Page 89 of Raise Hell

But it isn’t the jump I’m worried about.

“We don’t have bathing suits.”

His teeth flash in the darkness. “Has that legendary courage failed you already?”

Drake strips off his shirt and tosses it to the ground.

I look away as his hands move to the button of his jeans.

Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as he braces against the cliff before launching himself off the edge.

Moonlight reflects off his bare ass as he cannonballs into the water.

He is definitely naked.

I hear him shout my name as I hesitate on the trail. He does backstrokes as he floats on the surface, water covering everything but his face and bare chest.

If I strip off my clothes and dive in after him, it doesn’t take a psychic to figure out what will happen next.

I’m wearing a jacket like I always do, but I still have makeup covering my tattoos. I have no idea if the concealer will hold up once I’m in the water. If not, it might be dark enough that he won’t notice them.

But I still have to worry about what will happen if I end up in the water with him.

My hands tremble as I slip the thin straps of my dress off my shoulders. I leave on my underwear and bra, the black lace a stark contrast against the paleness of my skin. My toes curl around the edge of the rocks as I look down at the glassy water.

“Shit or get off the pot, Pratt,” Drake shouts as he swims further into the darkness. I hear his voice, but I can’t see anything aside from the bright white of his teeth as he grins. “Unless you just want me to keep checking out your panties. I like that color on you, by the way.”

I flip him the bird as I launch myself into the air. The water is a shock of cold as I pierce the surface, but it quickly evens out to a pleasant ambience, so I know the temperature is higher than it initially seems. After a few moments, my body has entirely adjusted and I feel like I’m swimming in bathwater that has gone just a touch too cool.

It’s perfect.

My body didn’t hit the water with enough force for my feet to touch the bottom when I first jumped in. I let my body sink deeper as I wait for my toes to scrape the floor of the pool. They don’t, even when I get far enough below the surface that everything around me goes pitch black.

A little frantic, I kick back up so my head is above water. “Jesus, how deep is it?”

“I’ve never swum to the bottom.” Drake’s voice floats over me, the rest of him invisible in the dark. “Want to find out?”

“No, thanks.”

“Scaredy cat.”

“Is that what you call reasonable people? If so, then yes.”

He swims close enough that I see his face, along with the mocking grin twisting his lips. “Then I’ll just go by myself.”

Drake dives into the water, sending a wave of water up to splash me in the face. “Jerk.”

He doesn’t hear me with his head under the water.

I hold my breath as I wait for him to resurface, just to measure just how long he’s been under. Drowning isn’t a phobia of mine, but I’ve never been a good swimmer. If I’d known the pool wouldn’t be shallow enough to stand up in, I probably wouldn’t have jumped in.

My lungs burn as I tread water. Drake has been down there for at least an entire minute.

I finally have to let out the breath I’ve been holding in a gasping rush, my body unwilling to go without oxygen for a second longer.

A few more seconds pass, and I start to get worried. I know Drake is an athlete, but that doesn’t mean he can hold his breath forever.

Even in the center of the pool, where the light is brightest, I can’t see anything under the dark surface of the water. If Drake loses consciousness or his foot gets stuck on a vine, I won’t be able to find him before he runs out of oxygen.

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