Devil Incarnate (Boys of Preston Prep #4) - Angel Lawson Page 0,75

screen better. I can tell she wants to ask questions, but she doesn’t, opting instead to hum under her breath now and then.

For the first time in weeks, my stomach stops hurting.

13

Georgia

“What was that?”

“Hmm…?”

“That. That look. What was that about?” Micha kicks off his flip-flops and the accusatory look vanishes for a second when he takes off his shirt. I’m already in my bathing suit, sitting on the bench at the edge of the pool deck.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Well, usually you’re all foaming at the mouth when you see Wilcox. Whatever that look is on your face? It’s not rabid.”

I shrug and walk over to the edge of the pool, dipping a toe in to feel the temperature. “Waste of my precious energy, to be honest. Plus, you were the one being so chummy with him yesterday.” I raise my voice mockingly. “Oh, Heston! You’re so cool for liking Lakevale!” Looking at him, I make a gagging sound. “Barf.”

He clutches his chest. “You’re misquoting me! I refuse to be taken out of context like this. That’s like, libel or slander or something.”

“Whatever you say.” I peer across the pool again and take him in. He’s talking to Gina Neal, the girl’s water polo coach. He’s leaning casually against the wall, propped on his arm. Something she says makes him laugh, a genuine laugh, and I find myself unable to look away.

Heston has a wicked smile. No, everything about him is wicked. It’s as if he was created to entice people into watching the way he moves. Like those illusionists who distract you with one hand while the other pulls off a trick. Everything from his smile, his intelligence, his face, and most definitely his body can be used to stun. It just depends who his target is and what he wants out of them.

The problem is that it’s been three days.

It’s not like I’m a complete slave to my body’s urges. I’m usually good to go for a while after some great sex, and that’s exactly what fucking Heston is—great sex. But it’s different this time. I’m used to spending that stretch between hook-ups looking for the right guy, then flirting with them, building a tension.

With Heston, the tension always comes built-in. Right now, my brain is wondering what the damn hold-up is. I know who it’s going to be—he’s standing right there—so why am I not on his dick already? I thought keeping it to one guy would make everything easier, but maybe I was wrong. Perhaps having a convenient piece of meat always within reach is just making me more impatient.

He laughs again, glancing over at the lap pool as he does, inadvertently catching my eye. His smile doesn’t drop, but my stomach sure as hell does.

“That,” Micha says, shivering dramatically. “That’s what I’m talking about.”

“That was nothing, Micha.” I inch into the pool, letting the cold water hit each part of my skin a sliver at a time. “Stop being weird.”

“You’re the one being weird. Not me.”

I try to keep my eyes off of Heston as he saunters over, but it’s difficult. His expression might shutter over when he approaches, but he doesn’t look angry, just distant. That’s fine. Distance is something I can handle. Given the way my whole being coils in anticipation of having him close, it might be something necessary at this point.

“We’re working on backstroke today,” he says, grabbing a clipboard from a nearby bench. “You’ll take turns guiding one another.”

A flutter of panic tickles up my spine. I’ve made some progress with all this swimming stuff, but being on my back isn’t a part of it. The one time I tried had felt strange and claustrophobic, so I encourage Micha to go first.

“Sure,” he says, shifting to his back. His form obviously isn’t the best, either. With his neck craned up above the water, his bottom sinks.

“Adams, get your head and ass flat.”

Micha tosses Heston a tense glare. “But what if the water gets under my swim cap? It’ll mess my hair up.”

“Lay your head back or I’ll get in and do it for you.” He paces the edge of the pool, looking annoyed and impatient. “No more messing around. In no universe should it take teenagers this long to learn how to swim. Focus.”

Micha raises his eyebrow at me. “So much for the friendship power of Lakevale bonding.”

He flattens out, grimacing when the water covers his ears. Heston and I make brief eye contact and for all his