Page 63 of Heat It Up (Off the Ice)
The ferry trip to the island is quick. We disembark, but it soon becomes clear that Joni and his friends plan to crash our group. Sofia, Toivo, and Maija don’t seem to have a problem with it, so I let it drop.
Toivo leads us to the oldest fortress first, created by the Swedes in 1748, when the country owned Finland. It’s made of stones and mortar, with lots of above-ground tunnels, and reminds me of ancient castles. Parts of it are covered with grassy roofs.
We explore the tunnels, which are like stone passages with glassless windows to one side that allow light in. The group is just ahead of Sofia and me. No one is behind us.
Needing to taste her, I tug Sofia to the side, away from where everyone can see us, and pin her against the rough stone wall. My mouth finds hers and her gasp becomes a moan. Her tongue meets mine and her fingers pull through my hair.
At the sound of voices echoing in the tunnel, I reluctantly move away from her. “I guess we should catch up with them,” I say, my voice holding a tell-tale huskiness.
I take her hand and lead her through the tunnel everyone else disappeared down. They’re waiting for us when we get to the other end. Maija grins knowingly at seeing us; the twins and Joni don’t. The rest are indifferent to our temporary disappearance.
After we explore the area some more, Toivo suggests we go to the beach. It’s small and surrounded by a stonewall that separates the sand from the grassy area and trees behind it. A handful of individuals are lying on the sand. Half a dozen more are in the water.
We find an empty spot and lay out our towels. I park mine next to Sofia, but before Maija has a chance to put hers down on the other side, Joni’s stakes claim to the spot. Lovisa straightens her towel next to mine. The girls strip to their bikinis, a point Joni doesn’t fail to miss when it comes to Sofia. He doesn’t leer at her, but he might as well have, given where I’m positive his thoughts now sit.
Sofia doesn’t notice. She’s too busy talking to Maija and Daniela. I remove my t-shirt and shorts and sit back down.
Big mistake. Lovisa leans toward me and says low enough so only I hear, “There’s a great spot on the other side of the island I’d love to show you.” She kisses my shoulder and flicks her tongue against the skin so there’s no doubt what she’s really hoping for.
I jerk away and scramble up from the towel. I catch the tail end of Joni’s smirk. Asshole. Not wanting to give the twin another chance to try to test me, I join Sofia and envelop her in my arms. She’s warm and soft against my chest. I could get used to this.
Now if only it were just the two of us. But we came with Toivo and Maija, and I have no desire to desert them because I want to get Sofia away from Joni. At least she’s not interested in him, if that’s what his game is all about.
“You want to swim?” Daniela asks us.
Before Maija can answer, Toivo sweeps her up in his arms and walks toward the water. His girlfriend giggles but doesn’t try to escape.
“Don’t even think about it, Kyle,” Sofia says, laughing.
“What if I promise not to drop you this time?”
She studies me for a second, then her eyes give me the answer I’m waiting for. I scoop her up and carry her to the lake edge. I want to bring up my suspicions about Joni, but what will that prove? She’ll just think I’m jealous.
In the end, I body check my suspicions aside. As long as I don’t give him the opportunity to trip me up, he can’t do anything to hurt me or Sofia.
Once I reach the water, Sofia asks me to put her down. Toivo is carrying a giggling Maija farther into the lake. The temptation to do the same to Sofia skirts around the edges, but I don’t want to damage her trust in me. I lower her feet to the sand.
As soon as her feet touch the ground, she runs deeper into the water, laughing. The chase is on. I run after her, the cold water splashing around us.
I can’t run as fast as her, but her speed slows as she gets deeper and I easily catch up with her. We keep running until the water is waist high on her. I grab her around the waist and pull her to me.
Sofia tilts her head to the side. “I think Lovisa likes you.” Her eyebrows scrunch into an adorable frown. “Or is that Daniela?”
I laugh. “I can’t tell them apart, either. But you know I’m not interested in either of them, right?” Sofia and I might not be involved in a real relationship, but that doesn’t mean I’ll fool around with anyone else while I’m with her.
Her beautiful eyes become brighter. “Does that mean friends with benefits is an exclusive thing for you?”
I nod. “It does.” I gently kiss her for a brief moment then rest my forehead against hers. “What about for you? Is it exclusive for you too?”
“It is,” she whispers.
This time when I kiss her, it isn’t so gentle. It’s possessive. And I don’t give a damn who sees me.
I’m so lost in the taste and feel of her, I’m oblivious to everything else. Which is why I don’t register until it’s too late what the girl’s laughter from nearby means. A tidal wave of cold water splashes us, mostly hitting Sofia.
Shrieking, she jumps back, and because my arms are still wrapped around her, she almost pulls me into the water. Toivo and Maija burst out laughing…until we get revenge and douse them with water.
Maija shrieks something in Finnish that causes Toivo to laugh harder. “I’m done,” she says and runs back to the beach. Sofia joins her, leaving me and Toivo behind.
