“Didn’t you…” My voice catches and I clear my throat. “Didn’t you say you don’t want anything to do with me?”

“You keep barging in anyway.” He licks the shell of my ear one more time. “It’s time I trap you.”

I glide the pen against my lower lip and bite down on it. I sit at the pool, a notepad on my legs, but I’m not studying.

My gaze keeps flitting to the backyard—or, more specifically, to the sleek, cut abdomen and back. They glisten with sweat as Asher switches from short runs to push-ups.

I mean, the least he can do is wear a damn T-shirt. But no, he always works out in just shorts as if he’s offended by anything on top.

It’s not that my eyes are complaining, but there’s a tiny little problem with my body becoming hot and bothered by the view.

The simplest solution would be to stop watching, but for the life of me, I can’t keep my eyes off him.

He’s like a magnet and I’m helpless steel. He’s the fire and I’m the moth waiting to be burned.

I wish this weird infatuation were because of that tousled hair sticking to his forehead, the six-pack cut to perfection, the broad shoulders, or the intricate tattoo rippling up his bicep.

I wish it were all about the unfairly handsome face or the ‘fuck you’ aura he exudes so well. I really wish the tugging and pulling at the bottom of my stomach were only because I’m drawn to his exterior charm.

But that’s not, is it?

Something wild and crazy lurks under the surface between us. This twisted connection started that first day in the hospital, and it’s refused to stop ever since.

Like a current of water, the harder I fight it, the stronger it pulls me under.

My phone pings, and I nearly drop my pen. Shifting to face forward, I check my messages.

It’s my group chat with Lucy and Naomi.

Lucy: Let’s meet. Reina? Nao?

Naomi: Fine, but don’t you dare go sappy on me.

I grin as I type.

Reina: Sappy is my middle name, dude.

Luce sends a laughing emoji, and Naomi sends a GIF of a girl rolling her eyes.

They’re seriously the only two I find comfort with. Despite her tough act, Naomi cares and is very mushy inside. Lucy is just Lucy, nice and supportive even if it affects her own comfort.

A notification from Instagram appears on my screen.

It’s a message. Cloud003.

My smile falls and my heart rate picks up. I can hear the roaring in my ears as I click on it.

Cloud003: I’ve been thinking a lot about your lips around my dick lately.

Cloud003: Or your pussy. I’m not picky.

My cheeks heat as I watch my surroundings. Asher is running in the distance, his back rippling, and no one else is around.

Reina-Ellis: Screw off or I’ll report this to the police.

Cloud003: The same police who are investigating you for murder?

How the hell does he know that?

Cloud003: Admit it, my slut. You want my cock as much as it wants you.

Reina-Ellis: Whatever happened between us is over. Move the fuck on.

The only one I can think about in a sexual way is the one running in the distance with earbuds in.

This mysterious asshole on Instagram does nothing for me. Old Reina was weird like that.

Cloud003: We’ll see about that.

I exit Instagram altogether and lift my head. Jason heads toward me, smirking at his phone.

When his dark eyes meet mine, he slips it in his jacket and loses the smirk.

I glance at my phone then back at him.

That…can’t be possible. Jason isn’t Cloud003.

He can’t be.

“Hey, Princess.” He smiles down at my sitting position near the pool.

Weʼve been studying together for a few weeks now. I help him out with his tests. In return, Jason has been sort of like my personal trainer to help me get back in shape before I return to being thrown in the air.

“Hey, Jace.” I watch him closely as if seeing him for the first time.

The mocha skin and kind eyes, the broad football body and the easy smile.

He can’t possibly be Cloud003. And yet…something nags at me to prove it.

Best way? Surprise element. If I catch him off guard, he’ll have only a fraction of a second to pull himself together, and that’s my moment to read him.

“Do you know the Instagram account Cloud003?” I ask nonchalantly.

He pauses, his smile faltering a little.

Oh, God, no.

This can’t be happening.

The conversation I had with him before stabs me in the mind. When I asked him if we were friends, he said, ‘Something like that.’

Turns out we were friends with benefits.

“No. I barely post anything there, anyway.” He smiles again. “Is it someone you know?”

“Not really.” I mimic his smile.

Two can play this game, asshole.

I won’t show my cards unless I know his purpose. The realization nearly breaks my heart.

These past few weeks, I was getting used to having him as a friend.

He motions at the trampoline near the pool. “Are you ready to practice your jumps?”

I tuck all the revelations to the back of my mind and focus on the present. Jason can’t know I figured it out. I need to act like before.

I stare between him and the trampoline. “No?”

“Come on. Dancing and jumping were your side hustle.”

Thatʼs the thing. I donʼt think they speak of me anymore, and I have zero confidence about my ability to do it. However, I already promised the girls, and Iʼll do whatever it takes to make up for the past.

So what if I fall and break my neck?

Dramatic much, Reina?

I abandon my notepad and hop up onto the trampoline.

Jason stands there with both his arms stretched out in front of him.

I start doing minor jumps I’ve practiced so far. It’s easy on the trampoline since it pulls me back down.

I do a major jump and flip in the air then return to the trampoline.

A rush of adrenaline tightens my stomach. There’s something amazing about floating in the air; those seconds are…freedom.

Maybe that’s why Old Reina stuck with cheerleading after high school.

“Now come over,” Jason prompts.

I take several deep breaths, still jumping on the trampoline. I can’t trust him with my life, especially after what I just unraveled.

However, if I refuse to, he’ll grow suspicious.

So I close my eyes and jump in his direction, flipping in the air.

Strong arms catch me in a cage-like embrace. I squeal. “I did it!”

Wait, Jason was wearing a T-shirt—how come heʼs now…naked?

I open my eyes, and all words catch in my throat. The eyes looking down at me aren’t Jason’s brown ones; they’re deep green. Like an ocean, they pull me in and push me out.

For a moment, Iʼm glad my heart is actually trapped by a ribcage and won’t jump out of my chest.

A tremor rushes through my limbs, and I’m not sure if it’s because of the adrenaline wave or the feel of Asher’s arms around my waist.

He caught me.