He shook his head.“Nope. Don’t let my brawn fool you. Back then I was a nerdy twig in honors classes. Girls wanted nothing to do with me.”
I barked out a laugh, trying and failing to picture it.
It was strange to be discussing this, and stranger still to be in this situation. As much as we’d been through together, we were different people now, starting over like strangers. I felt shy, unable to reach out and pull him to me, held back by the need to take things slow this time, to do things right.
But God, I wanted him; now more than ever.
Chapter 24
Gray
“Gray, I’m not sure I’m mentally ready to do this a second time,” Betty said, dipping a muddy toe into the river, her robe clutched tightly around her. I saw goosebumps prickle the skin of her ankles, a chain reaction that soon led to a full-body shiver, rattling her teeth.
“You lost the bet last night,” I reminded her.“Maybe you shouldn’t play so recklessly next time. I take bets seriously.”
We’d stayed up playing cards after spending the day in the cabin at sauna-like temperatures, trying to recuperate from the day before. Mr. Beans and Villainy absolutely loved the heat, and they especially loved all the cuddles. Betty let me hold her all night again, and, as it was the night before, the best sleep of my life.
“I was drunk, Gray,” she said.“Don’t believe the things I say when I’ve had too much whiskey. And you shouldn’t try to take advantage of my drunken state to trick me into making wild bets.”
I chuckled, shrugging off my robe and tossing it onto a nearby rock, eager to continue our little afternoon adventure.
Larry had finally returned from the cliffs, and he didn’t seem too pleased that we’d left him. He sulked in his tree until I brought him a small plate of scraps this afternoon.It took some effort, but he gave in eventually. He was sitting on a nearby rock, watching us.
I turned back to Betty and extended my hand, making a‘come here’gesture for her to pass over her robe.“Your turn. Shed it.”
She grumbled and stomped her foot. The glare she shot me could melt glaciers. And yet, I didn’t miss how her eyes flicked down to my bare chest, nor the blush that crept onto her cheeks. For a fleeting second, I think she even bit her lip, betraying her want.
She was killing me with that look.
I wore my usual dark boxer-briefs, and I had a feeling she was into the look based on the point she made to avoid looking that low. It was too powerful a view.“Come on, the longer you make me wait out here without my robe, the more likely I am to throw you in and get it over with,” I said, hooking a thumb towards the water.
“Don’t you dare,” she warned, pointing a cold and trembling finger at me.
I tilted my head and raised my eyebrows in challenge.“Aw, come on. It’d be fun,” I teased.
She looked up at the sky and grumbled again, marching in a circle.“Fine!” She untied her robe and slid it off her shoulders, her entire body racking with a shiver.
My God, I’d give anything to be that robe, caressing her every curve as it slid from her body. She was wearing a cut-off navy t-shirt and black cotton underwear. From the look of her peaked nipples through the fabric, there wasn’t a bra.
I bit back a groan, clenching my jaw and praying I could hold my composure until I got into the water. Cold air might not stop me from getting a hard-on, but the direct river water hopefully would.
Betty fidgeted from one foot to the other to ward off the cold.“Alright, I’ve got this,” she muttered to herself, over and over.
“Shit,”I whispered under my breath, my gaze fixed where it shouldn’t.
Her breasts bounced with her movements. Was she aware of the effect she was having on me? Or was this natural sensuality just part of who she was? Either way, I wasn’t complaining.
“Did you make sure the tub was hot? Because I’m making a break for it the second the time is up,” she said, shaking her hands at her sides like a sprinter ready to race.
The terms of the bet were one minute in the river, followed by a soak in the warm tub where I promised to wash her hair.“Yes,” I replied, pointing to the shed chimney where white smoke puffed out the top, dissipating into the treetops.“The bath water is already hovering at ninety-five degrees; I checked.”
She cast a glance back at the smoke, her fists clenched and her expression resolute. Without another moment’s hesitation, she turned and sprinted into the river with a scream. Her movement was so swift that I had to scramble to start my watch timer and follow her. Despite her previous hesitation, she now moved with unwavering purpose, making it to the center of the river pool and submerging herself up to her chin.
A gasp of air cut off her screams, as if she’d been punched in the gut. Her chin quivered like that of a sad puppy. I could tell she wanted to say something, but the cold water left her speechless, for once.
Her gaze was distant as I knelt beside her, feeling smug in my calm.
“Breathe slowly,” I reminded her.
