Page 59 of Counterfeit Boyfriend
24Gwen
“You’re not serious,”Evan said.
“I’ve never been more serious.” A big sign with large red lettering read WARNING and the stuff underneath it had all that authorized personnel only, hard hats required mumbo jumbo, but clearly they were being overly cautious to avoid frivolous lawsuits and the like. And when it came down to it, I was interested in what wasbeyondthe construction zone. “Come on. Surely you’re up for an adventure.”
“An adventure, sure. Aiding and abetting? Not so much.”
“We’re not going to get caught.”
“I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but you’re not exactly subtle. Or quiet. Or anything it takes to sneak into somewhere.”
“For years I’ve heard all about the amazing pool at the resort from tourists, and when Madison decided to have her wedding here, I thought, ‘finally, I’ll get to use the amazing pool and see if the mineral water lives up to the hype.’”
“Right, but they have all these signs that apologize for the inconvenience and state that until they fix the drainage pipe for this portion of the resort, it’s too dangerous.” Evan gestured to the largest of the signs, the mumbo-jumbo-one I’d decided was more of a loose suggestion. “See? Warning. In all caps, so you know it’s real.”
I frowned at him. “Sure. If I was a toddler who could fall into the pit they’ve dug and couldn’t get out, it’d be dangerous.”
“You’re drunk and wearing high heels, which is pretty much the same thing.”
Keeping my gaze on his, I defiantly kicked off my shoes. I was going to lose them anyway—climbing the fence that surrounded the pool in a dress would be enough of a challenge. “We toasted to an epic night, remember? Not only have I always wanted to swim in the pool, I’ve always wanted to skinny dip, which I’m planning on doing when I get to the other side of that fence. Your choice whether you join me or not.”
If he decided onnot, well that would be a real bummer to my ego. But since I truly believed he’d follow, I backed up so I could give myself a running start. My adrenaline surged and then I was running toward the ditch with the exposed pipe.
Oh, holy shit.I jumped for all I was worth, my arms wildly swinging in the air.
The loose dirt of the embankment slipped under my feet, but I managed to catch my balance and right myself. Then I turned to Evan and arched an eyebrow.
With an oath of stringed-together swearwords, he backed up. His long legs ate up the distance and the moon lit up his dark figure as he launched himself over the exposed pipe.
He didn’t land in the loose dirt or even stumble, which seemed unfair since he was at least as drunk as I was. Not that I wanted him to fall in the pit or anything. A mere wobble to prove he was human would’ve been nice.
I glanced down at the crevice we’d just jumped. “Speaking of laying pipe right…” I turned to Evan and waggled my eyebrows.
He shook his head, but that smile that brought out his jawline and those sexy grooves in his cheeks broke free.
I swiped my hands together. “One barrier down, one to go.”
Evan dragged a hand over his face as I moved over to the fence and studied the grooves and notches. “Great. My first official case is going to be defending myself for breaking into a pool.”
“No it’s not, silly.” I flashed him my most syrupy-sweet smile. “It’ll be defendingmefor breaking in. I’m sure you’ll get one of those court-appointed attorneys. Maybe the judge will let him take you on as a type of community service, which will give you the experience you need to get through law school. Really, I’m doing this for you.”
“Really, you shouldn’t have,” he deadpanned. “You can still not do it, in fact.”
“Oh, we’re doing it,” I said before realizing what it sounded like. But I was hoping to do that, too, so no need to clarify. He could take it wherever he wanted to.Please be to a deliciously dirty place.
The fence quivered as I worked on my footing—these plastic fences were so damn slick, with no worn wooden grooves to find better purchase. Jeez, it was like theywantedto keep people out or something.
Finally, I managed to pull myself halfway up, but the fence wobbled more as Evan climbed up behind me. After a quick glance around, I swung myself up and over—going a bit too big and having to slow my fall by dragging my hands and body down the other side of the fence. I landed hard on my butt on the cement, my teeth jarring together, and while I’d probably feel it more tomorrow, the alcohol in my system acted as a nice numbing agent.
Naturally, Evan landed all gracefully and shit. He looked down at me, his expression equal parts amusement and concern. “You okay, Ocean’s One?”
“Don’t you mean Ocean’s Two? Don’t try to wash your hands of this.”
“I tried. I failed.” He reached down and pulled me to my feet.
I brushed off my backside, wincing and then twisting to try to see the damage. I tugged my skirt up a few inches. “Did I scrape up my butt?”
Evan didn’t answer, and when I glanced up at him, his slackened jaw and the raw hunger in his eyes sent a shock of awareness through me. Suddenly I was remembering why I’d risked fence-climbing and a scraped booty.
