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“—I’m not saying how high.”
He grins. “Never in a million years would I expect that to come out of your mouth. Indulge me. I wanna lift you.”
“Lift me? Like, above your head?”
“Yeah.”
“Uh, I weigh a lot more than Adele.”
“I think she weighs more than you think. She’s compact, but she’s all muscle.”
“And like five inches shorter than me. I’m also bottom heavy. The weight distribution is probably a lot different.”
“Please?”
“You’re going to annoy me until I say yes, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. But don’t be surprised when you drop me on your head.”
“And if I don’t? What do I get?”
“The knowledge that you’re right and I’m wrong. Give me the lowdown on how to do this.”
“Brace your hands on my shoulders. And when I say jump, you jump. When you feel like you have your balance, you can let go of my shoulders. I promise I won’t let go of you. And when you’re up there, imagine you’re an arrow.”
“Okay. I’m an arrow. Got it.”
The first time he counts to three, I don’t jump. But the second time he lifts me out of the water. It can’t be easy. I’m not light.
“I got you. You can let go.”
His words, while maybe unintentional, ignite heat low in my belly. It’s what he says when I’m close to an orgasm and trying to stay in control. I release his left shoulder and he adjusts his grip. And again when I lift my right hand. Then I’m floating in the air, balanced in his palms.
I realize again the trust and connection he must have with Adele. How they rely on each other. How hard they work as a team. How intimate that relationship is. How BJ has worked to make sure they have clear boundaries. I wonder if it’s difficult for her to have me in the way.
The partygoers hoot and cheer. Someone calls, “Ten out of ten,” and someone else yells, “Do a swan dive!”
I glance down at BJ, his muscles corded, but still making it look effortless.
“I’m going in,” I tell him, then tip forward.
He tries to correct us, but I’m already heading for the water. He bends his arms slightly, then pushes up, making me airborne for a second before I’m underwater. When I pop up, he’s already there, tugging me to where Quinn and the girls are while everyone in the pool claps.
He doesn’t leave my side for the rest of the night.
27 YOU SHOULD KNOW
BJ
The morning after the move-in/welcome party, I make Winter and me egg sandwiches on English muffins with bacon and cheese and bring them back to my bedroom with coffee. Quinn’s already left for work, and I’m pretty sure Rose will be sleeping well into the afternoon based on the selfies she was sending to our group chat at three in the morning, but I have a couch and a coffee table in my bedroom, and this means Winter doesn’t need to put on more clothes, since I plan to take off what little she has on once we’re fed.
She’s sitting cross-legged on the couch, wearing one of my T-shirts and a pair of black underwear. And that’s all.
“I need to tell you something,” I blurt.
She’s in the middle of a bite of egg sandwich, so she covers her mouth with her hand and mumbles, “Okay.”
