Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 32824 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32824 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
Teddy started laughing, victory in his sight, and it was all he saw. He threw himself off the dock and into the water, and I dove in right after. The chill pierced through me, quickly followed by 100% bliss. No more overheating for me—for a while.
Opening my eyes in the clear, blue-green water, I snaked an arm around Teddy’s middle and pulled him to the surface.
Mischa and Echo were already in too. Whereas I’d started training Mischa in rescue basics, Echo was just the goofball that splashed as much as he could. And drank. He lapped at the surface.
“I won!” Teddy croaked.
I chuckled and brushed some hair from his face. “You won, you reckless little trooper.”
He climbed onto my back and held on while I swam toward the beach.
At least we had this area to ourselves. The other two families seemed to be here together, and they’d opted for the cliffs farther away.
Sophia waited on the beach, hands on her hips, Teddy’s life vest in a tight hold.
“Uh-oh, Momma looks like she’s gonna call us daredevils again,” I said. As my feet touched the sandy bottom, I slowed down until I could stand straight. It put us maybe twenty feet away from Soph, and that was plenty.
“Hi, Momma!” Teddy shouted. In my ear.
I winced and glanced around me, making sure the boys were close. Mischa was on his way to dry land, but Echo evidently wanted to swim circles around us.
Soph composed her expression and smiled stiffly. If I knew her, she’d save her talk on safety until little ears couldn’t hear.
“Come get your vest, sweetie!” Soph called.
“But, ohh.” Teddy hid behind my neck. “I don’t wanna.”
“We gotta listen to Momma. She’s a smart cookie,” I said. “With the vest, you can show us how well you swim.”
I brought him closer to where he could reach the bottom on his own. His mumbling about not wanting the vest went in one ear and out the other, because I spotted Blake—that fucker—strolling down the hill with Dylan, wearing only black boardshorts. Jesus Christ. His tattoos completely covered his shoulders and trailed down his very defined chest.
He took care of his body. Fucking hell, he was a sight.
“Teddy!” Dylan called. “You wanna swim out to the cliffs with me?”
That would be a great activity for them. I cleared my throat and refocused, hauling Teddy to my front again. He liked the cliffs. They were almost their own island. A cluster of boulders and cliffs that rose from the water near the northern side. They were only a few minutes away but would give him a great workout.
“What do you say, buddy?” I asked him.
He nodded decisively and splashed his way toward Dylan.
Echo followed.
I stayed back and reminded myself to stick to my lane. It’d been two years since Dylan had joined us, and he’d proven himself over and over. They didn’t need me watching over them.
It didn’t take many seconds for Teddy’s excitement to rebuild, despite having to wear a vest, and then he and Dylan waded into the water together.
“Have fun, you two.” I smiled at them.
“Bye! Bye!” Teddy waved before he turned around and clung to Dylan’s back.
Soph let out a big breath that I heard all the way from the beach. Then she announced she was going to sit her “big butt” down and rest for a moment in the shade.
“By the way.” She stopped and turned to me again. “You didn’t even have the time to let him change into his trunks?”
“Well, he would’ve lost the race,” I replied. “Since when is that something he’s willing to do?”
She let out a laugh and shook her head at me, knowing there was no use in pushing it further.
That left me alone with Blake.
Mischa and Echo weren’t likely to join me for a swim. They’d found a sunny spot to dry on the dock.
I sank into the water as Blake waded deeper.
“You’re very attached to him, aren’t you?” he asked. It was obvious who he was referring to, and he didn’t look like he was expecting an answer. “I’m surprised you don’t have kids of your own—” He hissed at the cold and grabbed his junk, a comical sight. And possibly sexy. He wasn’t small anywhere. “That’s fuckin’ frigid.”
“You big baby.” The water was perfect.
He made a face before he went under, and he resurfaced quickly, and that sight… I swallowed dryly and felt my judgment get cloudier and cloudier for each rivulet of water that slid down his perfect torso. The water made his tan more pronounced too.
He pushed his hair back and smirked faintly at me. “You’re not gonna make this easy for me, huh?”
What?
“Make what easy?”
He chuckled and eased off the bottom of the lake. “Havin’ a simple fuckin’ conversation with you, darlin’. I’m tryin’ to get to know you.”