Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79319 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79319 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
He emerged with a whoop, flinging his hair and grinning like a fool. “Come on in.”
“No, thanks.”
“Suit yourself.”
Okay, maybe a little physical exertion was exactly what I needed. I chowed the rest of my protein bar, changed into my swim trunks—with my back to Jake, ’cause I was still being weird—then did a cannonball into water so frigid my balls shriveled on contact.
“Fuck! It’s freezing, asshole,” I yelped, treading furiously to keep my limbs moving.
Jake’s laughter rang like a bell, echoing in the cavernous enclave. It wasn’t vindictive amusement at my expense, though. No, this was pure joy and appreciation for something that brought core-level happiness. I had a feeling this was Jake Milligan’s happy place. Interesting.
“It’s a little chilly,” he agreed, swimming toward me.
“A little? I’m gonna start talking like Mickey Mouse in a minute.”
Jake chuckled. “You just have to keep jumping to warm up.”
He got out of the water and jumped in again, practically landing on top of me this time. I growled and instinctively went after him, diving under and pulling him with me. I wasn’t sure how deep it was, but I was a strong swimmer and Jake obviously was too. He shook me off easily and tackled me the second I resurfaced.
We went round and round, wrestling like schoolboys. We even used the swing as a catapult, lunging aggressively and dunking each other till we could barely breathe.
It was…fun. But he didn’t appreciate the sucker punch to his biceps that sent him flying near the rocks. He didn’t hit anything, but he was pissed with a capital P.
“Shit. I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
Jake glared, chest heaving. “I’ll live, but you can go fuck yourself.”
Ugh. No one frustrated me more than Jake fucking Milligan.
I was a nice guy. I was fun, loyal, friendly. I could communicate with almost anyone…except Jake. I never got the balance right with him, and the frustration made me clumsy. And angry. I wanted to fight him, knee him in the nuts, wring his neck.
My toes curled for purchase on the mossy rock as I grabbed his arm. I wasn’t sure why or what I was thinking. I should have let him go, dried off, and prepared for my upcoming torturous hike with the enemy.
I loosened my grip and glared. He returned my glare times ten and huffed, so I reached out to give him a good shove and lost my footing. My hand slipped from his chest to his throat…and I didn’t let go.
Surprise flared in his eyes and probably mine too. Then his breath hitched, and get this—he dragged his tongue across his bottom lip. And it was…sexy.
Like really fucking sexy.
Holy shit.
What was going on?
My cock swelled in my trunks on cue. I was light-headed, dizzy with a feeling so intense, I was in danger of passing out. I wasn’t angry anymore…I was turned-on. Maybe I had been for a while, and this was me finally cluing in.
Confusing for sure, but I wanted to touch him, and damn, he looked as if he were totally on board. Could that be true?
No. No way.
Jake’s gaze dipped from my eyes to my mouth and—
Oh, fuck.
I crashed my mouth over his.
And I gotta tell you…time stopped. Like it had in the fateful moment during the Stanley Cup game—only with much more dire consequences.
We stood frozen with our lips fused for what felt like a small eternity. Any second now, he’d push me off the ledge or I’d push him. I’d have to pretend it was an accident, and I didn’t know if that was true. I didn’t know anything. Except that his lips were soft and the scrape of his bearded jaw felt nice and—
I gasped, snapping my eyes open and blinking like an owl. Neither of us moved a muscle. We stared, each willing the other to say something and break the spell.
“I didn’t—I don’t…”
Jake nodded. “Yeah, I know. That was…adrenaline.”
“Uh-huh. Yeah. That’s it.”
He bit his bottom lip as he stepped onto the soil, water sluicing down his body. I looked away quickly and followed him. I dug a towel from my bag and slammed it over my face.
Jesus. Now what?
I’d never kissed a man in my life. Never. I’d never wanted to. It made no sense that I’d throw myself at the one person who despised me as much as I despised him. No sense at all.
But I think that just happened. Shit.
I dried myself and tied the towel around my waist, slinking the clingy wet swim trunks off.
By the way, my cock was embarrassing the hell out of me. It was a beefsteak molded to thin cotton, leaving me nowhere to hide. I wasn’t the type to blush, but I was warm all over. We’re talking from the tips of my toes to the roots of my hair.
I dressed as quickly as possible, wracking my brain for neutral topics, knowing I was unlikely to get out of this unscathed.