I gulp at the filthy hint underneath his promise. My cheeks are on fire, embarrassed and turned on. The thrill of the stolen moment climbs my spine like the flash of lightning.
“Quit flirting over there and fight us!” Lucas calls, closing in on our position.
My stomach swoops. Are we that obvious?
“Show everyone what a fighter you are, Blair.” Devlin tilts his head, squinting at me with one eye closed against the sunshine. “They’re all watching you.”
Glancing to the shoreline, I see we’ve drawn a crowd.
Gemma lets out a wild yell as she and Lucas rush us. I throw my hands up as we crash together. We both grunt and giggle as we fight for victory. Gemma’s smile is infectious. The happy bubble I crushed earlier expands and pops inside.
This is fun. It feels nice to sit on Devlin’s shoulders, to feel his steady grip on my legs as my best friend laughs with me.
“Ah!”
Gemma gives me a look of surprise when I twist her hands to the side. She tips over Lucas’s shoulders, taking him down with her because her legs are twined around his chest.
“Winners!” Devlin pumps his fists in the air, spinning in place.
He leans back and we crash into the water. I splutter as he pulls me to the surface with a sure grip. Water clings to my lashes and clumps his inky black ones, creating tiny spikes around his eyes. Droplets of water dot his lips. He can touch the bottom of the lake, but it’s too deep for me to reach without treading water.
“We won.” Pinning me with his gaze, Devlin grips under my thighs and wraps my legs around his waist.
Under the water, I feel his abs between my thighs, pressed against my pussy. Devlin drops his rapt attention to my lips.
I’m trapped by the tether tugging between us.
There’s nowhere to go. Nowhere I want to go. I’m right where I should be.
Devlin takes my chin between his thumb and forefinger. My breath catches as he meets my gaze. There’s a silent question in his eyes. One I need to answer.
This time there’s no promise of payment.
It’s different. And I want it.
I lean forward a fraction, pleading without words. Devlin releases a rough sound and swoops in, sealing his lips over mine. I close my eyes as we come together in a rush of lips and tongues.
Devlin’s kiss is like a black hole. It swallows me up, and I’m diving in head first, desperate for more.
If Devlin staked his claim over me in front of everyone earlier with one small gesture, he devours me with his kiss, branding me from the inside out. His tongue puts me under a spell as his strong arm keeps me in place against his hard body.
We’re so absorbed in kissing, we don’t hear the others until someone drives us apart with a loud coyote howl—the universal Silver Lake High call. It’s Bishop.
Gemma and Lucas are on the other side of us with matching expressions, seeming pleasantly surprised by this development between Devlin and I.
I touch my lips. I can’t believe I kissed Devlin, and the world didn’t end in fury and hellfire.
Devlin squeezes me and grumbles under his breath. “Goddamn cockblockers.”
“You can make out later,” Bishop says slyly.
He splashes us and I gasp, clinging to Devlin.
“Oh, it’s on, Bishop,” Lucas says, joining in with his own splash attack.
“Hold on.” Devlin maneuvers me around to hang from his back, piggybacking me to free his hands for retaliation. I snort at his flailing attacks. “Are you just going to sit back there like a damn barnacle?”
“I don’t know.” I lean up, affecting a regal tone. “I think I like this throne.”