Page 50 of Best Mistake Ever
I watch in stupefied fascination as he steps out of his jeans, revealing his long, muscular legs. My pulse begins to race at the sight and my heart nearly breaks through my chest when he grasps the hem of his t-shirt and whips it over his head. He clearly works out, and I swallow hard as I take in the lean muscles of his arms, then the six pack of his stomach, my gaze finally dropping to the defined V of his hips. Will his boxers be removed next? I wonder wildly.
But it seems that’s as unclothed as he’s willing to get, because he turns to look at me with an expression of impatient expectation, as if he’s wondering what my problem is with stripping to my underwear in front of him in the cool, spring air.
‘Come on. What are you waiting for? This was your idea, remember?’
‘I know, but I was thinking… maybe do it in the summer months when the water’s a bit more temperate?’ My voice comes out as a croak.
‘Don’t be a wimp. Where’s your sense of spirit gone?’
I wince at this and remind myself that if Dee was here, she probably would strip off and go swimming with him. She’s always been much more adventurous than me and I’ve often wished I had her daring. Perhaps now’s the time to see what thatwould feel like. To stop being the dull, practical Bea and go wild for a change. It could be fun.
And if Dee would do it, then so should I – just to stay in character, if nothing else.
‘Okay,’ I say, making up my mind. ‘Let’s do it. Cold water dips are supposed to be good for you, right?’
‘Right. You’ll feel totally euphoric afterwards,’ he says, with what looks suspiciously like a twinkle in his eye.
‘If I don’t have a heart attack first,’ I mutter.
‘You won’t,’ Jonah assures me.
The way his eyes have lit up with the challenge stokes a wave of pleasure inside me. I’m actually responsible for making him feel just a little bit better about himself right now. It’s an uplifting thought.
My mood wobbles though when I realise I’m going to have to take at least some of my clothes off in front of him. There’s no way I should get into the water in jeans, so I undo them and slide them down my legs, then step out of them. My t-shirt and my underwear stay firmly on though. Luckily, the hem is long and falls to mid-way down my thighs so my knickers aren’t on show.
This is so weird. I can’t believe I’ve just whipped my trousers off in front of my boss like this. But then, he stopped feeling like my boss a while ago. He’s just Jonah now. Hot, smart, handsome Jonah.
Ooohhh.
‘Okay. You first,’ he says, waving me forward, his face a mask of nonchalance.
My heart is thumping against my chest and I feel it reverberate in my throat. I’m actually a little bit scared about just how painful this is going to feel on my poor, delicate, un-acclimatised-to-cold skin.
Tentatively, I dip my foot into the water where it laps gently against the grassy bank. It’s very shallow where we’re going toenter the lake so it’ll take a while to wade out far enough to swim. If we get that far.
A shiver runs from my toes all the way up my leg and goosebumps prickle across my skin.
A low chuckle behind me makes me turn around and I see Jonah is watching me, his arms folded across his broad, bare chest and an amused grin playing on his lips.
I try not to fixate on the way his biceps bulge in a very distracting manner. He’s really broad across the shoulders and they too are well muscled. In all, he’s an exceptionally fine specimen of a human being.
Dragging my eyes away from him, I turn and face the lake again, digging my fingernails into my palms before lowering my foot fully into the water. I try not to squeal as it immediately turns into a block of ice.
‘You’re really going to do it, aren’t you?’ Jonah says with disbelief in his voice.
I have to, now he’s said that. I can’t chicken out now. Dee wouldn’t.
‘Yup. And so are you. That’s the deal.’
I put my other foot in, then bite my lip as I start to wade deeper into the water. I have no idea how I’m going to get to the point where I can bear to get to chest height, based on how numb my feet are already. This is torture.
I’m up to just below my knees when there’s the sound of splashing water behind me and a second later, I feel big drops of it hit the backs of my legs. This time, I do squeal and I spin around to see that Jonah has followed me into the lake, but is still right next to the bank. It seems he thinks it’s funny to splash me from this position and I cross my arms and glare at him.
‘Hey! No splashing!’ I shout.
He just laughs. The sound of it echoes around the lake. I can’t help but grin. It’s wonderful to see his face so alive with pleasure.Since the moment I met him, I’ve mostly seen him scowl. It’s amazing how much younger he looks now the grumpiness has lifted. And how much hotter.
Oh my goodness, I really need to get a grip.
