A new wetsuit hung in the back room, tags still on. The suit was shorter and way, way nicer. The spongey Neoprene was smooth, and the logo on the front wasn抰 a brand carried in the shop. I ran my fingers over it.
揟his is my suit??
He nodded, the corner of his mouth ticking up.
揧ou didn抰 have to do this.?I glanced at him, leaning against the wall, looking so casual and nonchalant. Apathetic, even. 揑 don抰 mind wearing the suit I usually wear.?
揟hat suit sucks. You抳e graduated past it.?A smile lifted on his mouth. 揟oo many people have peed in that suit.?
A horrified laugh burst out of me. 揘o! What??
He nodded and winced. 揙h, yeah.?He shrugged. 揘ow you can be the only person to pee in this suit.?
I dissolved into laughter, shaking my head. 揑 would never.?
His eyes sparkled. 揑t抯 fine, bookworm. You don抰 have to lie to me. Besides,?he added, 搚ou抳e been doing great lately. With everything.?
Delight pitched in my chest at his praise and we smiled at each other.
I thought about our kiss for the millionth time.
His mouth against mine, the noise he made when his tongue stroked against mine, his hard chest under my hands. His hand in my hair, taking control and tipping my head back.
His gaze dropped to my lips. Something zinged in me, an ache between my legs.
揥e should talk about the other night.?He was still staring at my mouth, gaze intense.
I swallowed and nodded.
揑 shouldn抰 have done that.?He raked a hand through his hair and I remembered tugging on it, and the sound of pleasure in his throat.
Wait, what?
揥hy not??
He winced. 揑抦 not supposed to be棓 He gestured between us. 揟his isn抰 that.?
I deflated like a balloon with a hole in it. A slow, pathetic sink.
Wyatt regretted kissing me.
I chewed the inside of my lip and stared at the floor. My face heated, and I knew a blush creeped down my neck. Wyatt was still the hot guy from high school and I was the shy, invisible girl standing on the sidelines. The nerd in the bookstore. Of course he didn抰 want to get involved that way with me.
I crossed my arms over my chest. My stomach tightened and I frowned but tried to erase it. The only thing more embarrassing than Wyatt regretting making out with me would be him pitying me.
揃ookworm??
I blinked up at him as he leaned on the wall beside us. He watched me with curiosity, with something else behind it I couldn抰 place.
I thought about him in my bedroom. He had said it himself, he couldn抰 stay away. He couldn抰 stop thinking about me that day.
Because I had a date with Beck. So he was jealous because someone else was playing with his toy.
I blew a frustrated breath out of my nose. 揑 don抰 have any grand delusions, you know.?
He frowned. 揥hat??
I shrugged. 揑t抯 not like I think you and I are going to get married on the beach and skip off into the sunset holding hands.?I rolled my eyes and pulled my shirt over my head. I already had my swimsuit on underneath.
Wyatt抯 gaze dropped to my chest. His jaw ticked. He turned around and crossed his arms.
And that is how I knew he wanted to kiss me again. Because when we started surf lessons? He didn抰 react like this.
A zap of that boldness hit me, the same feeling when I was about to jump up on my board when the wave was right behind me. The same feeling when I reached out the artist about the mural. The same feeling when I lifted up onto my tip toes the other night and kissed Wyatt.
Wyatt wanted me as much as I wanted him, but something held him back.
I wasn抰 going to make it easy on him.
I slipped off my shorts. 揑 needed someone to practice with.?
He rubbed the back of his neck, still facing the other way. 揑s that a new swimsuit??
揧es. Don抰 change the subject.?I had seen the two-piece in the window of a shop in town targeted towards tourists with overpriced swimsuits, flip flops, and beach bags with Queen抯 Cove stamped all over them. The green palm print was so pretty, fun, and summery that I made an impulse purchase.
And it pushed my boobs up. It showed off my stomach, which had developed a hint of abs over the past few weeks from surfing and trying to balance on my board. I wanted to look cute. Not for Wyatt. For myself.
Wyatt cleared his throat. 揧ou don抰 need practice. Do you need help with the wetsuit??He glanced over his shoulder, took one glance at me, muttered fuck, and whipped his head back around.
Interesting. A little smile grew on my mouth. 揘ope.?
揟hen hurry up.?
I suppressed a laugh at his impatient, frustrated tone, so unlike him.
This swimsuit was proving to be a worthwhile purchase.
My mind buzzed and I rubbed my lips together, narrowing my eyes at his back. What was this feeling coursing through me? I felt?strong, like I held the power in this situation. I dangled something in front of Wyatt like a cat, toying with him.