I try real hard to keep from smiling too big. Sweet, innocent Ginny’s not looking for a casual hookup. I could have guessed that. It shouldn’t make me happy because it also means I won’t be hooking up with her, but for some reason, I’m glad that no one else will be either.

“What do you want to do?” I ask her. “We’ve got people watching which we’re perfectly positioned for now, we could play one of the many party games—flip cup, beer pong—all the usuals, there’s volleyball, I’m still offering up making out in case you want to rethink that one, or we can go to the pool and I’ll swat the swarms of boys away so you can swim without being harassed.”

She rolls her eyes. “Swarms?”

“I mean, look at you. Yeah, swarms.”

“And you’re going to be my protector?”

“Totally self-serving,” I tell her honestly.

“How’s that?”

“I like spending time with you.”

She glances to the pool, and I can see the longing there.

“Come on.” I stand and take off my T-shirt. Her eyes flit over my chest and abs before she gets up and carefully removes her shorts and sandals.

The light pink suit she’s wearing dips low in the front and cuts up on her hips. Ginny’s thin and her frame is small, but her boobs did not get the memo because they’re disproportionately bigger. Thank fuck for disproportions.

We enter the pool at the shallow end. A lot of people are swimming or hanging out near the edge, but I manage to snag a floatie for her.

She leans her upper body onto it and we go to the middle of the pool. The water comes up to my armpits and I dip down so it covers my shoulders and I’m at eye level with Ginny. Her gaze darts around taking it all in, but I see the exact second that she relaxes into the blue floatie and decides to be in the moment with me.

I grab a hold of the floatie and let my legs drift underneath me. Music pumps through the speakers and I close my eyes behind my sunglasses soaking it in. Good tunes and a bunch of people hanging out, talking and laughing. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday. Not bad at all.

“You look pretty comfortable in here,” she says. I open my eyes to see her skim her fingers across the water. “This your typical hang out?”

“Are you trying to ask if I use the pool to find my hookups?”

“Do you?”

“Don’t knock it `til you try it.”

She laughs, her lips pulling wide and flashing her straight white teeth. “Maybe I will. Anyone you suggest?” She lifts her head and glances around the pool.