Adore Me

“I know.”

Just as he’s about to reply, the breeze blows grass and leaves around us in a little circle.

“Did you see the movie Pocahontas?” he asks.

“Yeah.”

“That breeze was like the colors of the wind. The earth is telling you to jump with me.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah, don’t you remember how she jumped off the waterfall? This is nothing compared to that. Just a little old cliff.”

I shake my head no.

“Hmm,” he says, pulling me into his arms. “The Disney references didn’t work. Guess I’m go

“What big guns?”

He touches my face gently, looks into my soul, and says, “Do you trust me?”

I close my eyes and for the first time since Vincent tried to kidnap me, I listen to my heart. “Yes.”

He kisses me then whispers, “Then jump with me.”

I start to get tears in my eyes. I know this is just a stupid jump, but it feels like so much more.

I nod.

He turns and faces the edge, grabs my hand tightly, and says, “Run!”

I scream as we flail through the air and drop for what seems like both forever and an instant.

When we hit the water, I open my eyes and swim to the surface.

For a second, I can’t find Aiden.

Panic spreads through me. Where is he? Did he hit his head? Did he not come up?

I frantically scan the surface of the water looking for any sign of him. Then I spin around to find him just behind me.

“We made it,” he says, pulling me close and kissing me. “What a freaking rush!”

“What the hell is that?” Damian says.

“What’s what?”

Damian points at us. I look down in the water and see bubbles all around us.

“What the hell?” Aiden says too, scooping up a handful and examining them.

I start laughing.

“What’s so fu

“I . . . have . . . bubbles . . .” I manage to choke out between laughs.

“Like, bubble bath?” Peyton says, trying to understand.

“Yeah, we took a bubble bath at my loft, and Aiden had that swimsuit on.”

“You took a bubble bath wearing a swimsuit?” Damian laughs. “There’s something just wrong with that.”

But Aiden and I don’t care. We can’t stop laughing.

Or kissing.

We make the long hike back to the top of the cliff, then drive to the nearest town, have fried fish at a shack on the beach, and head back to the house.

Totally did the deed.

2pm

Damian and I are lying in the sun while Peyton and Aiden are inside talking to their parents on the phone.

Damian squints at me. “You two are awfully tight today. You totally did the deed last night.”

I shake my head at him. “No,” I say, like the deed is the grossest thing ever.

“Something happened.”

I blush and look completely guilty.

“Tell me what happened,” he demands.

“Um, well, I touched it.”

“You touched what?”

“It. You know, his boy part.”

Damian snickers. “Seriously, Keats, you shouldn’t be touching it if you aren’t mature enough to say it. Besides, what’s the big deal?”

“Shut up. And it’s a big deal for us. I mean, I still haven’t actually seen it, but I kinda felt it.”

“Felt it, or did something to it?”

“Fine. I did something to it with my hand.”

“That would be called a hand job, Keats. Say it with me now. H-a-n-d J-o-b.”

I smack him. “I can say hand job. I just didn’t really want to. At least not in reference to Aiden.”

“He’s spent the weekend at your loft. He’s sleeping in your bed. Have you gotten naked with him?”

“Speaking of naked. I saw you and Peyton ski

“Oh, that was fun. You should try it. And why haven’t you been naked? What are you waiting for?”

“You know why, Damian. Because it will just make it harder to say goodbye.”

He glances at Aiden, who’s beaming as he walks out of the great room doors, making his way down to the beach, spiked tropical smoothies in hand.

“The way he’s been gri

I cover my ears. “Don’t say it. Oh, God, I shouldn’t have touched it, should I? I’m totally leading him on. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”

“Now that sounds like more fun.”

“So, does the fact that you’re following Peyton around like she’s a piece of steak mean you haven’t yet?”

“I don’t want her to think this is just a hookup, so I’m trying to be good. But, damn, if she doesn’t have the most amazing mouth.”

“Like for kissing, you mean?”

Damian coughs. “For kissing something.”

“Oh. God. No. I don’t need that visual, please. You showed me yours when we were twelve and I still haven’t fully recovered.”

“It was so massive it scared you?”

“No, it was a disgusting limp-looking little thing. And I couldn’t possibly fathom how sex actually worked.”

Damian smiles. “So then I showed you that magazine.”

I cover my face with my hands. “Please make him stop,” I say to Aiden, who joins us, holding my drink out in front of me.

“Stop what?”

Damian smirks. “Why don’t you tell him what we were discussing, Keats? Peyton and I are going to kayak for a bit.”

When Peyton walks out of the house, Damian jumps up, kisses her in greeting, then grabs her hand and pulls her toward the boat.

Aiden puts his smoothie glass against mine. “This is really good. So, what were you talking about?”

“Seeing a, um, penis for the first time.”

“Is it an embarrassing story?”

“No, I just . . . it’s just hard to comprehend the mechanics of sex when you’re young and you see it in its, um, natural state.”

“Natural state? Like, out in the wild?”

“No, not in the wild. I saw a boy’s—” I wave my hand slowly across my body. “—in its natural state.”

“As opposed to its u

“Its, um, softer state,” I finally say, trying not to think about how his felt in my hand. How I wanted to rip those sliders off his body. Touch it. Feel it. Taste it.

He leans in. “You’re thinking about last night right now, aren’t you?”

I feel my cheeks turn red. Why am I such a prude about sex when it comes to Aiden? You’d think I’d never done it before. “I, uh . . .”

Aiden arches an eyebrow at me. “Maybe tonight you can see it in its, uh, u

“Swim with the dolphins. But that’s not going to happen.”

“Yeah, it is. We’re lucky when we’re together.”

“We’re not allowed to take the wave ru

“I’m never bored when I’m with you.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” I laugh, grabbing my drink and heading to dock. I get the wave ru

“That’s fine with me,” he says, grabbing my waist, pulling me onto his lap, and kissing the back of my neck. “I’ll just do this. You can be on lookout.” He moves my ponytail off to one side and continues kissing my neck while his hands move up my stomach to caress my bikini top.

When his hand slides under my top, I laugh and say, “You’re going to scare them away.”

“Turn around so I can kiss you,” he tells me. Then he laughs. “Maybe I should untie these strings and toss your top in the water. I bet all the boy dolphins will come ru

“I don’t think dolphins can run,” I reply teasingly as I stand up carefully then turn around and sit on his lap.