Page 31

She giggles, splashing water in my face, which of course does nothing. “Or else what?”

Oh, so we’re playing that game, huh? I quirk my brow and I’m about to put the challenge to her when a sound along the bank catches my attention.

“...such a beautiful day. I can’t believe the weather hasn’t cooled off yet.”

There are people coming. And the voice of the woman sounds horribly familiar. Probably just my overactive imagination after seeing Barb. It couldn’t be.

In the middle of the inlet, we’re exposed. And much as I’ve got no fucks to give about who sees me naked, I’m conscious that Olivia may not want to be seen like this. Gently, I wrap my arm around her and guide her close to the edge where fallen logs and thick foliage will cover us better.

Olivia gives me a curious look. “What is it?”

“Shhh.” I place my hand over her mouth, gesturing to the shore where a couple is walking hand in hand along a small trail that leads toward us.

Then I stiffen. There are times I hate being right.

As the couple comes closer, I can’t kid myself any longer. Charlotte is wearing her hair blonde these days, but I would know her face anywhere. It’s a face which has featured in bothmy dreams and my nightmares. A face that haunts me to this day. And the face of the man she’s walking hand in hand with is hardly less so. After all, we were friends for nearly ten years, until he fucked my fiancé and stole my woman on my wedding day.

I spit onto the bank in disgust.

What the fuck is she doing here?

Of course, I know what. Visiting her parents who clearly still live here and run the local bakery. It’s just my luck that she picked today of all days and I had to run into her.

Even though I want to, I can’t look away.

Since that day, I’ve refused to see her, to speak to her. I never answered her calls, never responded to her false apologies. They didn’t mean anything anyway.

She chose him.

What more was there to say?

Only now, the sight of her is like a current dragging me under. I’m sucked into a whirlpool of ugly thoughts and in danger of coming out in a very black place.

I’m still pinning Olivia to the bank, my hand over her mouth. When she wriggles and twists to be set free, I release her and she looks around at me. “Are you OK?”

I can’t reply. I can’t even give her my full attention. My tentacles squeeze. One of which is wrapped around a tree root below the water and tightens so far there’s the dull cracking of wet wood breaking.

Charlotte and Cooper are closer now. So close they’re almost on us, though I’m fairly sure they haven’t spotted anything.

She turns to him and laughs. “Oh, I guess I spent a lot of time down here as a kid. I can never remember why I liked it so much.”

Her statement is like a long wound sliced along my side. It doesn’t sting at first. Then all of a sudden it hits me, sucks mybreath away, has me doubled over in pain. This was our spot. It was where I’d always meet her.

A gasp from Olivia finally drags me out of my own head and I realize I’m squeezing her too tight, just like the tree root. I should let her go. I should apologize. Explain.

I don’t do any of those things.

Instead, I loosen my grip just a fraction. Then I use my tentacles to spread her legs for me and hold her gaze as I run my hand up her thigh. “Still want to make bets you’re going to lose, Zeston?” I whisper.

She gasps again, but now I’m looking; I see the way her pupils dilate.

“Think you can keep quiet?” As I say this, I slide my hand higher until I’m cupping her upper thigh, fingers grazing her outer lips.

Olivia covers her mouth with her hand and nods.

I smile darkly. This is what I need. With Olivia, I’m in control. I take what I want and don’t invest myself the way I did with Charlotte. That’s who I am now.

And I’m stronger for it.