Page 35 of Made for You

“I like it, too,” I say in a low voice, not that that will stop the mics from picking it up, but still. “I feel like I can trust you with all of my firsts.”

The atmosphere changes. He glides closer. Only his shoulders are above the waterline, solid, glistening. Our bodies underneath are blue, smooth, ghostly. When he’s right in front of me, I place one of my hands on each of his shoulders, wrapping my fingers around the solid muscle. I’m aware of every breath, every droplet of water, every millimeter separating our bodies. I dip my chin and look up at him shyly, feeling the kiss of my wet lashes against my cheeks as I blink slowly.

“Julia, what are you doing to me?” he breathes, and then, he’s kissing me.

This time, I’m more prepared for the sensations that follow. The heat in my stomach. The feeling of melting into Josh, the water, the moment.

There’s pressure on the small of my back, spanning the line of my bikini bottom. His hand, pressing me closer, until we’re locked hip to hip. I can feel every hard contour of his fitting into every soft hollow of mine. My breath comes short. He pulls away and looks into my eyes. His look is possessive, and I love it.

“You got a sunburn,” he says, and tenderly lifts the halter strap of my bikini top.

“Oh.” I crane to see. The skin is a little pink, with a white line running through. “I guess someone did a bad job putting suntan lotion on me.”

“Am I bad, Julia?” he says with a glint in his eyes.

“No,” I say. “You’re too good to be true.”

Still holding the strap off my skin, he lowers his head and kisses the white line, following its length from the corner of my bikini where it tucks under my arm, up across my chest, and finally around the side of my neck. My head falls back. Holy hell.

“Is this okay?” he asks, pulling back again. I don’t have to see myself in a mirror to know I’m flushed, like all the blood is rushing across my skin to meet these new sensations.

“Yeah,” I gasp. Then, my body weak and soft and helpless in his arms, I whisper the only word I can manage. “More.”

His mouth sinks into mine and my legs instinctually float up in the water to surround his waist. My fingers find the silky-wet hair at the base of his neck. He braces his forearm against my back and I tighten my legs in response. Now my face is above his, and I’m the one to press down, deepening our kiss, drawing a groan from Josh.

My entire body feels swollen with desire. If there weren’t cameras watching, I’d peel off my bikini. I want to know what it feels like for all of me to touch him. For us to be completely melded, no barriers. Then, like a wet slap, I remember them.

The other girls.

“What’s wrong?” he says.

“I—Nothing.” I bite my lip. I didn’t plan this, and it’s probably not strategic, but I can’t hold it in. “Today was...everything. I think I might be starting to fall for you, and...” I trace his jawline with a single finger. “I’m scared, Josh. I’ve known you for...less than two weeks. These feelings—” I shake my head.

“Don’t be scared, Miss Julia.” He tucks my hair behind my ear, his touch achingly tender.

I cup my wet hands on either side of his face. My voice is a whisper. “You could break my heart.”

He doesn’t answer, but tips his head so our foreheads meet, resting against each other as our bodies slowly calm, as our breathing evens out, as our heads clear.

All day, it’s been so easy to pretend it’s just Josh and me, falling in love. Everything was designed for us to have the perfect day, wholly focused on each other.

But the reality is, there are fifteen other girls still in this competition.

My words hang in the air between us. And I can hear Josh’s unspoken response, written in his silence.

Yes, I could.

THE LOS ANGELES OBSERVER

Next Gen Bots Are Here to Stay...and They Want Rights

By Alicia McIntire

Bot Rights have left the arena of the theoretical and the dystopian and have been blasting their way into conversations about civil rights via celebrity Synth twins Christi and Chrystel of Keeping Up with the Synths fame.

“There’s only three of us now, but a lot of people are talking about a Synth Boom happening over the next ten years,” says Chrystel from her Los Angeles home during our exclusive interview. “It’s our responsibility to smooth the path for future Synths, so that they don’t have to go through what we have.”

The Synth twins, designed for billionaire brothers Jay and Matt Klavson, were married to their respective “clients” within a month of their Launch Days, all documented in Season 1 of their hit show, which has just been renewed for its fourth season. Their manufacturer, BotTech, has declined all interviews, but an anonymous insider said the company continues to be “strictly anti-Bot rights. No one’s buying a product that can just walk off.”

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