Page 56 of Never Date A Player
He glances at me, one corner of his mouth pulled back. “My ancestors were pissed when men carved tunnels for roads. Climbers later cemented the interior of the caves. Attempts have been made to repair the damage, but as you can see”—he points to cars whizzing through the center—“some things can’t be fixed.”
His gaze turns inward and for a moment he seems somewhere else. “Lewis?”
He blinks and glances at the cliff. “There’s an old Washoe saying that a bird called Ong visits anyone who trespasses on Cave Rock. Ong’s wings are said to span villages, the wing beats capable of bending pine trees. Only healers actually see Ong; to everyone else he moves in shadow.”
Lewis peers at me, his expression dead serious. “The Washoe believe Ong lives in the underworld and comes and goes through the center of the lake to feed on trespassers of sacred ground.”
I smile calmly. He’s trying to freak me out. “It’s a myth, meant to keep non-healers away so the healers had a special place.”
He shrugs and stares at the center of the lake. “A few climbers who cemented the floors of the cave met with mysterious deaths.”
He points to the base of the cliff, about a quarter of a mile away. “Swim there and back. Two laps.”
I laugh. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope.”
“You told me a creepy story about some devil bird that eats people who go near Cave Rock, and you want me to swim to it? Twice?”
He leans over and squeezes my bicep. “Toughen you up.”
“Oww—” I rub my arm and glare. “Why can’t you go with me? The lake is cold. What if I become hypothermic?”
He rubs his chin. “That’s a possibility. I’ll keep an eye on you.” He pulls off his T-shirt and unbuttons loose jeans, and I watch because—gahhh.
Lewis is muscles and sinew and masculine beauty, and how am I supposed to look away from that?
My face is on fire and I’m pretty sure the red extends down my chest.
He strips to board shorts and repositions himself on the jetty, nodding at the water. “Better go before Ong wakes up.”
“How exactly will this help me in the race?”
“It won’t. In the race, you’ll swim through ice water. The lake is like a bath compared to that, but this is the closest thing I could find on short notice.” He scratches his head. “I could get the guys from work to build a small pool and fill it with ice?—”
“No.” I stand and strip off my sweats. “This is good.” Better not let him finish that thought. I think he’s serious.
When I glance at him, Lewis is staring at my legs, his gaze running up the rest of my exposed skin.
I’m wearing one of my sturdier bikinis with extra material—I figured Lewis would torture me in some fashion and wanted to come prepared—but it’s still a bikini because that’s all I own. You’d think I’d be more comfortable in a one-piece, given my conservative clothing preferences, but everyone bares skin at the beach or a pool. I’m just one more body and I’ve never thought much of it.
I’m thinking about it now.
I’ve never been this undressed in front of Lewis, and the way he’s looking at me has my skin heating.
He grins when I catch him staring.
He’s flirting again. So, so dangerous. My inhibitions dissolve around flirty Lewis. It’s a good thing I’m upset with him for dragging me here.
I hold my breath and jump in the water.
And my organs shrivel, joints locking from the cold.
Son of a bitch. I rise to the surface, arms and legs wagging to get me as high out of the arctic water as possible. “Oh my God, oh my God?—”
“Better get a move on before Ong finds you,” Lewis calls.
“You are the devil!” I yell between chattering teeth. I swim as fast as I can to Cave Rock, Lewis’s laugh rumbling behind me.
