Page 61 of Highest Bidder
When we pull into his neighborhood, I see the lake in between each house as we pass. We park in front of a small, white house with black trim. It’s on the edge of a large lake with a wooden dock. We all walk inside, and Myles grips myhand tightly. I know he wants me to like it, and I already love it.
I spin around, and my eyes can’t focus on one thing. There are so many details that make this place a peaceful haven. It’s exactly what I imagined. In front of a huge flat-screen TV mounted on the wall is a large cream sectional couch. With an open floor plan, the kitchen is across the back of the house with a big island in the middle, and the kitchen windows look out over the gorgeous lake. The beauty of this place takes my breath away. All the details remind me of Myles. On the open shelves, his black dishes are on display. The picture above the couch is of a Texas Longhorn which adds a certain bachelor pad feel. I sense Myles’ eyes watch me as I take everything in.
“Alright! Enough looking around. Let’s get on the lake!” JT yells, and Jess claps her hands with excitement.
I smile and grab Myles so we can run after them. His boat is black with a large engine. There's a tube hanging off the back, along with a kneeboard and a wakeboard tucked inside. Jess and I jump onto the front and lounge on the padding while the guys untie the boat.
“Hm. Would be nice if I had another hand,” JT says sarcastically, looking at us shamelessly suntanning.
“Thankfully, you have two of them.” Jess peers over her shoulder and pulls down her glasses to look at him. “Unless one of them is too busy jerking yourself off.”
Myles and I burst out laughing. Jess winks at JT, and he’s giving her a little more heated look than before.
Myles starts the boat, and he takes us around the lake. I relax into the seat, wind whipping my hair. I feel free compared to the past two weeks I spent with my parents. After about fifteen minutes, Myles cuts the engine.
“Alright, ladies. You’re up,” he says to us.
Jess and I look over at him, confused. “What do you mean we are up? We’re busy.” I motion to our tanning bodies.
“Oh, believe me, I love the view.” He laughs. “But you’re going tubing.”
I look at the tube and then give him a questioning look. He comes over to me and pulls me into his lap. Jess walks over and talks to JT while he’s getting the tube in the water.
“What is it, Hershey?” he asks gently and tucks some of my wild hair behind my ear.
I bite my bottom lip nervously. “I dunno. I have never been on a tubey thing before.” I look down at my hands in my lap. He gently tilts my face up, so I look at him and gives me a small kiss.
“I promise, you will love it. Just hold on tight.” He pauses, seeing my uncertainty. “Do you trust me?”
My eyes flick right to his. “Yes,” I say with no hesitation in my voice.
“Just try it.” He kisses the tip of my nose.
“Okay.”
I can’t stop my hands from shaking. Myles zips up my lifejacket and starts on the buckles. I look all around. I know there are gators in basically every body of water in Florida. Why are Floridians stupid enough to get in the water with them? Why am I stupid enough to do it? I look over and Jess is just casually talking to JT. I can’t seem to focus enough to know what she’s saying. I jump when a hand goes to hold the side of my face.
“Hey.” Myles gently strokes my cheek with the pad of his thumb. “You okay?”
I quickly nod my head a few times and continue looking around the body of water for any gators, but the water is too murky to tell. I would only be able to see one if it was swimming on the surface. One could easily take a bite of my leg off if I fall.
“Even I can see that you aren’t.” Myles gently tilts my face back to meet his. “Want to tell me why you’re nervous?”
I can’t see why this isn't something everyone is worried about. I look over at Jess again, and she’s still as cool as a cucumber andhas no signs of being nervous or terrified. Both feelings, I am currently overwhelmed by.
“Gators,” I say flatly. When he doesn’t say anything, I look at him and see a smile forming that he is trying hard to hide. “Hey!” I give him a shove. “They could eat me.”
Myles belly laughs, bringing the attention of JT and Jess. “Sometimes I forget that other people aren’t used to gators.”
“I’m not crazy! You guys”—I point to each of them—“are the crazy ones. They could eat us out there!”
“Fun-Size.” JT grabs my shoulders, forcing my eyes on his. “I’ve been stuck floating in the water on this lake more times than I can count. This asshole”—he points to Myles—“decides frequently to fling me off the tube or leave me when I fall off the wakeboard. He just takes off and leaves me floating in the water like a damn buoy.”
“Well, that doesn’t make me feel any better.” I glare at Myles.
“Listen, I’ll be in the boat. I’ll take him out if he tries anything,” JT says, winking at me.
Myles wraps his arms around my waist, making me feel safe in his embrace. “I will not leave you. Besides, gators leave people alone in the middle of the lake.” He places a kiss on my favorite spot below my ear. He pulls back, meeting my gaze again. “Wait, can you swim?”
