms around my neck. “Well, a lot of stuff has changed since that day,” she says, her eyes flashing down to my lips.

“Like what?”

“Like, I finally have the boobs and curves I wanted back then.” She lets out a giggle.

I shake my head. “I didn’t notice,” I joke.

“Shut up,” she teases. “I know you’ve noticed.”

“How?” I ask.

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