Total pages in book: 179
Estimated words: 165476 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 827(@200wpm)___ 662(@250wpm)___ 552(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 165476 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 827(@200wpm)___ 662(@250wpm)___ 552(@300wpm)
Cole frowned and dropped his folded coat next to the hat. He sat down to remove his boots and wiggled his toes in socks that had been mended numerous times, before finally speaking. “Why would I suggest that?”
Ned spread his arms in frustration, because he could no longer pretend the lusty fumble hadn’t happened. “Because of the nasty stuff I did to you last night. I was soaked, all right? I’m sorry. No one needs to know, and that’s that. Can we just forget about it?”
Cole gave an awkward-sounding laugh. “You did what?”
Ned froze on the spot. Oh no. Had Cole been ignorant to the events that gnawed at Ned’s liver? Ned’s back tingled with discomfort at the realization that he might have just jumped into a sewage pit for no reason.
“You know. And if you don’t, that’s for the better.” He looked to the cool waters of the lake in longing, because the heat provoked by the conversation was too much to bear. In the spur of the moment, he pushed his boots off. To hell with it, he would not be coy around another man like some maiden.
Cole snorted, only to laugh more as he covered his face with both hands. Did he think Ned a fool?
Anger and grief buzzed inside Ned as he tore off articles of clothing until even his underthings dropped to the moss, and he stepped into the icy water, grateful for its frosty bite. Maybe by the time he was done, Cole would be back to pretending nothing out of the ordinary had happened, and their lives could get back to normal.
Ned walked on, placing his bare feet on smooth stones at the bottom. He was grateful that the cold took his mind off the root of his problems. By the time he got deep enough to dunk his head in the crystal-clear water and let himself float, it became obvious this was the only respite he’d get. Once back at the shore, a confrontation with Cole would be inevitable, and he wished for time to stand still, so they could stay forever suspended in this moment of peace.
Minutes passed before Ned’s flesh got used to the pricking of icy needles. He ignored Cole and rubbed his body, eager to wash off the grime and sweat of the previous day. By the time he was clean, he felt ready to face the unmentionable that he’d dared to speak of.
But when he glanced toward the shore, his friend was gone.
Frost stung Ned again when he thought that maybe Cole had abandoned him, but Thunder was still feeding on the sparse grass alongside Nugget. Still, the sense of hopelessness made a home in Ned’s chest and wasn’t going anywhere.
Ned ran his fingers through his wet hair once more and swam back. He was waist-deep, when a loud splash made him look over the shoulder.
An arm ripped through the surface in the middle of the lake, slamming the water as if in expectation of it turning solid, but by the time Cole’s head emerged for the briefest moment, Ned’s heart froze. The bastard couldn’t swim, so what the hell was he doing in the middle of the lake?
“You lost your goddamn mind?” Ned yelled and threw himself into the water, swimming as fast as his muscles allowed. He remembered the way Cole fought for each breath in the river painfully well and accelerated further, trying to catch up with the pace of his hurried heartbeat.
In his mind he could already see Cole’s lifeless corpse floating on the surface, his tawny skin turned into pale, wrinkled leather, hair like a dark halo around his handsome face. And all because of Ned. Because he couldn’t keep his hands to himself and antagonized the best friend he ever had.
He grabbed Cole’s thrashing arm as soon as he reached him and used it to drag him up, but the force made his own feet sink and… touch rocks?
Cole’s face had emerged from under the surface with hair stuck to the forehead and cheeks, but before Ned could have said a thing, the plump mouth squirted water at his face.
“You horse’s ass!” Ned yelled and grabbed Cole’s head to push it under the surface. He counted to three and let the bastard go, because what was he to do? He didn’t mean to actually drown him.
Cole shook his head like a dog the moment he was back up, his fragrant hair spraying droplets on Ned’s face. When he grinned, and his eyes glinted like black diamonds, it became clear sunset approached. On the canvas of healthy skin, the sky reflected its glorious purples and oranges, and when Cole stepped on Ned’s toes, moving away became an impossible task.
Ned’s stomach did a pleasant flip, and he wasn’t sure what was happening anymore. He’d thought this whole fake-drowning business was about Cole forgiving him and letting bygones be bygones, so… what now?