Page 93 of Wallflower

"We trust you, Viola," she'd said. "Right, Becks?"

"Yeah," Dad had said, sounding reluctant. "Call if you need anything, and don't stay out past curfew."

"I won't, Dad."

"And tell Dare I'll tear his limbs off one by one if he touches you," he added.

I'd laughed, but he didn't.

"I'm serious, Viola."

"I absolutely willnottell him that," I'd said. "He's your best player, and I want DHS to win state. A limbless Dare may endanger that possibility."

Dad had grunted.

And now, here I was following Dare into his frankly humongous house, walking past all of the fine furnishings and into the backyard where there was, indeed, a pool.

"Okay, Viola, swimming is a very important skill," he said. His brow arched as he added, "Especially if you go jumping into bodies of water all the time."

I rolled my eyes. "This was a first. Like I told you, I was worried for Hermione."

Dare nodded and walked down some steps into the shallow end.

In the next second, he'd pulled his shirt off and threw it to the pool deck. Oh my, I thought. I didn't think I'd ever get over the sight of a shirtless Dare Frost. I wondered if he could see the hearts in my eyes as I gazed at him. My still damp t-shirt felt warmer than it had only moments ago.

"Well, don’t keep me waiting, flower," he said. "This is for your benefit after all."

Was he referring to his half-nakedness?

Because I definitely felt blessed by the sight in front of me.

Toeing off my shoes (that were soggy anyway from my impromptu swan dive), I made my way hesitantly to the steps. I used the rail to walk down them, feeling the cool water getting higher and higher. The water only came to Dare's hips. But since he was taller, it hit me at waist-level.

I looked up at Dare and crossed my arms.

"Okay, I'm in," I said.

"Yeah, I can see that," he said.

When he kept staring, I added, "I hope you don't think I'm taking off my shirt."

Dare gave me a half-smile. "You can if you want."

"No thanks," I said, gesturing to his body. "Not all of us look that amazing under our clothes."

"I'd love to be the judge of that," he said.

I frowned. "You're not funny."

"Who said I was joking?" He went on before I could form a response. "Anyway, since we've established, you're going to be boring and keep all your clothes on—"

"Hey, I removed my shoes and socks." I sniffed. "Those count."

Dare shook his head. "We'll work on floating first just to get you used to the water."

"You don't have to do this," I said as he took a step closer.

"Yeah, I do." Placing his hand in the middle of my back, he said, "Just lean back, Vi. I've got you."

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