Daring the Bad Boy (Endless Summer)(33)

“Annie.” His voice became stern. “You can do this. I know you can. Just…jump.”

“I can’t,” I whispered, my body starting to shake.

“You can,” he countered, his voice, his gaze, gentle. “I’ll catch you. I promise.”

Why did the thought of feeling his strong, muscled arms wrapped around me and holding me tight make my skin tingle?

“If you jump in, I’ll tell you everything I know about your boyfriend, Kyle,” he all but singsonged.

He’s not my boyfriend, I wanted to say, but I didn’t bother correcting him. I started to laugh, irritated at myself that his offer was actually working. “Really?”

He nodded, trying his best to hold back a smile. He had a nice smile, big and warm and friendly.

Gripping the edge of the pool, I leaned forward and took a deep breath, my gaze lifting to Jake’s. His eyes were locked on my chest and I glanced down, saw the way my position gave me some major cleavage. Warmth bloomed deep within me that he was actually checking me out. Little ol’ me, Annie the nobody.

With Jake, I never felt like a nobody.

I let go of the rounded edge and practically belly flopped into the pool, sucking in a sharp breath when I made contact with the water. Gasped even more when I felt those strong arms envelop me and pull me into his hot, hard chest.

“You did it,” he murmured close to my ear. “Look at you, jumping into the water like it’s no big deal.”

I blinked up at him, water clinging to my eyelashes, sliding down my cheeks. I hadn’t gone underwater, but I’d caused a big enough splash to douse Jake and myself. We were incredibly close, like intimate-hug and he-could-kiss-me close, and I stared up at him, cataloging his every feature. His thick, dark eyebrows and his warm brown eyes surrounded by the thickest eyelashes I’d ever seen. His nose was just the slightest bit crooked, hooking to the right, and he had a tiny scar on his left cheek, another one just below the center of his bottom lip.

How did he get those scars? I wanted to know.

His breath fanned across my face, minty fresh like he must’ve just brushed his teeth or was chewing gum, and I closed my eyes for the briefest moment, trying to calm the swirl of confusion running through my brain.

“He likes to tell dirty jokes.”

I opened my eyes, frowning at Jake in confusion. “Who does?”

He sent me a look, one that said duh. “Kyle. The dirtier the better.”

My nose wrinkled. “Ew.”

He chuckled. “I know.”

“What else?” I asked as he righted me, his hands going to my waist as I let my legs drop, my feet touching the ground. We were still in the shallow end, and the water came to my waist. The sky was dimming quickly, the sun long gone, and it was dark outside. Quiet. It was like we were the only two out here.

“His parents are filthy rich.”

I already figured out that much. Everything Kyle owned seemed to have a designer logo on it. “And…”

“His middle name is Richard.”

Well. That was kind of cute.

“Otherwise known as Dick,” he said with a straight face.

“Now who’s the crude one?” I asked, giving Jake a shove, though he didn’t move a muscle. He just grinned at me in response. “What’s your middle name?”

His grin faded. “Robert.”

“Jacob Robert Fazio,” I murmured thoughtfully, realization dawning. “Wait, as in…”

“Uncle Bob. Robert Fazio. Fozzie Bear. My dad wanted to name me after his big brother,” Jake explained.

Aw, that was sweet. Even sweeter? Jake seemed kind of embarrassed. His cheeks were ruddy, and now he wouldn’t look at me. Though he was still holding on to me, his hands on my waist, my hands on his arms. He was touching nothing but bare skin, a place no one else had ever really touched before, and for some weird reason it didn’t feel unnatural or wrong.

It felt almost…right.

“Annie. I want you to hold on to my arms and float on your stomach,” he instructed, his voice firm. He was back in teacher mode. “And kick your legs.”

I stared up at him like I couldn’t understand what he just said.

“Go on,” he encouraged. “Float. I’ve got you.”

We went on like that for at least ten minutes, Jake encouraging me to kick my legs as he dragged me all over the shallow end of the pool. I gripped his forearms tight for fear he might accidentally let me go, but he never did. Didn’t complain, either, when surely I was hurting him, my nails digging little crescent moons into his skin.

“Loosen your hold on me,” he eventually said, and reluctantly, I did. My hands slid down his arms, until his hands were curling around mine and I was still somehow miraculously floating. “Look at you. I bet I could let go and you’d swim on your own.”

I immediately landed on my feet and let go of his hands, not missing the disappointment on his face. I ignored it and instead wanted to push him for more Kyle information.

That’s why I was there, right? Not only for lessons but to learn everything he knew about Kyle.

“Does he have a girlfriend?” I asked.

Jake frowned, looking confused. “Who? Me? No, I don’t.”

My heart flipped. Yeah, I liked knowing that way too much. “Not you. Kyle.”