Guess not.
“What?” I know I heard her right, but my confusion is answered when I notice her staring at the door. She wants to leave the clubhouse. Seriously?
“You can follow me if you want, but I’m sneaking out.” Lazily, she starts to drift away. “Or don’t, I don’t care.”
“Absolutely not.” The words leave me in a hiss. “They literally just left.”
Raven doesn’t listen, too stubborn for her own good. She approaches her sister, leaning close to say something. Pen nodsand smiles sweetly, just as she always does. However, it does look a bit forced this time around.
When Raven returns, she snatches my hand. “Let’s go to bed.”
I’m being tugged before I realize what’s going down. All too late, I realize that she’s setting an alibi. But then, instead of abandoning me the moment we leave the bar, she continues tugging me through the halls and rooms toward another exit. The back door we purposely keep closed.
She’ll have to let go eventually. Otherwise, I’ll have to believe that shedoescare if I come with her or not.
The fresh night air meets us with a welcoming embrace. Once we get a few feet away, she finally releases my hand. Yet, I continue to follow. She keeps walking, putting more and more distance between us and the clubhouse.
“Where are we going?” Glancing through the darkness, the moonlight makes the worst kind of shadows.
“Away.” Her answer is simple, but it’s hardly that. “It’s fine.”
Knowing it’s not, I stupidly continue to tag along and tell myself that it’s just so I can keep her out of trouble. There’s only so far she can go on foot. I just wish that I’d known we’d be leaving. I could’ve grabbed a knife or a gun. Something to protect us with in case something jumps out of the shadows.
Silence surrounds us; even the wildlife is sleeping. Even if I shouldn’t lower my guard, something tells me that we’re fine.
It’s not the enemy that has me this twisted up. Deep down, it’s something far more concerning. It’s the woman guiding me deeper into the trees, using nothing but the limited light above us to bring us closer and closer to our destination.
Finally coming to a stop, I look out to see where she’s taken us.
A handful of feet away sits a lake that stretches out as far as I can see. The stars and the moon reflect against its clear surface, and an occasional ripple moves toward us.
I didn’t know this was even here.
“What are we doing here?” Staring ahead, I can’t help but wonder if this is her way of trying to take me out. If she killed me, she could probably sink my body at the bottom, couldn’t she?
“I want to swim, obviously.” She grabs her shirt and lifts it above her head.
Fuck. No. This is bad.
“This is someone’s lake.” Feeling frantic, I look around when she reaches for her pants. Unlike yesterday, there isn’t any hesitation. “Plus, your legs, you don’t want—”
“You’ve already seen them. They’re not going anywhere.” She almost sounds bored as she steps out of her pants next. Leaving her in a black bra and a navy blue pair of underwear, she lifts a brow. “I didn’t take you for a coward. You can sit there and watch, or you can take a chill pill and do a few laps.”
She’s fishing for a bite. If it weren’t her standing right there, looking likethat, I’d chomp down on her words.
The only thing I want to get my mouth on is her.
Fuck.
Just when I think it can’t get any worse, she dips her fingers into the band of her underwear.
She doesn’t just plan on swimming. Raven is going to skinny dip.
8
Raven
This is my special spot. My place to slip off whenever I need space. It’s one of the few reasons I love being pushed out toward the edge of Willowbrook Ridge. When I’m out here, there isn’t a problem big enough to reach me in this kind of place. Normally, anyway.
