Page 43 of Our Darkest Summer

I huffed. That, I knew.

Thomas leaned back in his chair, looking so damn smug I wanted to throw my entire deck of cards at his face. Instead, I grabbed my wine glass and downed the rest of it while he watched. His gaze lingered for a second too long before flicking away.

“Now,” Braxton drawled, stretching his arms behind his head with an exaggerated yawn, “we should play somethingfun.”

Chapter Nineteen

Kinsley

We wereall drunk when we decided playing hide-and-seek was a good idea. In hindsight, maybe running off into the dark when someone was threatening us wasn’t the smartest move on our part.

But that realization came way too late.

I stood frozen on the dark green grass of the yard shore, staring out at the lake. The house was off-limits, which left me with two options—the forest, or the water.

Aaliyah had tried to convince me to hide in the woods with her and Cora, but even with alcohol buzzing through my system, something deep inside me recoiled at the idea.

That left the lake.

Connor and Kevin’s loud counting echoed around me from the porch. I turned toward the water. The moonlight broke across its surface in a shimmering silver line, leaving the rest in eerie, endless darkness.

“Come on, before they find you just standing there,” said the raspy voice from behind me, and I stilled.

Thomas stepped up beside me, his presence cutting through the cool night air. I glanced at the two boys counting. He was right; they were pretty close to reaching one hundred.

“It’s not that cold yet, the sun just settled,” he assured me, stepping into the water.

“Why are you helping me?” I asked, keeping half of my attention on Connor and Kevin.

“Maybe I’m just a hopeless romantic,” he said with his back to me. “You like those, don’t you?” He sent me a devilish smirk over his shoulder, and my breath hitched. “Or maybe I just don’t want you to reveal my hiding place by just standing there,” he added. Right. “If I have to play, I’m here to win, Sage.”

His hand hovered between us, waiting for me to take it. The moment our fingers connected, a shiver shot up my spine that had nothing to do with the cold.

“I don’t think anyone forced you to play,” I muttered as I followed him into the water. Goosebumps spread over my body from the sudden cold, the rocks slippery under my feet.

“Maybe I forced myself,” he mused. “A challenge is a challenge.”

He walked backward, leading me deeper within the waves, his white shirt floating around him on the silver surface of the lake. His dark eyes poured into mine, as the cold waves closed around me.

The moment I was neck-deep, I regretted every decision that led me there.

“Ready or not, here we come!” Connor and Kevin’s voices rang out from the porch, sending a thrill of adrenaline down my spine.

Thomas grabbed me, and pulled me under the pier, his arm hot against my skin. The lake was suddenly too cold, the air too thick, as his breath brushed against my temple as we peered through the gap between the pier and the shore.

Connor and Kevin were already descending the steps, splitting up, and moving through the yard. Mist had beguncreeping over the ground, swallowing the house. Something about it made my stomach twist.

This was a bad idea.

Like he could feel my unease, Thomas’ grip tightened, his fingers firm on my waist. I stiffened even more. Big mistake. I turned, and suddenly we were too close. Our noses nearly brushed, his breath warm against my lips, his dark waves damp and clinging to his forehead.

I swallowed hard, my pulse pounding. I could feel every inch of him in the water, the way his soaked shirt clung to his chest, his muscles taut as he hovered only inches away from me. My eyes followed a single drop of water as it trickled down his neck, disappearing beneath the inky darkness of the lake.

My pulse thundered.

“Sage.” His whisper sent goosebumps rippling down my spine.

And then, he touched me. His thumb skimmed the bare skin of my waist, his fingers digging in ever so slightly. I imagined him touching me like this so many times. I wet my lips, and his eyes darkened.