Page 27 of Paper Hearts

“You wanna go for a ride?” he asks, standing up so his chest and incredibly tone stomach can be seen. Holy shit, sixteen looks good on him. Now I know exactly what I’d do locked in a closet with him. Okay, I don’t know, but I have a better idea. And I’d definitely let him touch me.

“What?”

“Take a ride with me!” he yells a little louder, so his voice carries over the high-pitched scream of Walker’s Jet Ski.

Arya screams her hello, waving her arms frantically, before cupping her new breasts to show me she finally filled out that Ed Hardy bathing suit. “Hads! I got tits!”

Ender smirks and brings his Jet Ski closer to the dock. “No you didn’t.”

Arya sits on her Jet Ski, letting it idle in the water. She turns the handlebars to guide it away from the dock before it hits the bumpers. “Shut up, fuckface. I did too.”

I give Arya the thumbs-up and toss my bag at my feet. “I don’t have my suit on yet,” I tell Ender as he bumps his Jet Ski against the bumpers and scoots forward for me to get on with him.

“You won’t get wet.” He stares up at me. Shocking lost blues I’ve missed so much wander to my legs and then higher. I don’t know the look on his face, but it’s one I haven’t seen. He licks his lips, winks, and mumbles, “Unless I make you.”

What the heck does that mean?My heart dives in my stomach. Literally. It’s not supposed to be down that low, but this boy, he makes my body do all kinds of things I’ve never experienced before.

He helps me on, removes his life vest, and puts it on me. “Hang on.”

“Don’t go too fast,” I beg, wrapping my arms around his bare stomach and scooting my butt closer. I inhale deeply, smiling. Yep. He smells exactly like I remember. Sun, gasoline, and maybe even sweat.

His stomach moves, flexes underneath my hands, and in the process of trying to get as close as possible to him so I don’t fall off, my hand falls to his freaking crotch. So embarrassing. I move it quickly, but I think I touched it. I’m pretty sure I did.

Ender laughs and sucks his stomach in a quick breath. “What are you doing back there?”

“Trying to get closer,” I whine, my cheeks so hot it’s like I’m already sunburnt. “I’m afraid I’m going to fall off.”

Our eyes meet over his shoulder. “Do you trust me?”

I’m not sure how to answer that, but I go with my gut. I shake my head, our faces mere inches apart. “No.”

He swallows, searching my eyes and I think maybe, again, he might kiss me, but he doesn’t. “Good. You shouldn’t.”

There’s a deeper meaning behind those words, don’t you think?

Turning around, he twists the key. I hold on as tightly as I can. Other than last summer when Arya and I took the Jet Skis for a spin when Ender and his friends were at practice, this is my first real ride on one.

Pressed against his back, my hands splay against his stomach. His chest heaves as he maneuvers the machine, stomach muscles flexing as he does so. Streaks of water fly past, traveling at impossible speeds. My legs wrap a little tighter when I start bouncing around.

“You hangin’ on back there?” he yells over his shoulder, shaking away the spray of water Walker jets up at us.

There’s no way he can possibly hear me, so I squeeze his waist a little tighter, my answer.

He laughs, which should have been my warning. That’s the instant he starts acting like a freaking maniac on the thing. He throws the death machine from side to side, trying to throw me off like it’s a damn game.

“Stop!” I shout. “I’m going to fall off.”

Arya and Walker come closer, Myles on the back of Walker’s, laughing. Ender’s body tenses when he notices Myles on Walker’s jet ski. “You hurt my brother and I’ll chop your fuckin’ dick off, man.”

I gasp. I’d never heard him talk like that, but then again, he’s older, more mature, and definitely just as wild as ever.

And then I’m dumped off the back when Ender tries to jump a wave made by Arya.

“Ender!” I scream, flailing through the air and then slap awkwardly into the water.

I surface immediately, glaring at the boy who said I shouldn’t trust him. He was right. I shouldn’t.

He comes back around, grinning. “I thought you were hangin’ on?”

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