“You are a lot of things, Riya-D. Smart. Sassy. Tough. Stubborn. Pain in the ass. But you are not anyone’s plaything.”
She looked at him again. Then back at the road. Then back at him. As if she couldn’t believe what he was saying. A smile tugged the edges of her lips. “Pain in the ass?”
Dhillon grinned. “All. The. Time.”
She smiled wide. “I saw the look in your eyes. You might have killed him. I simply wanted him gone.”
Riya pulled up into the center part of town and parked the car in the lot beside Lake Kittamaqundi. A few dim streetlights lit the walking path and outdoor amphitheater. At this time of night in Columbia, the streets were empty, and the town center was all but deserted. The night was thick and hot, without a breeze to be felt.
Dhillon followed Riya in the moonlight as she strolled past the picnic area and toward the dock where paddleboats and canoes were moored. For a small fee, people could take them out during the day and enjoy the lake. Riya leaned over and started to unravel the rope holding one of the canoes to the dock. She stretched and her shirt rode up, revealing her strong, bronzed torso. He should look away. He did not.
“Um, I don’t think we’re supposed to be doing that.”
She looked at him over her shoulder and chuckled, her teeth gleaming in the moonlight. “No one’s here. It’ll be fine.”
“So we’re stealing the canoe?”
“Borrowing.” She got into the canoe with the grace of an athlete and grabbed a couple of oars. “Get in.”
He did as he was told—with much less grace, however, nearly tipping the canoe. His clumsiness earned him the sweetest laughter, which eased his soul. He sat down across from her.
They paddled together in silence, automatically in sync, until they reached the middle of the lake. The water was black lacquer, the ripples they had made slowly dissipating. Night insects provided a soundtrack. A slight breeze lifted Riya’s flyaway hairs and provided them both small relief from the thick moisture in the air. Dhillon was facing her, their knees touching.
The moonlight hit Riya’s skin, making her glow. She had no makeup on, her hair was in a ponytail, and Dhillon was once again completely mesmerized by her. No wonder she’d got him to agree to borrow the boat and paddle it out to the middle of the lake.
“Lucky really loved swimming here,” Dhillon said into the silence.
The boat stilled and floated softly on the calm water. The soothing sound of water splashing the sides of the canoe mingled with the insect orchestra.
“He really did.” She met his eyes, sending a jolt through his body.
“Thanks. For tonight.” Dhillon watched her, his heart thundering at being so close to her, the moonlight giving him glimpses of her as she watched him.
“I needed it, too.” Her voice was soft, barely a whisper as she avoided his gaze and looked out into the black night.
Silence again.
“You always loved sneaking out at night.” He pressed his knee against hers in the dark.
She did not move her knee away. “I guess I did. It just seemed more exciting to do things at night.”
“When you weren’t supposed to.”
“Duh.” She rolled her eyes like she used to when she was a teenager.
“Remember when you took us up into Tommy’s tree house? At midnight?”
“Well, he was mean and wouldn’t let us up there during the day.” She sat up, her mock indignation amusing him.
“True.” Dhillon nodded into the darkness. He sighed. “We were best friends.”
“We were.” She spoke quietly, leaned her elbows on her knees so she was closer to him. He caught a whiff of her fruity shampoo mixed with beer from the bar.
“Things changed.” He looked at her.
“Things changed.” She met his gaze, her voice low, with that smoldering rasp.
Dhillon leaned on his elbows as well, bringing his face within inches of hers. “You remember that tenth-grade dance?”
