Page 60 of Shifting Gears

“Dani!” Nora hisses, picking up the discarded shirt and throwing it at Dani’s torso, as if that will cover up the sudden nudity. “We’re in public!”

Dani laughs, shrugging off the T-shirt projectile and slipping her bra down her arms. It lands on one of the towels, and in short order, Dani is standing on Nora’s dock with the sun warming her bare chest.

Nora’s train of thought takes a steep dive into the river.

“It’s a private dock. The only other houses on this side of the bay are either too far away to notice or can’t see me through the trees,” Dani says.

Nora, distracted entirely by Dani’s shirtlessness, nods mutely.

Frowning in the face of Nora’s sudden silence, Dani gently takes Nora’s hands. “You know you can say no, right?”

Nora bites her lip. She knows that Dani doesn’t expect it from her—what Nora is being tripped up by is the fact that she actually wants to say yes.

“I don’t mean to be pushy. I get excited about things sometimes. But if you’re not comfortable with something, I want you to be okay with saying so,” Dani says. “I’m gonna put my shirt back on, okay?”

“No, wait,” Nora says quickly, grabbing Dani’s arm before she can stoop to pick up her clothes. “No, I—I can’t say I object to seeing you naked. I’m just not used to the nudity being so…public.”

“So, are you objecting to the public nudity?” Dani asks.

It would be easy, Nora knows, to call this whole thing off. If she asked, Dani would put her clothes back on, go inside, and take them off again in a more socially acceptable place.

But Nora is here to relax, isn’t she? Skinny-dipping is normal. One of those normal, exciting teenage experiences she never got, busy as she was with graduating early and pleasing her father. It’s something Dani wants to share with her. Why shouldn’t she partake?

“No. Keep going.”

Dani’s concern turns into a grin, and with a flourish, she slips out of her turquoise boxer briefs. And then she’s naked. On Nora’s dock. In broad daylight.

With an air of confidence she doesn’t quite feel, Nora strips, too, letting Dani pull her close and press their bodies together once the last piece of clothing falls. She feels less exposed this way, with Dani’s body covering most of her intimate areas. And it’s not like she’s going to complain about feeling Dani’s skin against hers.

Dani dips her head, and Nora tips her chin up, expecting a kiss.

“Ready?” Dani says, her breath warm and sweet on Nora’s lips.

“For what?” Nora whispers. Her eyes drift closed.

That’s when Dani picks Nora up, pivots, and jumps into the water.

It isn’t quite as shockingly cold as Nora feared. They’re still in the shallows, with Dani holding her to make sure she lands safely and that her feet can touch the ground. But it’s still a shock against Nora’s hot skin. She immediately shoves Dani away when they surface.

“Youass,” Nora sputters, wiping the wet tangle of dark hair away from her face. “You could have warned me!”

But Dani is laughing so hard, her head thrown back and her hair drifting around her like a halo as she floats, cackling her delight to the sky. Nora can’t stay irritated for long.

It’s very freeing to float in the cool water with no barriers. No fabric weighing her down. Just the current against her skin. Dani stays close by, anchoring her to the earth, and when Nora eventually abandons the floating for greener pastures—climbing Dani and letting the water lap at their shoulders as they kiss leisurely—it’s the softest, most unhurried embrace they’ve ever shared.

Eventually Dani’s hands wander over Nora’s hips, squeezing with slightly more intent, and Nora pulls away from the kiss to poke her firmly in the chest.

“We’re outdoors.”

“Are we?” Dani murmurs, nibbling at Nora’s ear now that she’s been denied her lips.

Nora swallows the small moan that almost slips free as Dani’s teeth scrape at the sensitive skin, her short nails digging into Dani’s shoulders. “Skinny-dipping is one thing, but full-on exhibitionism is another.”

“That’s fair. Having sex outside is a rite of passage here, though,” Dani says with no trace of exaggeration in her voice.

Nora makes a noise somewhere between a laugh and a scoff, pulling back until Dani ceases with her distracting kisses and looks her in the face. “You’re kidding, right?”

“My first time was outside.”

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