"You're in love," Blair teased with a sing-song tone. I nodded, a smile taking over my face.
"Shut up," Serena placed her head in her hands. "Let's go outside, I need to tan!"
They went ahead while I grabbed my towel from my bathroom. Sam appeared at the door, a smirk on his face.
"You," He pointed. "Are going to pay for leaving me earlier."
I slowly walked up to him with an innocent smile, "Oh? And what are you going to do about it, Wilkinson?"
That stupid, cute, smirk remained on his face as he picked me up in one swift motion and tossed me over his shoulder.
"Sam!" I shrieked. "Put me down!"
"No can do, baby." I could practically feel that smug smile appear on his face.
"At least the view isn't so bad," I teased.
"Yeah, I'm pretty content with my view, too," He laughed. I rolled my eyes involuntarily and let myself relax as Sam walked down to the beach.
"Ok, we're here," I lifted my head. "Will you set me down now?"
"Told you you were going to pay for teasing me earlier," His voice was laced with mischief. No. He wouldn't.
"Sam," I warned. The sound of the waves became louder as it flooded my ears. With each step, I was afraid he would instantly drop me. "Sam, please. I'm begging you."
"Sorry, princess," He lifted me off his shoulder and I struggled to get out of his strong grip.
"No, no!" I kicked my legs and flailed my arms around, but it was not going to make a difference since the water was already up to his thighs.
He smirked at me, then closed the gap between us, bringing me with him underwater. My eyes instinctively screwed shut to keep out the salt water and my hands grasped onto Sam's smooth cheeks, pulling him closer to me. His fingers dug into my hips, my skin tingling from the contact.
A few seconds later, we resurfaced and Sam let out a loud laugh. I coughed up some salt water and combed my fingers through my hair.
"You're an idiot," I laughed, treading to keep myself afloat. I failed to notice we drifted out farther than where we initially were.
"Payback, baby," He winked.
I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Let's go back to shore."
I swam first, but abruptly stopped when something smacked my bottom.
"Sam!" My mouth fell open. "It's like your hormones are going crazy today."
"What can I say? When my girl is wearing something like that, it's hard to keep my hands to myself." His infamous smirk never left as he spoke those words.
My face heated as I turned around and swam away. Oh boy, what is he doing to me? I settled down on my towel, soaking in the sun to tan my pale body. Momentarily, the sun vanished and I removed my sunglasses, only to be met by Sam's angelic features.
"You're blocking the sun," I rolled my eyes.
"That's no way to talk to your boyfriend," He pouted. The word brought goosebumps to rise, as we had not characterized each other like that yet.
"Boyfriend?" I rose an eyebrow. "Who said you were my boyfriend?"
His eyes turned dark as he lowly spoke, "Do you want me to drag you back out there?" He pointed to the ocean.
I laughed, the corners of my eyes crinkling, "I'm kidding, dip shit. Just lay down and shut up."
"Sassy," He scoffed. I nudged his ribs--roughly, causing him to hiss. I stifled a smile, but failed.
eighteen
Start from the beginning
