Page 16 of Kissing Flynn

Shit. Smooth, asshole. Real smooth.

“That would be great,” she says, surprising me.

And herself, too, I think.

“Meet you in the hall in fifteen?” she goes on before either of us can backtrack.

“Sounds like a plan,” I say.

I give her one last smile and head for the door. I look back to see her still watching me as I pull it open and step out. I hold the smile as I close it, then take a deep breath before heading into my own room next door, my mind reeling.

Could this be a new start for us? Do I want it to be?

I’ve been angry for far too long. And I miss the easy friendship we shared before that night. My body tenses at the thought. I can still feel her lips on mine, and though I would never admit it out loud, I really want to feel them again.

Of course, that can and will never happen, so I try to put the thought out of my mind. Friends is good. We still have a long way to go to get there, but it will be worth the work.

Pulling open a dresser drawer, I pull out my board shorts and an old t-shirt with the sleeves cut out. Undressing quickly, I tug on the pool attire and grab a towel from the bathroom before checking the time on my phone.

I still have ten minutes to kill before meeting Max, so I sit on the edge of my bed to text Milo.

Me: So, big news. Max and I talked, and we kind of cleared the air. We’re going to go hang by the pool together this morning. I think we might be able to fix our friendship.

I send the text, and a second later, I get the “read” receipt. I wait for Milo to text back, watching as the little dots appear and disappear several times. When his reply finally comes through, it’s a simple thumbs-up emoji.

My brow wrinkles as I try to analyze that response. As freaked out as Milo sounded last night that we were in the same place together, a simple emoji seems…anticlimactic. I’d geared myself up to dispute any warnings or negativity he may send my way, and now that he hasn’t said a word, literally, I feel a bit deflated. Disappointed, almost, which is ridiculous.

I hear Max’s door open and click shut, and all thoughts of Milo disappear. Hopping up, I shove my phone into my pocket and rush to the door on light feet. Pausing to take a calming breath, I open the door and step out into the hall as casually as possible. As I pull the door closed behind me, I look over to see Max and freeze.

Only my eyes move as I take her in. She’s wearing a black bikini with nothing but a lace sarong tied around her hips. Black sandals complete the outfit, and I have to swallow quickly before the saliva pooling in my mouth dribbles out.

Holy shit. She looks amazing.

“You ready?” she asks, when I just stand there, rooted to the spot.

“Oh, yeah,” I say, snapping out of the paralysis and locking my door behind me.

She lifts her hand, and I notice the wide-brimmed sunhat she’s clutching for the first time. She plops it on her head and waits for me to join her before turning to head toward the stairs. Her fragrance wafts in my direction as we walk silently, a familiar blend of fresh scents that takes me back to the night she straddled my lap and kissed me.

My dick twitches, and I do everything in my power to tame the damn thing.

God, is this a mistake?

And if it is, do I even care?

Eleven

Max

I’m trying really hard not to look at Flynn’s smooth, muscled arms. The large cut-outs in his t-shirt reveal peeks of his equally toned torso as we walk down the hall, and hell, maybe I should’ve suggested the library instead of the pool.

He’s not interested in me like that. Never was. I can still hear Milo’s voice in my ear as he told me what Flynn said that night. I was a mistake. The biggest of his life.

I can’t forget that while we spend time together this week.

I keep my eyes to myself as we head down the stairs, and when we get out to the pool area, I’m excited to find four of the other writers milling around. Not only will their presence give Flynn and me a chance to gather some intel, it means I won’t be alone with him. Because if no one else was out here, I’d have nothing to focus on but him.

And that would be dangerous.

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