Page 50 of River & Rue

“Stupid fluffy bullshit. Pool towels are supposed to be thin, assholes.”

I bite my cheek so I don’t laugh. The pain has an added benefit of distracting me from a raging need to look at her—specifically at the area the towel concealed. Her creamy thighs and the space between.

Aaaand I’m getting hard again.

Fuck.

I toss aside my T-shirt, kick off my sandals, and walk to the edge of the pool. Rocking onto the balls of my feet, I prepare to dive.

“River?”

She’s behind me. Right behind me, so close my shoulder blades twitch.

My momentum halts, but I don’t turn around. I can’t. The moonlight is too bright for me to adjust myself discreetly. She’ll see how hard I am for her, and with no easy excuse like accidental friction, tonight’s tenuous progress will crumble.

I turn my head slightly so she knows I heard her and that I’m listening.

“Is your back okay now?”

“Yeah. Turns out Kirk isn’t entirely full of shit—a few sessions of acupuncture straightened me out. No pain at all during my runs for the last week.” I clamp my teeth to stop rambling.

“I’m so glad to hear that.”

For one second, I marvel at the relief in her voice. The proof that she genuinely cares.

Then her foot pushes into the back of my knee, destabilizing my center of gravity right as her palms land on my back and shove.

I fly into the pool.

20

rue

​. . .​

infinite edge

The pool’s motion lights turn on as River hits the water, framing him in a blue glow as he sinks. His feet touch down, knees bending. Then he shoves off the bottom, powerful body arrowing upward.

I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face if I wanted to. I’m too tickled by finally getting the revenge I’ve waited six years for.

River surfaces, mist exploding from his mouth and nose. His bun came undone on impact, and his loose hair trails like spilled ink as he swims toward me. I scuttle back a few steps, prepared to run if he launches out of the pool, but he merely braces his arms on the edge and looks up with a giant smile.

Something detonates in my chest.

“Well played, Ruin. I know you’ve waited a long time for that.”

“I’m surprised you remember.”

He chuckles. “Like I’d ever forget that beautiful day. You screamed like a banshee. And the way it cut off when you hit the water? Priceless.”

“Now that I think about it, I’m not sure this settles the score. You didn’t belly flop like you were supposed to.”

“My sincerest apologies. In addition to not screaming, I forgot to flail.”

I laugh in spite of myself. “Shut up.”

That shit-eating grin stays on his face as he pushes back from the wall. His arms move lazily, sending gentle ripples across the water.