Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 56624 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56624 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
She rolled her eyes, but she went. I grabbed a plastic grocery bag and tossed in some basic food I’d pulled together—sandwiches, grapes, and a bag of chips.
We were still pretending then. Still playing at brother and sister, and it was my job to keep her safe and fed.
Harmless.
I hadn’t touched her. Hadn’t kissed her. Hadn’t said one thing out of line.
But it was there—the tension, radiating off both of us.
The fucking longing. I wanted her so damn bad it was killing me.
I sat on the bank, eating half a sandwich, watching her swim through the water.
Smiling to myself.
Hard as hell.
And she didn’t even know it.
Everything about her was graceful. She was funny. Smart.
She knew me better than anyone ever had.
“Are you coming in or what?” she called, splashing water toward the shore. “You don’t want me to be all alone out here.”
“I don’t think you want me to come in,” I muttered.
“Why not?”
“Because if I do, I’m going to fuckin’ dunk you.”
“There you go with your language again.”
God, she was so fucking cute.
Hair in her eyes. Lips parted. This girl—half woman, half innocent—called to me in a way no one else ever had.
“Fine,” I said. “But you better start swimming.”
She let out a high-pitched squeal and took off in the water like she had a chance.
She didn’t. She was terrible. Kept herself afloat, but just barely. Slow as hell.
Me? I swam varsity in high school until they got too good for me.
Or maybe I got too distracted.
Didn’t matter. I still loved it, and I was damn good.
I stood, then walked to the edge of the creek…
And dove.
I wasn't even sure if she was just a shitty swimmer or if she was hoping I'd catch her. But when I did—when I got my hands on her—I did exactly what I promised.
I flattened my hand on top of her head and shoved her under, though I let her up just as quickly. Was only meant to be a tease, not meant to scare her.
She screamed just before her mouth went below the surface. Bubbles burst up around her, breaking on the surface in loud pops.
“Oh, you asshole!”
She splashed water into my face, grabbed at me, and pushed me under in retaliation.
“Hey!” I shouted, laughing through the water.
I could barely touch bottom there, but she couldn’t. She was in well over her head. I splashed her again, grabbed her around the waist, pulled her close—and dunked her again.
And fuck, I wanted to kiss her.
God, I wanted to kiss her so fucking bad.
I could practically taste it—the sharp mineral of the creek water, the warmth of her mouth underneath it, the way her wet lips would part for me.
I imagined how she’d feel in my arms. How she’d moan into my mouth. Maybe even startle a little.
I'd fantasized about this too much. Way too fucking much.
Too many late nights thinking about her, one hand braced on the tile wall of my shower, the other wrapped around my cock. Imagining her breath, her gasp, her name on my lips.
I couldn’t help it.
I wanted her. I wanted her so damn bad.
“Okay, okay,” I said, breathless. “No more pushing each other under.”
I was treading water at the surface.
“You started it,” she accused, splashing me again.
“Aye, I did,” I admitted, and laughed, but it came out thin. Too sharp.
“That’s enough now, lass. Christ, would ya hold still? You’ve got something on your head.”
She shrieked. “What is it?”
“I don’t know. Seaweed or something.”
“There’s no seaweed in the creek, Owen!” she cried, laughing.
“Well… then it’s something else. A leaf, maybe.”
“Alright, fine, whatever. Science isn’t my favorite subject, okay? I think it must be a leaf.”
I reached for her again, grinning, when I heard it—my dad’s voice—low, sharp, and furious.
“What the hell are you two doing down there?”
My stomach dropped.
My dad was a force to be reckoned with. That voice could snap bone.
He’d warned me about Emma. He didn’t like what he saw building between us. Didn’t like the looks, the tension, the way we gravitated toward each other.
I turned, facing him.
“We’re swimming,” I said.
He didn’t look at me. Not really. He looked past me, his eyes locked on her.
“Emma,” he barked. “Get your ass out of that water.”
It pissed me off that he aimed it at her—like she was the problem.
I was swimming right there with her. Right fucking beside her.
“Hey,” I snapped. “She was only swimming.”
“You gettin’ smart with me now, boy?” he said, that voice dropping to something darker. Something that hit in the gut.
It made my stomach flip, even though I was taller now, broader.
He hadn’t laid a hand on me in a couple of years, but it looked like he might today.
“All I’m saying is—we’re just swimming.”
“Right,” he said, his voice scathing. “Just swimming. Half-naked. Together.”
He looked at us like we were something filthy.
“Get the fuck out before someone sees you,” he snapped. “If your mother saw you, Emma—”