Say You Still Love Me(31)

It dawns on me then. “Those coordinates are for this spot, aren’t they?”

He winces against the sun’s glare as he peers at me. “Look at you. You’re kind of smart, aren’t you?”

I shrug, feeling my cheeks flush. “Sometimes.”

His stomach muscles tense as he eases himself back, one arm resting under his head, the other free to hold his cigarette to his lips. His eyes are closed against the sun’s brightness, allowing my gaze free range over his lean body, already dry and coated in a thin sheen of sweat. He doesn’t have the padding of muscles that Trevor had, but there were rumors that Trevor had been doping.

“What are you thinking about?” he asks suddenly.

I avert my gaze from his smooth chest to the sparse blades of grass between the rocky surface and think fast. “That robbery,” I blurt out. “What was it like?”

It’s a moment before he answers. “Crazy.”

“But, like . . .” I fumble through the questions now churning in my head. “Where were you? A convenience store or someone’s house?”

“A bank.”

I feel my eyebrows pop. “Seriously? People still rob banks?” I mutter in disbelief, more to myself.

“The stupid ones do.”

Stupid ones with a gun, apparently. “So, did the police catch them?”

“Oh, yeah. They caught ’em all right. They’ll be going away for a long time.”

“Were you scared? Did you think you were going to get shot? I mean . . . I’d be terrified.”

His tongue flicks at his lip ring. “More in shock than anything.”

“What did your parents say about it?”

“My parents?” He pauses, as if needing to think through his answer. “They were glad I was okay.”

“No shit. Mine would lose their minds. Never let me out of their sight again.”

“Understandable.” He takes a drag off his cigarette.

And my eyes draw over the various ink on his body. “They’re okay with you getting tattoos? Your parents, I mean.”

“Why wouldn’t they be?”

“I don’t know.” I shrug. “?’Cause you’re only seventeen?”

“Ashley was pretty thorough.” He smirks. “What else does she have on me?”

My face begins to burn. “Not much. Just that you came here when you were younger but then suddenly stopped. You and Avery were together last summer . . . and every girl here wants you.”

“Not every girl,” he murmurs after a moment. “Christa doesn’t. Unless she has a weird way of showing it.”

“Yeah, I don’t think she likes you.”

“So then, every girl except Christa.”

I laugh. “Wow! Aren’t we cocky.”

He smiles through a puff. “Hey, you said it.”

I let my gaze drift over the landscape as I absorb the hum of motorboats and nearby birds chirping. “I can see why this is your favorite place.”

“You want to jump again?”

A rush of adrenaline spikes through my body at just the suggestion. With him, a hundred times over, until my throat is hoarse from screaming and my legs wobble from the climb back up. But I’m not getting paid to go cliff diving and gawk at Kyle. “What time is it?”

He shrugs, not making a move for his watch or his phone.

“Don’t you think we should get back soon? I mean, before anyone notices that we’re missing?” I’ll be surprised if they didn’t hear my scream as it is.

“Do you always worry so much?”

“I’m not worried,” I lie, because I’m betting Kyle isn’t the type of guy who would be attracted to a worrier.

“Why’re you here, anyway?” he asks around a mouthful of smoke, smoothly diverting the topic.

Catching me off-guard. “Uh . . . I needed a summer job?”

“Your mother dropped you off in a brand-new, fully loaded Nine-Eleven, Piper. Something tells me money is your family’s last problem.” And, by the tone in his voice, that’s somehow a strike against me.

There’s no point denying it. “Yeah, my family has some money.” A lot of money. More than Kyle can possibly imagine, I’m guessing. I hear the defensiveness creeping into my voice.

So must Kyle, because he holds a hand up in surrender, murmuring, “Relax. I’m just trying to figure you out, is all. You seem out of your element here.”

“Like I said last night, my mom went here when she was growing up and she really wanted me to come for a summer.” After a moment, I add, “And she thinks it’ll look good on my college applications.”

Kyle’s lips twist in thought, seemingly pondering that. “Fair enough.”

I wait for him to ask me who my father is, what my parents do that has made us wealthy, but he doesn’t. I wonder if it’s because he doesn’t want to know, or doesn’t care.

“So, why’d you come?” I finally ask.

“Because I actually need a summer job and this place beats flipping burgers at Johnny B’s any day of the week. Plus, Eric is basically my best friend and everyone’s pretty cool, for the most part anyway. The kids are fun.” He takes another long drag, his mouth working around the O’s. He smiles slyly. “I had the best summer of my life last year.”