Page 43 of Stray
I didn’t wait for an answer. I peeled off my jacket, tossing it onto the grass. A chill had crept into the night air. Fall was upon us. That didn’t stop me.
“What are you doing? Don’t tell me you’re going in there.” Codie laughed, watching as I continued to disrobe.
“Correction.Weare going in there. Have you ever gone skinny-dipping, strawberry? Come on. It’ll be fun.” I dropped my T-shirt on top of my jacket before undoing my pants. In no time, I was stark naked, venturing toward the shoreline.
“You expect me to go in that freezing cold water with you? You’re crazy.” Her face lit up as she watched me tiptoe into the cold water.
“It’s not so bad,” I lied. “You’ll get used to it in no time. Don’t make me do this alone.”
Bracing myself for the cold rush, I closed my eyes and plunged into the water. Yeah, that was motherfucking cold. I broke through the surface to find Codie at the edge of the water, nervously glancing around.
Finally, she said, “All right, fuck it. Let’s do this.”
She hurriedly stripped off her clothes. Covering her gorgeous tits with her arm, as if I hadn’t already seen them, she ventured into the water. Immediately, she gasped.
“You said it wasn’t that bad. You fucking liar. I’m not coming in here with you.”
I swam over to where she stood, grabbing her around the waist. I dragged her in deeper with me, laughing as she screeched. “I lied.”
Codie splashed water in my face. Her laughter was the best fucking thing I’d ever heard aside from her sexy as hell moans. “You bastard. I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.”
“It’s not so bad. You’ll get used to it.” Keeping her wrapped tight in my arms, I pulled us both in deeper until the water was up to our necks.
She shivered in my embrace, holding tight as she pressed against me. “I’m so going to kick your ass for this. At least you still feel warm.”
Wrapping her legs around my waist, Codie clung tight, like she was trying to suck the warmth from me. I reveled in the way she felt against me. This was turning out to be a better date than I’d anticipated. Somehow, we’d managed to have fun with each other despite everything that had brought us to this point.
“I’ll happily keep you warm.” Unable to deny the need to kiss her, I hungrily claimed her mouth. Needing to feel her breath on my face. The soft touch of her tongue on mine.
Right when I thought the moment couldn’t get any better, Codie kissed me with wild abandon. Like she’d been starving for me and couldn’t get enough. We were soon engaged in a full on makeout session. The coldness of the water was no longer an issue.
Being with her had done something to me. As much as I loved the twisted fantasy game we’d been playing, there was something special about sharing a kiss in the lake. Our naked bodies wrapped together. I knew then that my feelings for her went much deeper than physical attraction. Although I’d never planned for this to happen, I had no intention of letting her go now that she was so deep inside me.
I slid a hand up into her hair, clutching the back of her head as I kissed her harder. Deeper. Grasping a handful of her locks, I tugged her head back so I could kiss and bite at her neck. Codie let out a soft sigh, rubbing herself against my growing erection.
“This is fucking perfect,” I murmured against her skin. “You are fucking perfect.”
I hadn’t anticipated my words would shatter the moment. It had been more precarious than I’d realized.
Codie’s mood changed. Suddenly, she pushed away from me, disentangling herself and swimming for the shore. “We should get going. It’s getting late.”
“It’s Saturday tomorrow. What’s the rush?” That strange sense hit me again. Codie was hiding something. “What’s going on with you, strawberry? What aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing. I’m tired. I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night, if you recall.” She climbed out of the water, shivering on the shore as she attempted to shake the water off before getting dressed.
The abrupt change in her had been startling. Blindsiding me. I needed to find out what was going on with her.
I pushed toward the shore, getting out of the cold lake into the autumn air. Summer had officially ended. Goddamn, that was chilly. Slipping only my boxers on, I grabbed the rest of my clothes and said, “Let’s warm up in the car. I’ll turn on the heat.”
Wearing only her bra and panties, Codie hurried back to the car, leaving me behind. I stared after her, feeling the sting of rejection. Once we got into the car, I turned on the heat and the seat warmers. It didn’t take long for us to warm up and start to dry off.
“Sorry, Stray,” she said doing her best to avoid direct eye contact. “It’s been a nice night. I just want to go home now.”
Not wanting to drive around in my underwear, I awkwardly dressed in the car. Codie did the same. Without a word, I put the car in gear and drove her home. The silence that fell between us was heavy with discomfort.
I’d done my best to have a good time tonight. For a while, she’d been enjoying herself. Whatever it was that changed, she was keeping it to herself. Eventually, I would find out what Codie was hiding. Even if I had to torture it out of her myself.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
