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"Listen, Julia," I say "I kno much your time with Lake means to you, I do Believe me, I do I want her to be there for you The fact that she wants to be here right now instead doesn’tShe just needs to process this That’s all You won’t lose her"

She runs her hands across her eyes, wiping away fresh tears She kicks at the ground beneath her foot, giving herself a second to gather her thoughts She eventually raises her head and looks ht in the eyes "You’re in love with her, aren’t you?"

I pause

Ah and claspso hard not to be," I say quietly, ad it to myself for the first time

When she hears my confession, she looks up at me, her expression stoic "Try harder, Will I need her I can’t have her wrapped up in this ind, forbidden roht now" Julia shakes her head then looks away again Her disappoints I’ve let her down

I take a step closer to her and look her in the eyes, h to keep "It doesn’t matter how I feel about her, okay? I don’t want her consu on between us any ht now, that’s all this is"

She hugs herself and looks past ht," she finally says "But only because I agree with you that she needs tiaze back tobut nod in agreement with her own nod, then turns to head home "You better sleep on the couch," she says over her shoulder

After Julia is back inside, I return to my own house and lock the front door I walk into the bedrooeone arm under her head and my other arm over her chest I pull her to me and hold her while she cries herself to sleep

13

the honey on to each other She’s resting her head on ainst htly, and she kisses razesmy collarbone, then up to my neck When she reaches my jaw, she pulls back and looks at me "I love you, Will Cooper," she says with tears in her eyes She leans in and presses her lips to s and places her hands on the back ofme with slow, deep kisses I don’t think she’s ever kissed me with such intensity and passion before It’s like she’s soh her kiss

I let her I let her thank ood five minutes

When her lips finally separate frorins "That was for loving me like you do"

She kicks off the wall and floats on her back across the pool When she reaches the other side, she props her elbows up behind her on the concrete ledge and s ere back in the hotel room already

"It’s too bad you likemischievously

"Why is that?"

She releases her grip on the ledge and brings her hand to the top button of her shirt "Because," she says in a sexy whisper "I’ it" She unbuttons the top button, revealing the outline of her bra As many times as I’ve seen that bra in the last twenty-four hours, it’s a whole hell of a lot sexier right now

"Oh," I say As much as I want that shirt off her, we’re in the courtyard of a hotel I look around nervously to make sure no one is out here When I look back at her, the second button is unbuttoned and her fingers are already working on the third She hasn’t taken her eyes off mine

"Lake"

"What?" she says innocently The fourth button is undone now and she’s working on the fifth

I slowly shake ood idea"

She slides the shirt halfway down her shoulders, revealing the entire bra now "Why not?"

I try to think of why it’s not a good idea, but I can’t I can’t think All I want to do is help her finish getting the damn shirt off I swim across the water and ease closer to her until our faces are just inches apart Without taking rasp the sleeves of her shirt and pull it the rest of the way down her arms, then yank it off completely I throw the shirt onto the concrete patio, then lower asps I lean in and whisper in her ear as I slide her zipper down "Why stop there?"

I thought I’d called her bluff, but I should know better than that She wraps one arm around my neck and helps hs and pull her flush against ain She braces her hands against the pool wall behind my head I sink us both lower until our chins are barely above the surface of the water

We’re pressed fir us are my jeans and her underwear, and one of these iteo I slide in to inch her panties down I pull the my hand farther down as I wait for her to call retreat

She breathes heavily against ainst the waves of the water Rather than call retreat, she closes her eyes, daring asps when I unclasp her bra with in to slide it off her

"Will," she says against my lips "What if someone comes out here?" She covers herself with her arms when the bra is completely off