“Okay,” he said, a mischievous look coming over his face. “Let’s make a deal.
I’ll answer any questions you want, and then you have to do something that I want.”
“What do you want?”
“Unh-uh.” He shook his head. “You don’t get to know that until after.”
“How is that fair?”
“It’s fair because I don’t know what you’re going to ask me.”
I thought about it. I hadn’t expected him to be so willing to answer questions. On the other hand, he’d avoided anything personal the last time we’d hung out, so something told me that whatever he was going to have me do would probably be something pretty crazy.
“Can I at least have a hint about what thing you’re going to ask me to do?” I asked. “It’s only fair. I mean, I hardly know you.”
He thought about it.
Finally, he nodded.
“Okay,” he said, pulling me toward the T station. “Come on.”
We got on the train, and a thrill rushed through my body. The car was crowded, and so we had to stand. He was so close to me that I could feel the heat from his body through his thin t-shirt. It was exciting, the way I didn’t know where he was taking me.
In some part of my mind, I knew that going somewhere with him wasn’t the best idea.
He could be taking me anywhere.
But somehow, I knew he wasn’t going to hurt me.
When we finally got off the train and emerged onto the street, we were near the Boston Harbor. I could smell the ocean.
“I love that smell,” I said, inhaling the summer night air.
“Really?” Justin smiled. “That bodes well for me.”
He led me down to the Boston Harbor Hotel, a huge grand building that was so impressive it almost took my breath away. I was sure there were other, more spectacular buildings in cities throughout the U.S., but up until this point in my life, this was the one of the best ones I had seen.
“Please tell me we’re not crashing a party,” I said.
He laughed. “No. Better.”
He led me down to the water, and we stood on the dock.
“We’re going swimming.”
I gaped at him. “Are you crazy?”
“It’s hot out.”
“So?”
“So when it’s hot out, you go swimming.” He grinned and then, like it was nothing, he reached down and pulled off his shirt. His arms were tan and cut, his chest chiseled and smooth. His six-pack flexed as he tossed his shirt onto the dock, and I started to feel a little dizzy.
“I’m not going in the water.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s illegal!”
He grinned. “You’ve never done anything illegal before?”
“Not really.”
“Well, let me tell you a secret about doing things that are illegal.” He motioned me toward him, and I took a tiny step. I didn’t trust myself to be close to him. There was an air of excitement and anticipation thrumming below the surface of our interactions, and I didn’t know what he was going to do – kiss me? Throw me in the water? It was scary and wonderful at the same time.
“Closer,” he said, teasing.
I moved closer.
He rolled his eyes, then closed the gap between us, leaning down so he could whisper in my ear. “Ready for the secret?” he whispered. His breath tickled the skin of my neck, and it was so warm it made the summer night air feel cold. A shiver skittered down my spine.
“Ready,” I breathed.
“Things are only illegal if you get caught. And I never get caught.”
He stepped back and kicked off his sneakers. He sat down on the dock and looked at me. “Come on,” he said. “At least put your feet in.”
I glanced behind me. The immediate area seemed to be deserted. All of the hotel guests must have been out at fancy dinners or parties. I kicked off my flip-flops and slid my feet into the water.
“It’s freezing!” I gasped.
“You’ll get used to it.” He moved closer to me. His leg touched mine, and my whole body, all the way down to my freezing toes, immediately warmed. This was nothing like last night when I was touching Adam’s leg. This was like nothing I’d ever felt before, ever.
“So, now that your feet are in, you get to ask me one question.”
I smiled. “Okay.” I thought about it. I wasn’t sure how much more of this whole swimming thing I was willing to do, so I wanted to use my question wisely. At the same time, I didn’t want to scare him off. “Any brothers and sisters?”
He shook his head. “No. Only child.”
“Oh.” I was disappointed. I wanted to learn more about his life, and now I felt as if my question had been wasted.
“You?”
“One sister. She’s a lot older than me. She lives in Ohio with her husband and my niece, Emily.”
He nodded. “Do you get along?”
“We’re close, sort of. I mean, she’s ten years older than me, so there’s always been a little bit of an age thing.” I slid my feet through the water. Justin was right. I was getting used to it.
“Where do your parents live?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Nope. No more questions until you do the next thing I want.”
“Go in the water?” I shook my head. “No way.”