Hot sun. Soft white sand. Bejewled flip-flops. Crashing surf. That shirtless blond lifeguard...Summertime is the essence of sexiness, sass, and fun. In this juicy collection, four fabulous, bestselling teen authors each show us a different side of summer romance, from the first flush of a seaside crush to the sting of a breakup on a traveling teen tour. Get out your sunscreen, slip on your shades, and prepare to be dazzled by these sizzling stories.

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The sun is delicious on my skin as I drift lazily in my cousin Porter Ann’s pool. Lazy is the only word for it, lazy and warm and yet not too warm, since cool water sluices onto my float when I dip my leg over the side. Or when Porter Ann flicks droplets on me, like right now.

“Quit it,” I say, but I don’t mean it. If I meant it, I wouldn’t say it. Porter Ann is one year older than me and “wild” (that’s the word my parents use), and if she thought honestly I didn’t want her splashing me, she’d do it even more.

Plus, the water feels good. My skin feels good. I feel liquid and soft, like caramel, and my insides expand with hopefulness. And why not? Today is my birthday, I tell myself. Today I’m eighteen. And why shouldn’t something wonderful happen? It could! It’s possible!

I’m ready for something wonderful, that’s for sure. I feel as if I’ve lived my whole life just waiting. And watching. And then – tragically – running and hiding when anything potentially wonder-filled comes my way.

I think of Pete, and I sigh. Pete was wonderful, there’s no denying it. And yet – case in point – I was an absolute and total wimp the one chance I had to do something about it. To reach out and connect with another human being, what could be more important than that? And not even in a physical way, although that would be nice, too. But what I want, what I wish for with all my heart, is to connect with someone in a way that goes beyond flirting and posturing and trying to impress.

When Pete’s eyes met mine that one time, on the last day he was helping his dad do repairs at the preschool building, I felt something pass between us. I’d been noticing him all week, and I’m fairly sure he’d noticed me, too. I had that special, tingly, ultra-awareness whenever I was around him, and it seems to me that when one person feels that way, usually the other person does, too. Or maybe that’s just me being a dreamer?