Page 62 of Volatile

“This is a private island. They’ve got to have precautions surrounding it, or there would be lots of drone pictures.” Aspen had a point. “Come on.” He pulled me by the hands, walking backward.

“At night?” Did he have a death wish?

“Why not?”

“We talked about this. Sharks.” I knew my concerns had basis. Swimming at night was a risk.

“I think that’s dusk and dawn, not night.”

“There could be anything in there.” I resisted his pull, lacing our fingers.

He hesitated, then tugged at my shorts. “Then come in the pool.”

I let him remove them, my chest tight while my heart raced.

“Royal?” He straightened up.

“Yes?” I asked, moving with him step for step toward the pool.

A frown formed between his brows. “You’re stiff. Are you okay?”

“I’m okay.” I squeezed his hands, then released them because we stood at the edge of the pool.

“I don’t believe you.” Aspen had never been shy about calling me on my shit.

I held his gaze as I lowered myself in. Because it was shallow, the water was warm, but it felt good. “It’s a lot.”

He followed me but stayed near the edge while I ventured further in. It wasn’t much bigger than a hot tub and only waist deep. I rested my forearms on the edge facing the ocean to half float.

Aspen came up behind me, fingers skimming up my spine. It wasn’t much different from anyone else touching me, but I knew it was him, so the weight of it felt immense.

“Is this okay?” He stopped when we were shoulder to shoulder.

“Yes.” I laid my head on my forearms so I could look at him.

“How are you just okay with this suddenly?” He didn’t stop touching me. Slow strokes along my spine, swirling circles between my shoulder blades.

My heart rate quickened with each pass until it felt like I was running a marathon. “I’m not going to lie to you and say I am.”

“Then why are you doing it?” he asked, and I could feel him shutting down.

“You didn’t think I’d fuck you once and leave you with it then go back to being a jackass, did you?”

“I honestly did.” He didn’t mince his words.

“I guess I deserve that.”

“Are you going to tell me why you’re not? How you can go from months of being a jackass to this?”

I deserved every word he said.

“What do you think this is?”I asked, wanting to know what he was feeling.

“You seem fine with it. You’re calm.”

I stood and grabbed his hand, putting it over my heart. “I’m not fine. I’m a mess. But I’ve put you through enough, and now that I’ve crossed the line I have to figure out how to live with it.”

“You could stop and…I don’t know, not like it. Decide it’s not for you.” He brushed his thumb over my sternum.

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