CHAPTER 12: SURPRISE BITCH

CHAPTER 12: SURPRISE BITCH

ANNA’S POV

It took me a solid fifteen minutes in the cool water smiling at every word he said, flinching at every brush of his hands on my skin before I finally snapped back to reality.

Thank you, Lord.

What the hell was I about to do? Kiss him? Let him fuck me right there in the pool like some steamy movie scene?

It’s fake, Anna. Fake. Stop letting him get under your skin.

We both turned around to the sound of the pool door opening just to find the janitor walking out with a stroller and mop.

I pulled away from William, heart slamming against my ribs, and swam quickly to the edge. “Thanks for the lesson,” I mumbled, not meeting his eyes, “but I really have to go now.”

I hauled myself out as fast as humanly possible, water streaming off my soaked uniform in rivers. My shoes squelched loudly with every step. I didn’t dare look back as I headed for the door.

Please call me back . Please call me —

“Anna!” His voice rang out, needy and desperate in a way that made my stomach flip. “You’re seriously going to walk out of school like that?”

I froze and looked down. My white shirt was completely see through, the pink lace bra on full display. My skirt clung to my thighs like a second skin.

Oh God.! If I could see everything, that meant he definitely could too.

I turned slowly. William stood there dripping wet, towel slung low around his waist, biting his lower lip so hard I thought it might bleed. His eyes kept drifting down my body before snapping back up, like he was waging an internal war.

“Here.” He grabbed his brown hoodie from the bench and held it out. “Wear this so you don’t get cold.”

I shook my head. “No, it’s fine, I’ll—”

“Anna. Put it on.” His voice was gentle but commanding, and the way he looked at me made it impossible to argue.

I sighed and took it. The hoodie swallowed me whole, the hem falling to mid thigh, sleeves drowning my hands, shoulders slipping off. I looked ridiculous. Like a girl playing dress-up in her boyfriend’s clothes.

Except he’s not my real boyfriend.

William stared at me for a long beat, something soft and dangerously warm flickering across his face. “Looks better on me,” he muttered.

“Oh, please shut up.” I tugged at the hem, fighting a smile, and we walked out together. My wet shoes continued their embarrassing squelch-squelch soundtrack.

“So… how are you getting home?” he asked.

“I’ll take the bus or something.”

“This late?” Real concern softened his features, and my stupid heart did a flip. Damp hair fell over his forehead, that little crease between his brows making him look unfairly hot. “No way. I’m driving you.”

“No, you’re not. I’m good.”

“Yes, I am.” He folded his arms across his broad chest, stubborn as hell.

“There’s no way I’m getting in a car with you. I’d rather sleep here.”

Five minutes later, I was sinking into the passenger seat of his sleek grey Audi, the cool leather sticking to my bare thighs under the hoodie.

Why does he have to look so annoyingly hot when he’s being protective?

The car smelled exactly like him: clean, masculine, addictive. Every shift made the wet uniform underneath squish softly against the seat. Mortifying.

Silence filled the space between us, thick and heavy.

William kept one hand on the wheel, the other clenched in his lap. He kept stealing glances at me, then looking away like he’d been caught. He bit his lip again. Flexed his fingers. Ran a hand through his damp hair.

He looked like he was fighting a war in his head.

What am I supposed to say? Thanks for the swimming lesson and the almost-sex in the pool? By the way, your dick is now permanently tattooed into my brain, congrats?

I pressed my lips together to keep myself from laughing like a maniac. I was literally wrapped in his hoodie, smelling like him, replaying the image of water dripping down his naked body while mentally stripping him all over again.

He cleared his throat. “So where do you live?”

Panic hit me. No way was I letting him see my actual house. Mom would murder me if she saw me coming home this late, looking like I’d been drowned and then claimed by a guy.

“Drop me at the third house on the next street,” I said quickly. “The one with the white gate.”

He nodded, but the silence returned, heavier this time. Tension rolled off him in waves. Every few seconds his eyes flicked to me, drowning in his oversized hoodie his jaw tightening like he wanted to say something but couldn’t.

This is so awkward. We went from almost kissing in the pool to this?

When he finally pulled up, I muttered a tiny “Thank you” and bolted before he could respond. The second his taillights disappeared, I gathered the massive hoodie around me like a cloak and sprinted toward my real house, heart hammering.

It was already 7:05 pm. Way too late to risk the front door.

I crept around back, praying my window was unlocked. Thank God, it was. I climbed up, pushed it open, threw one leg inside, and tumbled in with all the grace of a soaked cat.

The moment my feet hit the floor and I flicked on the light—

“Welcome!!”

I screamed, nearly jumping out of my skin.