My drenched clothes are clinging to my body at this point, so when he grabs me and makes me go farther out, I let him. Water sloshes past my hips, and my white skirt looks cool floating in the ocean around me.
I’m not sure how deep the water is over here, but he knows I can’t swim, so I know he won’t take me too far. He’s taller than I am, though, so he may not realize how deep the water is getting.
“Dare,” I say, pulling on his hand once the water is waist deep.
He stops and turns back to look at me. My bright yellow cami top is more of a marigold now that it’s wet. The thin fabric is plastered against my skin, showing the outline of my breasts, the hardness of my nipples.
Dare’s gaze darkens as he looks at me. He grabs me, pulling me over to him. He takes my hips to pull me closer, then his hands slide down and cup my ass. I’m startled at the way he squeezes until I realize he’s lifting me. He tells me to wrap my legs around him.
My heart thuds dully, an ache between my thighs I’ve never felt in the presence of any other guy. He lifts me easily since we’re in the water, and then my pussy is pressed against him, only the thin, wet barrier of my panties protecting me.
I don’t feel like I need any protection from him, though. A week ago, I would have said that’s a crazy fucking thing to even think, but right now as I bob in the water with his strong hands under my ass, I feel safe.
It’s the same feeling I had that night in the pool when he wrapped his arms around me and saved me from a watery grave.
Our positions are almost the same, too. I hadn’t noticed because my head is above water, and since we were playing in the ocean, I’m not scared.
I realize that’s why he brought me out here.
I freaked out when the water hit my ankles. Now, I’m submerged in the ocean, my feet not even touching the ground, and I feel completely safe.
It’s him.
I feel safe with him.
Yearning I’ve never felt before hits me. It hits like a truck—I want him. I like him. I want to feel the way I feel when I’m with him all the time.
Maybe that’s why I lean my heavy head forward and bury it in the crook of his neck.
Maybe that’s why, when he pushes his fingers through my hair and tugs my head back to make me look at him…
Maybe that’s why I let him kiss me.
My belly fills with butterflies as his lips touch mine. It’s electric, euphoric. I wrap my arms around his neck and close my eyes, tightening my legs around his body to pull him closer. My heart pounds and my pussy throbs with need that twists in my gut when his fist tightens in my hair like he’s as hungry for it as I am.
Anae.
Fuck.
No, I hate her. Fuck her. She tried to get me fired.
She’s still his girlfriend. A guy with a girlfriend shouldn’t be kissing you.
I can’t argue that.
Damn my conscience.
Damn, damn, damn.
It happened so fast, I didn’t have time to realize what was coming. Now, I pull back, unwrapping my legs from his waist and lowering myself back to the ocean floor.
I don’t meet his gaze.
It’s not necessarily that I’m ashamed. I would never go after some other girl’s boyfriend, but Anae is terrible. If I were dating her, I wouldn’t want to be, either.
But he is.
No one’s making him.
I don’t get the impression anyone can make Dare do anything, so if he’s with her, it must be because there’s something he likes about her, and if he likes her…
Fuck.
I shouldn’t have come out here with him.
“Hey,” he says when I turn and start making my way back toward the beach.
“I need to get home,” I say without looking back. “I’m sure school is over by now. My mom will wonder what’s taking me so long.”
He’s still for a moment before I hear the water sloshing as he moves to join me on the beach.
I’m awkward, fidgeting with the things in my purse so I don’t have to look at him. I almost put my sandals back on, but I still think that will make it harder to climb the rocks.
My head feels slightly less foggy than it did before he kissed me, but I’m still cautious as I make my way across the rocks to the other side of the beach.
Dare falls into step beside me. I feel him looking at me as we approach the steps leading up to his back yard, but I don’t look back.
“Are we good?” he asks, finally breaking the silence.