This time he offered me his real hand, and I savored how his fingers laced through mine. His grip was sturdy and secure. My gaze fell to my hand holding onto his, and I memorized the way it felt. Something told me I’d want to remember that, too.
I crept forward, finding my path—
“Don’t look down,” his words of caution broke my thoughts.
I wiggled my toes to the edge until I felt them curl at the tips. “How do I know where to jump?”
“Jump forward and don’t let go.” He squeezed my hand tighter, and I curled my fingers safely around his.
My nerves began to unravel even more as I went through the logistics of the next few minutes. “Do I close my eyes or keep them open?”
“That’s up to you.”
“Oh.” My breath quivered out, and I closed my eyes, squeezing them tight. “I think I’m better off dying with eyes closed.”
“No, this is the opposite of dying. This is where you live.” He squeezed my hand again, and it sent a shock right through me. “Remember, we go down together.”
“When is this going to be?” My eyes were still closed, and I doubted I would muster up the courage to jump without him having to pull me over. “How do I get over the fear?”
“You don’t.” His voice came out husky as if he’d suddenly recalled a bad memory. “When you think it’s thescariestto jump . . . that’s when you jump.”
“That sounds like a terrible idea,” I spat out, but then froze. We were standing on the edge of the cliff, toes hanging over enough that a strong wind could tip me over. Something told me Reeves was trying to teach me more than just how to jump. This was a living metaphor for my entire situation. I opened one eye, peeking back at him, his eyes hovered on me with such intensity, I understood he was trying to show me my strength. I looked down, and when my life didn’t immediately flash before my eyes, I was oddly calmed. I took a deep breath, and squeezed his hand as hard as I could. There was no way I would let him ditch me now, and I stepped over the ledge.
I thought it would be gradual, like the descent on a swing, but I was wrong! Gravity was instant, plummeting me down. Fillingmy chest with adrenaline, I screamed as if my wails were capable of poofing out a parachute.
I plunged feet-first into the frigid water. The cold should have been disabling, but it was the opposite, sparking me more awake than I’d ever felt. Adrenaline ripped through my core, filling me until I couldn’t contain it anymore, and a giant smile burst onto my face.
I squeezed Reeve’s hand, and he surprised me by wrapping his free arm around my waist, pulling me into him as we kicked toward the surface. His hand on my waist instantly stole the last of my breath as being in his arms awakened a spark that seemed to have a magnetic force. Even underwater I felt the heat flush across my cheeks, and my heart hammered so fast I thought it would crash through the walls of my chest. I had nearly forgotten how to swim, but his strong kicks propelled us both to the surface.
When I broke out of the water, I gasped for air. Reeves shook his head, freeing his buzzed hair from much of the dripping water. We both trod water, but neither of us let go of the other. After more than a beat, he broke the silence. “You made it.”
“I did,” I huffed out as I continued to kick my feet fiercely.
I doubted his lips could curl anymore, but he managed an even bigger smile, as if it alone was proof of what we had braved. “I’m proud of you.”
Although I continued to smile with my lips, there was a stirring in my heart that I hadn’t felt before. It made my toes curl under. I held Reeve’s gaze, neither one of us flinching or making even the slightest move to let go. The stirring swelled, filling my whole chest.
My eyes traced his face, noticing everything from his strong jawline to his eyes framed with several smile crinkles in the corners. I had the urge to memorize all the visible lines of hisface as there was something rare about this moment being in his arms that made me feel alive.
He slowly ran his teeth over his bottom lip, then stilled and gazed at me the way I didn’t even know I needed to be looked at.Desire.It’s the way a man should look at a woman, and this was the first time it had ever happened to me, making my heart speed up.
I didn’t even need to kick my legs to tread water, because it felt as if I was floating. His hand slid up, cupping the back of my neck, as I leaned closer. His gaze dropped to my lips and hovered. A mere second later, he shook his chin as if pulled from a trance and his gaze shot back to shore. Releasing my hand, he focused on land and called over his shoulder, “Let’s swim back.”
What just happened!
Stunned, I triple blinked as I stifled a disappointed sigh and swam. Back on the riverbank, his demeanor instantly changed. Where before, he had been reaching for my hand and holding me in the water. Now he seemed to do everything he could to avert eye contact. “That was intense.” I breathed loudly, hoping to stir the conversation.
“Yeah,” he muttered, keeping his gaze down, as he took his boots off one at a time, dumping the water out of them. Then he spent way too much time adjusting his pant legs into them. They were suctioned to his leg with nowhere to move, but it didn’t stop him from fidgeting with it while he waited for me to catch up.
“I mean, it was amazing.” I paced toward him, and smiled sweetly, hoping to rekindle that spark we just shared in the water.
“Glad you lived.” He stared off in the distance the way we had come, murmuring, “My chores aren’t going to do themselves. And your father’s probably wondering where you are?”
If there was ever a way to kill a moment, it was to bring up my father. My heart instantly plummeted, and I checked the sky. The sun was setting, bringing in hues of burnt orange. It had to be near dinner time, and my absence would not go unnoticed. “You are probably right.”
“Alright.” He backed away, not giving me the chance to say a proper goodbye. “Have a good night.” He waved, and spun on his heel, speeding off. If I’d hadn’t known better, I’d think I made him uncomfortable. How he’d gone from almost kissing me, to acting scared of me was beyond me.Did I do something wrong?
Sloshing forward with a wet dress stuck to my skin like plastic wrap, I scurried back down the path to the castle. I had lost track of time, and was going to be late for dinner. Although we hadn’t discussed it, I didn’t doubt that life-of-the-party King Aswell would be a guest. Father would be livid if I was even a moment late. Halfway through the forest, Weston caught up to me, equally out of breath. With my gaze on the trail ahead and a lump of dread in my throat, I called out, “Are they looking for me?”
