BENEDICT
I pulled myself out of the pool, grabbing a thick towel off the lounge chair and dragging it over my dripping hair.
What the hell just happened?
My brain was running in complete overdrive, replaying those last ten seconds on an unhinged, chaotic loop. I had almost kissed her. I had literally reached out, touched her jaw, and was a fraction of an inch away from kissing my own cousin. Valerie.
What in the absolute hell was I doing? What was going on with me? I left her standing down there in the water, stepping out of the pool house before I could make things any weirder. I was supposed to keep my head clear, figure out what was going on with Nathan, and stay grounded. Instead, I stood in that pool and completely lost my mind for a second.
I dragged a hand down my wet face
