Page 44 of The Love Interest
Most of the spots in our row are already taken, occupied by guys in various stages of undress. I check them out, then realize what I’m doing is out of character, so I turn to Trevor. He’s also looking at the other guys, but it’s pretty clear he’s just sizing them up as threats rather than, well, appreciating them in the way that I do.
He notices me staring and points to two free seats. We make our way to them and sit down. My eyes snap open as the bare skin of my lower back starts to sizzle. I leap forward and rub the middle of my back with one hand, then lean forward so my back doesn’t touch the backrest. Still, I can feel the heat of the seat through the thin material of my shorts.
“To answer your question, Juliet is the smartest person I know,” says Trevor, who is seemingly oblivious to the hellfire he’s sitting on. “If I figured it out, she probably has as well.”
But you haven’t got it figured out. You’re so wrong it hurts.
Dyl appears out of the bathroom and starts walking toward us. He’s wearing a black T-shirt and track pants, and his hair is swept back behind his ears. He reaches the sign-in area and quickly signs in. Then he walks up to our row and picks the seat right next to mine. I sit up straighter and breathe out.Come on, man, don’t blush. That’s embarrassing.But he’s about to take his shirt off, I know he is, and I’m also shirtless, which is making the whole thing feel dangerously sexy. Like he could grab me at any moment and kiss me and I’d finally find out what it’s like to touch another guy’s naked chest. My stupid body betrays me, and I go kinda hard and my cheeks grow warm.Fan-freaking-tastic.
Dyl glances at me, then, silently, he pulls his shirt up and over his head.
His torso is even better than I thought it’d be. It’s not textbook Bad, because he’s not like a body builder, but I like what he has way more. He’s slim, but he’s got serious muscle definition, ticking off the classic hot-boy trio of pecs, abs, and abdominal V. And that’s not even mentioning his biceps. God, his biceps are a joke. Most of his torso is smooth, but a small amount of dark hair covers his chest. I didn’t think I was a chest-hair type of guy, but judging by the erratic things my heart is doing at the moment, I totally am. With a smirk, Dyl takes his track pants off, and I go even harder, because imagine if we were alone in a bedroom and he did that?
He drops the track pants and starts rolling his right shoulder. Now he’s wearing black trunks, and they’re sort of tight and they make him look so freaking good. They’re pulled down just enough to show the green waistband of his underwear, which Judy must’ve told him to do; it draws attention to his abs and to his underwear itself.
This is a major problem, because I’m fully hard now and I’m going to have to stand up soon.Crap!I lick my dry lips and try to think of anything other than Dyl’s bare chest, but it’s like he’s giving off this weird warmth, and I can feel this strange, sexy-as-hell energy in the space between us.
Farts. Old people falling over. Puppies. Old people having sex.
A horn blares and Trevor stands up.Shit!Old people doing nasty stuff to each other is doing the trick, and I’ve calmed down enough that I’m pretty sure my crotch won’t draw any attention. I take in a deep breath then stand up with Trevor, keeping my eyes as far away from Dyl as I can, just in case the mere sight of him is enough to cause a boner aftershock. Still, his chest lingers in my memory. I focus on the speckled concrete and try as hard as I can to dislodge the image.
The sun warms my bare shoulders, making my skin feel golden. Copying Trevor, I step onto the block and look out at the long stretch of still blue water that’s waiting for me. I roll my shoulders and chance a look at Dyl.
He’s staring right at me. He winks.
The horn blares, and I’m struck with a second of confusion. Dyl leaps forward, his arms pointed in front of him.
Go, Caden, go!
I leap forward and smash into the pool, my chest slapping the water so hard it instantly starts to sting. I kick my legs and straighten up, but everyone else is already half a body length in front of me.
He winked he winked he winked.
Why would he do that?
His face is stuck in my mind, the confident tilt of his stubbly chin, his long, dark eyelashes, his scarily knowing smile. Did he notice that I was larger than normal?Ignore him.It’s what I have to do. I kick my legs harder and pull my open palms through the water. I fall into a rhythm and pick up speed. Now I’m close to the others. The blue-tiled wall is up ahead. I give one last kick and move my hands forward.
I touch the wall. Breathless, I stand up and take in a few gulps of air before checking the scoreboard. I came in fifth! I officially didn’t lose!
“Not bad for a newbie,” calls Trevor. He’s smiling a huge smile.
“Did you do it?” I ask.
“I’m not sure, but I think so! It felt really fast.”
We high-five. Trevor pushes himself up and out of the pool. I figure if I attempt to copy him I’ll slip and look like an awkward fool, so I make my way over to the ladder. When I reach the top, I notice that Natalie and Juliet are standing on the edge of the grass, holding towels. Natalie shrieks and runs into Trevor’s arms. She slaps into his body and he picks her up.
“Twenty-three ten!” she calls. “I told you you’d do it!”
“Holy shitballs!”
“You did it, babe! If you can do that again at nationals, then you’ll definitely make the team.”
I reach Juliet. She offers me a white towel.
“Thanks,” I say, grabbing it and rubbing my hair.
Someone touches my arm for a second, then shoves me. I totter a few steps to the right, and Dyl takes my place in front of Juliet. I’m sort of expecting her to be looking at him with outrage for pushing me. But she’s not, and I can hardly blame her. A dripping-wet punk rock Adonis is bare-chested right in front of her. His hair spikes over his forehead, and it makes his eyes look even greener, almost like they’re emerald.
