Page 16 of 6 Clues Your Nemesis Loves You

A hot pulse of desire throbbed through me.

“Truth or dare,” she said, her voice huskier, reflecting my wanting back at me.

I winked at her. “Dare, of course.”

She treaded water, her arms drawing lazy circles, the tops of her breasts teasing the surface. “I dare you to skinny-dip.”

Like the first night I walked into the water fully clothed, I decided to shock Maggie. All or nothing. Reckless for the win. Instead of making her comfortable by getting in the water and tossing my swim trunks next to hers, I dropped my shorts right there. Got buck naked on the pond’s edge, not bothering to hide my erection. Proof of how much I wanted her.

Maggie’s eyes widened then grew heavy, drawing a torturous path down my chest, past my tensing navel, landing on my cock, which twitched in response. Knowing I’d start jacking off if I didn’t move, I walked into the water, swam right up to her, and splashed her face. “See something you like?”

Her face flushed a deep red, her nostrils flaring wide. “Just a pest who likes to play dangerous games.”

“You think I’m dangerous?”

“I know you’re dangerous.”

Nothing else happened that night. We talked as usual, laughed and splashed and shared, but our awareness was heightened. She kept shooting heated glances at my chest and lower, even though the water covered my goods. I was very aware of Maggie’s pale breasts bobbing close to the surface, of her bare skin so near to mine. But we didn’t touch.

The next night, I dared her to streak naked around the pond. Laughing, she shrieked and ran the perimeter, complete with a cannonball at the end. She dared me to do a naked belly flop. Being the good sport I am, I complied but held my junk so as not to crush the family jewels. She howled with laughter.

The night after that, I dared her to stand and stare at me for one full minute. We were naked in the water, as had become our habit, our bodies covered by the pond’s glassy surface. We stood toe to toe, not touching, never once grazing each other, but holy shit. I’d never been so turned on. She retaliated by daring me to cover myself in mud.

The next week, I was desperate. I hadn’t even kissed Maggie yet, but I was consumed with her. Her demeanor at school still frustrated me. I had a vague sense of why she wouldn’t acknowledge me there, our talks about family pressure and expectations shining a light on the issue. I was an underachieving delinquent, the opposite of what her parents wanted for her—the opposite of what she deserved—but I was in too deep to walk away.

I got to the pond earlier than usual that night, stripped naked and jumped in, beating her for the first time. When she arrived, she seemed lost in thought, frowning to herself, her stormy gaze distant.

The second she saw me swimming, she startled, then broke into a wide smile. “Fancy meeting you here.”

I treaded water and winked at her. “I’ll meet you anywhere, anytime.”

She laughed, but her smile dipped. She knew I wanted more from her. A kiss. More than a kiss. Her acceptance in public. Her hands pulling at my skin. My hungry hands all over her.

When she stayed quiet, I said, “Truth or dare.”

She glanced behind her, toward the direction of her home. She fiddled with a rip in her jean shorts, seeming indecisive, which was odd. Out here, Maggie didn’t hesitate with me. Out here, she didn’t play roles or put on airs. But she fidgeted and hesitated, then blinked hard and faced me. “Dare, of course.”

My heartbeat picked up. I didn’t know why she was suddenly hesitant. All that mattered was her reply. I knew what I was doing, where I was leading us. I couldn’t keep pretending I didn’t want everything from Maggie, so I walked to the water’s edge, slowly emerging from the pond until she could see all of me—fully naked, how turned on I was. One look at her was all it ever took.

Her bottom lip fell open, her eyes raking over me and settling on my flushed erection.

“I dare you to touch yourself,” I said, sounding like I’d swallowed sand. “Here, in front of me,” I added, in case my meaning wasn’t clear.

She had on a yellow tank top, no bikini poking out. The absent swimsuit was odd, but there was no missing how wide her chest swelled, the slight shaking of her hands. “That’s a bold dare.”

“You can say no. You can always say no.”

Her eyes flicked up to mine as her hands found the hem of her top. She yanked it off, revealing a black lace bra. “Dare accepted, but I dare you to do the same.”

Wow. Okay. Yeah. As intense as our flirtations had gotten, I mostly expected Maggie to turn me down. Call it quits. Put me and my misguided hope out of our misery.

“Yeah,” I said, nodding like an idiot. “I’ll accept your dare.”

“You can’t touch me, though,” she said quickly. “You can only look.”

I nodded again and wrapped my palm around my aching shaft, already feeling like I was seconds from blowing. She undressed quickly, stood stark naked before me. The last light of day gave me a better view of her rounded hips, those heavy breasts I pictured every time I closed my eyes. She had freckles everywhere. A flood of freckles, cascading over her hills and valleys, along the secret places in between. I’d never been this close to her out of the water, and I hated not exploring those freckles. Not kissing them or kissing her. Not running my hands through her blazing hair, down her back, over her hips and ass. I hated the distance between us, but I wouldn’t break her rules. Not when she was giving me this gift.

Slowly, she lay down on the ground, her intense eyes fastened on me.