Page 131 of Connectio
“Ooooh.” I laugh. “You’re game.”
We float in a circle as Derek sings about not being scared and to just kiss the girl, and I blush, waiting for my kiss, when Carly squawks, “Ya ya ya yaaaaa,” just like Scuttle did in the movie.
The ear-piercing noise echoes across the lake, and I fear she just unintentionally called an entire colony of the things. That, or she’s about to find a mate.
“A seagull suits her,” Will says.
Throwing my head back in laughter, I almost roll out of the boat.
“Whoa, sweetheart.” He steadies me and leans forward, the music dying down as our crazy friends all whisper into the microphone, “Kiss the girl.”
His eyes meet mine, and he reaches into his pocket. I draw in a breath, my heart pounding so hard I’m scared it’ll beat right through my chest.
Biting my lip, I blink when he pulls out a piece of chewing gum, unwraps it, and pops it into his mouth. Is he kidding me?
“Gum?” he offers, holding out the packet.
I almost frown but stop myself. “No, thanks.” I force a smile but don’t have to try too hard, because—let’s face it—what he’s organised is incredibly sweet.
The gang whisper again, “Kiss the girl.”
He cups my jaw and kisses me softly before pulling back. “You ready?”
My eyes grow wide, my heart hammering once again. “For what?”
The damn jerk deliberately tips the boat, and we splash into the water, coldness swirling all over my body as I flail to the surface, coughing.
“Will!” I tread water, only to find it’s shallow enough to stand. “What did you do that for?”
He flicks water from his head and lunges for me, securing me in his arms as he twirls us in a circle. “I had to make it authentic.”
Remembering Eric and Ariel did, in fact, end up in the water, I laugh and whack his chest. “You sure did that!”
Pushing away from him, keen to get to the shore, he secures me once again, holds me tight, and says, “I love you, Elizabeth Hanson. And I told you I’d give you your fairy tale.” He gestures to our crazy friends and the surrounding lake. “This is me doing that.”
“Oh, Will.” I slide my hands up the back of his neck and pull him to my lips.
He’s cold but warm, his skin wet and slippery as our hungered mouths ravish one another’s.
“I can’t believe you watched The Little Mermaid,” I mumble between kisses.
“Believe it.”
“How? Where?”
“At Bryce and Lexis’s. Bryce even tried to make me watch Lady and the Tramp as well. Weirdo.”
I grab his face and kiss him again, in awe of everything that he is and does. “I love you too, Will.”
“Get a room!” Alexis calls out.
Carly whistles.
Laughing, I flip them the bird.
“Watch out for the eels!” Charlotte shouts.
Will pulls back. “Eels?” He looks between us into the murky water. “What is she talking about?”
