AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His intense staring makes me self-conscious, and I mess with my curls.
“You’re fine,” he says. “Beautiful.”
I giggle on the inside, turning sweet and gooey like a candy factory. There’s nothing wrong with my cousin complimenting me. It’s my nasty mind that’s twisting things to appease the desire.
“You keep saying that,” I mutter, picking at the hem of my romper.
“You don’t want me to?” he asks.
“No, it’s fine. I’m just not used to having a guy say that to me, aside from my dad and Logan.”
I catch the stiffening of his jaw at the mention of my friend. He harrumphs and glances back briefly, saying, “Let’s check out the water.”
“Sure.”
I’m about to remove my romper but stall as he yanks his shirt over his head.
Holy fuck.
In another dimension where we aren’t cousins, I’d run my fingers over his broad chest and trace his firm stomach down to his trunks.
I dart my tongue out to lick my dry lips. The sudden thirst I’m experiencing is severe, close to not having a drop to drink in days.
“Coming?” Reid asks, arching a brow.
I blink back to reality and snap out of the inappropriate drooling. “Yeah.”
Get your shit together.
Removing my backpack, I drape it on the bike handle and take off my romper and shoes. When I look at Reid, he zips around and walks to the water.
Was he watching me just as I was watching him?
Wait. Does he remember what happened the night before and is only pretending?
Shaking it off, I hurry into the ocean and swim to Reid. The crystal clear water is cool and refreshing on such a warm day.
“There’s a small cave over there,” he says, jutting his chin toward the rocks. “Have to swim underwater to come out inside. Want to see it?”
“Um...” I glance at the area and look back at him. “I don’t know. Stuff like that makes me nervous.”
“It’s okay. You know I won’t let anything happen to you.” He bobs to my side. “Here. Hold on to me. I’ll take you.”
I get to hold him again.
God. The amount of delight that spurts from touching him doesn’t compare to anything else, and that’s scary.
Fighting to keep my excitement at bay, I drape my arms around him from behind and brace against him. I stare at the side of his face, wondering if he’d find it repulsive if I kissed his cheek.
Cousins do that. Don’t they?
“Ready?” Reid confirms.
“Mmhm,” is all I can muster amid the emotions running wild in my body.
He swims off in the direction of the rocks. Reaching the area, he tells me, “Hold your breath.”
I inhale deeply and cling tighter as he dips underwater. Within seconds, we’re breaking the surface inside a rocky enclosure.
