Page 67 of Plotting Summer

I nod.

“And an extra question?”

I don’t respond to his demand until he takes another few steps. “Fine. I’ll answer another question.”

Tristan’s chest rumbles with laughter against my back, and when he slowly lowers me down, the water reaches my stomach. But what leaves me gasping for air is how he keeps his arms around me. I don’t turn to face him immediately, but I set my hands on top of his, and the entire mood shifts. All the splashing and laughing from moments before is replaced with anticipation and nervous energy.

“I’ve taken some time to think about things …” Despite that we’re the only two people here, Tristan’s mouth is right next to my ear, his voice just above a whisper. “And I’ll have no regrets when it comes to you, Capri Sun.”

I suck in a quick breath to compensate for my shallow breathing, and then slowly, timidly, I turn around. Our eyes meet, and his match the sea-green tones of the water surrounding us with a hint of golden sunlight. My fingertips seem to be acting of their own accord when they settle on his abs, then trail upward along his bare chest. My heart is thudding wildly, and I fully embrace it. I’ve waited a lifetime for this moment, and I mean to enjoy every aspect of it.

Tristan’s lips pull into a small smile, and there’s a question in his eyes. Never have I been more confident of any answer than I am of this one. “Kiss me,” I whisper, settling a hand behind his neck and guiding him toward me, and that’s all the encouragement he needs before his lips are against mine. Fireworks erupt, exactly like I always suspected would happen if I was ever lucky enough to kiss Tristan Palmer. His movements are slow—full of tenderness and restraint—and it’s as if Tristan intrinsically knows how I always envisioned our first kiss.

And I’m memorizing each detail—from the feel of his stubbled jaw beneath my hand and the pressure of his hands on my lower back to the salty taste on his lips and the closeness of our bodies—so I can finally write that chapter in my autobiography that outlines The Kiss and the monumental impact it’s had on me. Because, even while experiencing it, I’m absolutely positive this kiss will affect every single thing about my life moving forward. That’s how incredible it is.

Tristan’s hold on my lower back intensifies, and the overpowering urge to lift onto my toes and deepen the kiss is all but actualized when something brushes against my leg in the water. I break away and look down, seeing a shadow whip past our feet. Without taking a moment to process, I jump onto Tristan and wrap my legs around his waist.

“What is it?” he asks, securing me against him with his arms and following my frantic gaze into the water.

“Something brushed against my leg.” I don’t see anything. Not anymore. “It was probably just a fish or ray.”

Tristan shrugs and pulls me closer. “Whatever it was, I won’t complain.”

This time when our lips meet, it’s not nearly as restrained.

I pop the rest of my brownie in my mouth, then lean back on my towel and close my eyes, letting the last rays of sunlight touch my skin.

“Well, this officially puts an end to our competition,” Tristan says, moving in behind me and making my skin tingle with that familiar anticipation. He wraps his arms around my waist and I lean against him.

“The date’s not even over yet.”

“Either way, there’s an obvious winner and my vote is cast.”

“Which did you vote for?” I ask, already knowing his answer.

“This one,” he says, resting his chin on my shoulder as we watch the colors of the sky shift into sunset.

I smile. “This beats manatees? All we did was paddleboard around a sandbar.”

“That was the worst undersell in the history of underselling.” His hands come to my arms, his fingers trailing up and down them slowly, causing goosebumps to erupt on my entire body. “And that’s definitely not all we did.”

My cheeks burn at the mention. “I suppose that’s true.”

“Which is exactly why no other outing can even come close to winning. At least for me.”

“Well,”—I lift one shoulder in a partial shrug—“it’s a relief to hear that all that kissing wasn’t for nothing.”

“Right?” Tristan’s laugh rumbles around us, then he leans me to the side and bestows the most breath-stealing, dream-filling, toe-curling, heart-strumming kiss on me, and I nearly swoon on the spot. He pulls away, lingering just out of reach with a knowing smile on his lips. He's clearly aware he just rocked my entire world. “Otherwise, what would be the point?”

“Exactly.” My gaze flits to his lips, before returning to his eyes again. “I’m glad we’re in agreement.”

“About the winner?”

“No, about the kissing. But now that you mention it, I do think the other outings have an unfair disadvantage competing with our first kiss. So for the sake of fairness, maybe we need to remove it—well, all of the kissing—to make an accurate judgment.”

“I can’t uncast my vote. It’s the rule.”

I laugh. “Fine. Then I’ll vote for the kayaking … and the spa day.”