Page 53 of Tutoring the Bad Boy
“I’m not a chicken.”
“Then do you trust me?”
She doesn’t even hesitate. “Yes.”
The second it leaves her lips, I dive in, t-shirt, jeans, and socks. I’d thought about taking my clothes off down to my boxers, but I didn’t want her to think I expected her to do that.
Emerging from the waves, I find Ginny with her hands to her mouth and her eyes wide. She’s just close enough…I take my hand and rake it across the top of the water, sending a spray of it toward her. She screams and giggles as she tries to dodge it.
“You’re going to pay for that.” She walks toward the water and dips her toe in.
I roll my eyes. “Come on. It’s warm.”
“I can’t. I’ll get my dress soaked.”
“Did you say you wanted your mom to catch you?”
She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, shaking her head. “I can’t believe I’m letting you talk me into this.”
Ginny holds her nose with her fingers, closes her eyes, and drops down into the water. A second later, she breaks the surface and wipes the water from her face.
I swim to her, stopping about a foot away.
“Not as warm as I wanted it to be.” She shivers and hugs herself.
“You get used to it,” I reply and close the distance between us, setting my hand on the small of her back.
When she lifts her gaze to mine, she palms my chest. No doubt she’s feeling my heart hammering against my ribs. Most of the people who were playing in the surf are gone, and the sun is melting into the horizon. I don’t think I could have picked a more romantic scene if I tried.
Between the crashing waves and the blood rushing in my ears, it feels like a wall has slammed down, separating us from the rest of the world. When Ginny lifts on her toes and presses her lips to mine, I’m both surprised and elated. She’s kissing me.
All of our kisses have been amazing, but this one? It’s different. Maybe because she started it. It means there’s a possibility that she has feelings for me too. The last two words hit me hard, but it’s the truth. I have feelings for her.
As the kiss continues, it deepens with a passion I’ve never experienced. There’s no plan, no scheme, nothing. It’s all wiped from my mind, and the only thing left is how much I never want it to end. Not just the kiss, but us. I…I like us. The sound of it. The feel of it. Everything.
Only, the rational part of my brain clicks on, and I know this can’t lead anywhere.
Pulling away, I feel an ache so profound I’m nearly doubled over. What’s worse, I can see it in her eyes too. But I don’t want to break her heart, and I can already feel mine crumbling into pieces.
“We should probably get you home soon,” I say, trying to catch my breath.
There’s a flash of sadness in her eyes, and then her expression softens. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I’m not looking forward to climbing that tree again.” She looks down at herself and laughs. “Especially in wet clothes.”
I chuckle. “I’ll help you.”
Actually, it’s a pretty warm night. By the time we walk back, we’ll have dried off a little. The silence between us has me wondering if she’s as disappointed that our date is ending as I am. Does that even accurately describe how I’m feeling? Honestly, I don’t know.
Once we reach Ginny’s house, I notice her sweats are gone from the mailbox. She sighs loudly. “Oh crud. Those were my favorite pants.”
Stolen? Hopefully. If they weren’t stolen, that means her mom has them. I’m torn between not wanting to get caught just yet and begging for mercy that this is our one and only date. Another kiss like that one at the beach, and I’m not sure I’ll survive the fallout.
I keep my thoughts about her mom to myself. “That’s crazy if someone stole them.”
“Who would do that?” Ginny looks from side to side on the empty street. My guess is, she’s trying to push away her suspicion too. I mean, it’s her mom. The woman is a bloodhound.
We finish the walk and stop at the base of the tree. Ginny looks up and then at me with terror in her eyes. “How are we going to do this?”
“I’ll give you a boost.”
