I frown and twist to look up at him. I wasn’t prepared for the sight of him sitting behind me, black strands hanging over his eyes as he peers down with an emotion I can’t quite pin. The contrast of the dim room with the bright pool creates shadows across his face that sharpen his straight nose and jawline while the water glints off his silver nose ring and the small hoops in his ears.
He’s so goddamn beautiful, it’s almost deadly. It stops the air in your lungs and seizes your heart from pumping.
Every damn time.
Forcing myself to swallow, I ask, “Why would you swim with ice in the pool?”
“According to Coach, it improves your circulation, burns more calories, and helps with sore muscles.Ithink he just wants me to suffer.”
I jut out my bottom lip in consideration.
“I like his style,” I say while turning back around, but not before I catch one corner of his mouth quirking into a mirthful smirk.
It prods at the nest of butterflies in my stomach, but again, I do my best to ignore that.
He’s not just a sickness—he’s the plague.
“Careful, baby,” he murmurs, those two words a proverbial fist closing around my windpipe. I feel him lean down, his hot breath warming my ear as he whispers, “I can think of a few ways to torture you with an icecube.”
My mouth dries, and for a few moments, I forget all about the water surrounding me. Instead, an unbidden image takes control, showing me exactly how he’d carry out that threat.
In a matter of seconds, fire erupts in my cheeks, burning hot as the fantasy takes on a mind of its own and completely spins out of control.
I scoot away from him. “I think I’d rather drown,” I mutter. Not only does it lack heat, but conviction, too.
He chuckles, and it only stokes the flames warming my blood to boiling levels. Against my will, my nipples have hardened, and my swimsuit does nothing to hide that fact.
Go back to panicking, Rev. This is so much worse.
“I can help with that, too. Just make sure your jaw is nice and relaxed.”
Growling, I turn and slap his chest, hissing at him to shut the fuck up. Instead, it earns me a deep laugh that has my heart stopping once again. Against my better judgment, I glance at him, taking in the deep crinkles around his eyes, the dimples forming right below them on the swells of his cheeks.
It’s an incredibly rare sight, especially in my presence, and it’s impossible not to let my stare linger. I can’t tell what’s more enthralling—the sound of his laughter or how otherworldly he looks doing so.
Regardless, by the time I face forward, I have no idea why I was irritated in the first place, only that I’m annoyed with myself for the point-two seconds I considered coming up with another reason to make him laugh again.
I’m an idiot.
He’s an asshole, we hate each other, and fucking him a few times doesn’t change our fucked-up history. This may be some weird truce for tonight, but we willneverbe friends. Never be more than friends.
“Just… teach me how to swim, dickhead,” I mumble, forcing myself to focus on the water. It makes my heart jump, but right now, I prefer it over the way Dread makes me feel.
I don’t know when it happened, but as far as my greatest fears, my feelings for Dread are now the scariest.
He maneuvers out from behind me and descends into the water, bending his knees until it reaches his shoulders. My throat tightens when he grabs my hands and gently pulls me forward. Instinctively, I resist, my muscles straining against him. He easily overpowersme, tugging me off the steps into the shallow water.
An embarrassing squeak leaves my throat as the water climbs up to my neck. My legs flail, and my eyes blow wide, already convinced I’m on the verge of drowning.
“Easy, baby,” he soothes. “You’re only in four feet of water. If it gets to be too much, stand up.”
I stand instantly and try to breathe, resisting the urge to claw at my throat. It feels as if a snake has circled around it, slowly squeezing until only a sliver of oxygen slips through. My chest pumps, and while a distant part of me is aware of how ridiculous I’m being, I’m unable to do anything but fucking panic.
Dread quickly wades toward me and stands, towering over me by too many inches to be reasonable. His palms slide along either side of my face before lifting my jaw up to him. I wheeze, his features blurred and vague.
“Focus on me, Rev, and take deep breaths. You’re not drowning.”
But I am.
