Page 29 of Riding the Line (Willow Ridge #2)
We continue our swim in comfortable silence, up and down for several more lengths, just relishing the serenity of the moment.
The soft waves of the water as we glide through, the distant calls of animals, filling the late night air, the inconceivable peace of just being with that one person who fills you with contentment.
Once we reach the pool’s wall at the shallow end again, I lean my arms against it, legs stretching out behind me as I float on my stomach.
Cherry copies, my eyes unable to resist from trailing along her body, until her ass pops out of the water, and I snap my attention back to my arms. I take in a deep breath, chlorine filling my senses.
Maybe if I breathe down enough of it, it’ll dissolve this stupid obsession away.
Cherry’s elbow nudges mine as she twists again, propping her arms up behind her, breasts lifting out of the water.
My jaw clenches when I notice her peaked nipples, too obvious through the thin fabric of her bikini.
Does she wear things like this every time she swims?
A hot rush of both desire and jealousy slices through me at the thought.
I’d be silly to think she’s just worn this for me, but surely she has other less revealing swimsuits—
‘I’m having my first riding lesson with Fliss on Sunday,’ Cherry suddenly states.
‘Hey, that’s great. I’m proud of you, Cherry.’ My hands itch to touch her, even just a gentle squeeze of the shoulder, something to show her how much I care. But our bare, wet skin meeting is probably not ideal right now.
‘Thanks, I’m excited. And for you to move forward with the other bar, too,’ she adds with a wink.
‘Thanks for helping me with the list, I … I don’t know if I would’ve asked Fliss otherwise.
But doing all of this,’ she gestures out to the pool ahead, ‘has made me feel better. More confident. You help me feel more alive, Duke.’
‘I …’ I pause to swallow back all the words that want to spill out.
You’ve made me feel more alive since the moment you walked through the door of my bar over two years ago.
I live for the holidays, when my life is graced by your dazzling joy again.
Because when you’re not around, I’m like an old, crackling neon sign, struggling to keep alight, but you give me life, and I’ve never shone as bright as when I’m around you. ‘I’m glad.’
Cherry huffs out a little laugh.
‘You know …’ she starts but then worries her lip. She tucks a wet lock of her hair behind her ear. Something almost molten burns in her eyes. ‘We could get three ticks tonight.’
I turn. ‘Sorry?’
Cherry pushes off from the wall, wading through the water until she’s opposite me. Her dark hair spreads out around her like a blanket of midnight. The air becomes chillier. Heavier . ‘You said earlier that this ticked two things off the list. But we could tick off a third.’
I try to remember what else I’d seen written on the list.
But Cherry elaborates before I can get there, ‘Skinny-dipping.’
Gaze intertwined with mine, sparkling under the pool’s reflection, Cherry starts fiddling with her bikini top beneath the water.
Alarms blare in my head.
This is too dangerous.
Wyatt would kill you if he knew about this.
But I can’t move. I can’t speak.
Even though my bottom lip drops, nothing comes out.
Not even when Cherry drags the straps of her bikini over her arms unbearably slowly, making sure to keep everything below her shoulders under the water.
The top floats up to the surface with a soft pop, hanging between us, daring me to glance down through the dark water at her bare chest. But I keep my focus on her unrelenting stare, one that seems to have darkened even more.
‘Cherry …’ I grind out through my tight jaw, wishing my blood wasn’t rushing down south as quickly as it is right now. My hands clench into fists by my side, heart clamouring against my chest.
It only takes a few seconds before her bikini bottoms join the top too. A daring curve of her mouth spreads out before her teeth tug on her bottom lip, exactly where I want to be biting right now.
I am in so much trouble.
‘Your turn,’ she purrs, a slight breathlessness to her voice.
‘Cherry,’ is all I can say again.
It’s the same word thrumming in my veins.
Cherry, Cherry, Cherry.
All my body wants right now.
‘I thought you wanted to help me. Don’t you want to make me feel better? This would make me feel better.’
The little menace. I angle my jaw, narrowing my gaze at her. ‘You are not as innocent as you pretend to be.’
She shrugs, the movement bringing the tops of her tightened breasts out of the water, the wet curves glistening under the moonlight.
Pure torture would be a better caption for her now.
Fine. If she wants to play this game, then let’s do it. Still holding Cherry’s stare, I tug down my trunks and throw them onto the poolside with a wet slap. She starts at the sound.
I exhale shakily. ‘Does this make you feel better?’
Her eyes flash.
‘It makes me feel … daring.’ Cherry swishes her arms along the surface, creating gentle ripples. Neither of us have looked away from the other’s eyes, almost like we’re both waiting to catch the other first. Waiting for the other to cross that line. ‘How does it make you feel?’
How does being naked in a pool with the girl I’ve had to fight against my own dreams about, who also happens to be my best friend’s little sister, make me feel?
‘Conflicted,’ I grunt out.
‘Because you think Wyatt would be annoyed?’
I nod.
‘Do you think he’d be annoyed if …’ Cherry wades forwards, forcing me back – except I can’t move any further, because I’m already against the wall.
She doesn’t stop until there’s barely a few inches between us, my body tightening in response.
Up close, she looks even more radiant under the moonlight.
Too angelic considering that she’s just cornered me. Naked .
‘If I did this,’ she finishes and lifts her arms out of the water, settling them on top of my shoulders. My breath catches in my throat. All the wires in my brain are suddenly frazzled, burned by her touch. By her boldness.
All I can do is nod again.
Because I want this so badly.
I want to feel her wet skin on mine, every inch of her beautiful, bare body pressed against me. I want to flip us around, press her back against the wall, and take her right here. I want to hear the water crashing around us as our bodies slam together.
Cherry’s eyes flick between mine, searching. ‘And what about this?’ Then, she shifts up and wraps her legs around my hips—
I reach out and grab her waist to stop her body from being flush against mine. From feeling how painfully hard I am. A small whimper leaves her lips as my hands splay across her ribs. My grip is tighter than I’d like, but it’s only evidence of how hard I’m fighting myself on this.
Finally, I break our stare and close my eyes, begging for my body to gain some control over itself. Holding her like this, learning what the bare, wet skin of her waist feels like in my hands, is making me second-guess whether this is reality.
‘Closing-time argument,’ she whispers, her breath caressing my lips. Cherry leans her face closer to me, faintly – so faintly – brushing her lips against mine, as she ponders, ‘Kissing your best friend’s little sister. For or against?’
‘Against,’ I lie, but don’t move my mouth away.
‘Fine, I’ll start.’ Her cold fingers trace the tattoos over my shoulder, where my sleeve starts, every inch of my skin lighting up under her touch. Each word comes out as a breath. ‘I think it would feel really, really good.’
My arms tremble, trying to keep her where she is. Any closer to my body and she’ll feel exactly how much I agree with the idea that kissing her would feel really, really good .
I open my eyes just as I say, ‘It would be wrong.’
Her nail drags up my neck, my cock throbbing in response. ‘That makes it hotter.’
‘Wyatt would kill me.’
‘Wyatt?’ Cherry angles her head, blinking big doe eyes at me with the most innocent of smiles. ‘Who said I was talking about us ?’
With that, she pushes off me, twisting around as she falls into a leisurely swim, giving me another flash of her ass. It’s then I realise little Cherry Hensley knows exactly how much power she holds over me.
And I am completely and utterly fucked.