Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 96178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96178 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
It took some work to get there, but after a winding hike over a deserted trail, the trees had finally parted, revealing a wide blue lake. Apparently, it was once a quarry but in the 1930s the bottom was sealed, the water filtered, and the area became a resort. But at the beginning of World War II, it closed, the buildings left to decay without human interference. Now, the swimming hole was completely secluded, closed in by steep rock walls and leggy trees that blocked the view from anyone standing on the ledge above.
To Ren, it was the perfect spot for a swim.
“But we don’t have suits,” he said slowly.
“Do we need them?”
“Generally, people who aren’t routinely naked together wear suits when swimming, yes.”
She smiled at him. “We have underwear, you know. We can swim in that.”
“To be clear,” he said, turning his back to her with a lingering grin, “I wasn’t complaining.”
Relief washed over her; it was unseasonably warm, in the low eighties, and after the steep hike where she’d had a near-constant view of the flexing and bunching of Edward’s muscular thighs, she felt overheated and jittery. Thankfully they’d brought enough drinking water, and they’d just devoured the lunch of sandwiches and chips they’d picked up at a deli on the drive over, but the idea of diving into the calm, deep blue water made her feel like she’d had another two glasses of champagne.
Quickly, she unbuttoned her shorts and kicked them off. Her top was next. She folded them both and set them on a rock at the edge, then looked down at herself, dressed in only her simple bra and panties. They covered as much as her swimsuit, so that was fine, but she didn’t have anything to change into, and she didn’t relish the idea of driving back in wet underwear or walking through the busy hotel lobby braless.
She glanced at Edward’s back. “I’m taking my undies off, too,” she told him.
His spine stiffened. “Oh, so we’re doing the full monty.”
“I don’t know what that means, but if it means fully naked, then yes.” Unfastening her bra, she slipped it and her underwear off before tucking them both inside her shorts.
At the edge, she dipped a toe in. It was surprisingly warm and clear, and any lingering hesitancy slipped away. With a tiny yelp, she waded in a few steps before steeling herself and taking the plunge.
“Oh my God,” she groaned as cool water slipped over every inch of her skin. She ducked under and kicked until she was farther out. When she surfaced again, Edward was still facing away. “I’m covered now.”
He turned slowly, as if unsure of what he might see. She was submerged from her neck down, but she grinned at him and waved. “You coming in?”
The water lapped at the edge of the meager beach, a breeze rustled the trees overhead, wood creaked under the weight of lush branches. All of them awaiting his decision.
He drew circles in the air with his index finger, playfully indicating that it was her turn to look away now. Her laugh echoed in the stillness, bouncing back to them, but she did, moving to face the opposite shore. Ren continued to tread water, and as the breeze settled and quiet fell, she was vaguely aware of his shoes landing with a thunk against a fallen log, a zipper drawn down, the rustle of fabric, and the soft scratch of feet moving along the sandy shore. She thought she heard him stop at the edge, testing the temperature. She was about to tell him to stop being such a baby when there was a large splash and the call of birds as they scattered from the trees overhead.
She briefly imagined him swimming to her below the surface, wrapping his arms around her hips and then her torso before pressing his naked body to hers.
“Okay,” he said from somewhere behind her. “I’m in.”
She turned to see him about ten feet away. His hair was slicked back and darker when it was wet, brown eyes greener and framed by spiky lashes. Water ran down his face and neck and pooled in the hollows of his collarbones. He was blushing to the tips of his ears.
“Doesn’t it feel amazing?”
“Amazing is one word. Freezing is another.”
“You call this freezing?”
“There are definitely parts of my body that find this lake water offensively cold.” She stared at him, confused, and he laughed, swimming in circles around her. “You know, there are easier ways to get me naked, Sunshine.”
“It’s a little foggy, but I think I was trying to last night.”
Edward laughed at this. “So you were.”
She splashed him, and he splashed her back until they were in a full-on water fight where he was at an advantage, being able to rise and show his whole torso out of the water. Her hair covered most of her bare chest, but as he advanced, wave after wave of water towering over her pathetic attempts, she decided she didn’t care anymore and went all out, shoving water forward as powerfully as she could until she didn’t care what else he might see. Laughing, he covered his eyes. “You’re not playing fair.”