“Do you want me to prove the fundamental theorem of calculus on this patio with my lipstick? Because bitch, I’ll do it.” His jaw goes slack, and she turns her attention to Tyler. “You’ve been looking out for mygirl.”
“Someone’s got to,” Tyleranswers.
Pen smirks. “Gasp,Adams.”
“Your girl knows exactly what she’s doing,” Brandon weighs in. “Lil’ sis was a serious cockblock lastnight.”
He grins at Tyler, who’s shooting him a death glare, before returning toPen.
“It’s obvious the whole ‘come play our party’ thing was Trish’s excuse to get our boy on campus for a little extra-credit homework. Then you show up”—he nods at me— “and Ty’s gone allnight.”
I take a sip of my drink. “Sorry.”
“Like fuck you are,” Brandoncackles.
It’s true. Learning that girl is Tyler’s tutor made me feel like he didn’t bail on me for someone else—not in January, not even thisweek.
Has Tyler slept with anyone since he movedhere?
Maybe that’s why he’s so broody and repressed. The guy needs to getlaid.
“You girls going to use the pool or just gawk at it?” Brandon grabs Pen’s glass, drains it despite her squeak of protest, then jumps—cup still in hand—into thepool.
I stare at Tyler over the rim of my glass, and his gaze warms onmine.
“Brandon’s right.” I rise, adjusting my swimsuit, then toss my hat on the patio and yank my hair up into a messy topknot. I brush past Tyler and cannonball into thewater.
When I come up, I hear cheering from Brandon and squealing from Pen, who carefully steps over the edge into the shallowend.
Tyler’s the last one in, but I can’t take my eyes off him when he disappears below the surface or when he emerges once more, tossing his wet hair back with a grin that makes my stomachflip.
Last night with Tyler feltexhilarating.
We both have reasons to be weighed down, but hanging with him, like it was us against the world, was a rush I didn’texpect.
The news of his dad’s blackmail, or whatever you want to call it, made me angrier than anything I canremember.
My dad’s never made me feel like I owed him. Even the shock of my birth mom showing up, the secret I’ve been carrying around about the letter that lives in my desk upstairs, feels small and less dramatic bycomparison.
I want to track Tyler’s dad down and chew him out. I want to tell him he doesn’t deserve to have a son who’s talented and capable, one who’s resourceful enough to fend for himself when his parentsdon’t.
Iwant…
God, I want so many things withTyler.
I shouldn’t, but I can’t seem tostop.
We splash around for a while, trying to keep a volleyball in the air. Eventually I pause on the wall to catch my breath, watching Pen and Brandon fall into teasingconversation.
“Hey.” I gasp as I realize Tyler’s sneaked up on me in the pool. My gaze pulls to his abs and the water that licks at his stomach a couple inches above the waistband of hisshorts.
“What is that?” heasks.
I glance down at the ink sticking out the top of my bikini bottom and mentally curse that I forgot to scrub it off. “Just words. I write things I want toremember.”
“Like ‘buymilk’?”
I put my hands on my hips. “No. Like ‘be fearless’ or ‘open yourheart.’”