Page 23 of Attraction & Repulsion

“No, I want to stay.” Carson plopped down on the hard rock, peeled her socks off, and let her bare feet swing close to the water’s surface, nodding toward the river. “Go ahead. Jump.”

“No way. You have to let yourself ease into it,” Jax said, sitting down beside her.

“Wimp.” She reclined back on her hands, the ground hot beneath her palms. Out in the distance she spotted the mesmerizing red rocks of Sedona.

“Says the girl not getting in,” Jax grumbled.

“Hey, I have an excuse. Just do it.”

“I thought my days of peer pressure were over.” Jax scooted closer to the edge to dip in his toe.

Unable to help herself, Carson leaned forward and gave him a teasing push on the shoulder. He was closer to the edge than she’d realized. With a yelp, he plummeted into the water, the cold liquid splashing Carson’s legs and feet. Her hands flew to her mouth as he came up, shaking the water from his hair.

“Jax! I didn’t mean to push you in, I swear.” Then laughter climbed its way out of her lungs.

“You think it’s funny, huh?” He reached up, caught her ankle, and yanked her down.

A shriek filled the air as she plunged into a river that could only be described as glacial. The chill knocked the breath from her lungs. Rising to the surface, Carson gasped for air.

“Son of a bitch, that’s cold!”

Practically howling from amusement, Jax grabbed and hauled her to him. She latched onto the same rock he was holding, kicking her numb legs.

“Still laughing?” Jax asked.

She glowered at him with chattering teeth.

“What? It was funny,” he said, innocently.

“So is this.” Carson slapped her hand across the top of the river, drenching his head with a wave of water.

“Hey!” Then he splashed back.

“No! It’s so cold!” she yelled, turning away and shielding her face behind her arm.

The water calmed, and when Carson lowered her arm, Jax was even closer than before. The smile was gone, but his eyes were on fire. Those twin blue flames heated the cold space between them as their bodies bobbed up against the rocks. He wasn’t shivering like she was. He was staring at her lips, which were probably purple. She peeked down at his mouth.

“Want to get out?” he asked.

Aching from the cold, she nodded, and they maneuvered their way over to the muddy bank and slopped up the shore to a large rock. Water seeped out as Carson wrung her braids, then the hem of her jersey. It surprised her that the water droplets didn’t sizzle when they hit the ground below.

“If that doesn’t cool you off, I don’t know what will,” Jax said, settling beside her on the stone and resting his elbows on his knees. The sun reflected off his wet skin.

The heat was already baking Carson’s dark hair and jersey, but her riding pants were still soaked. The water in the thicker material was going to take longer to evaporate. Thankfully it was hot enough they wouldn’t have towait long for the both of them to dry out.

Pulling up a leg, Carson hugged it to her chest and relaxed her chin on her knee. “Thank you for inviting me,” she murmured.

“I’m glad you agreed to come,” Jax said.

“I really needed this.”

Secretly, Carson was proud of herself. She had opted to get out of the house, away from work, away from her nightmares. Away from the collection of sharp objects that held such power over her. Was this what it looked like to be free? Then she thought of how she couldn’t take off her gear to swim in the river. She wasn’t free yet.

Jax was eyeing her with the same expression he’d worn in the river. He sat up as Carson raised her head. Hesitating for just a second, he gradually gripped the side of her neck, his thumb on her cheek. Was she paralyzed or mesmerized by the intensity of his eyes? Like the wings of a hummingbird, the beat of her heart sped up, and her breathing stopped as his eyes dropped to her lips. Then he slowly leaned in.

At the last moment, before their lips could touch, Carson turned her head.

“Jax,” she whispered.

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