Page 134 of The Otherworld

I have no idea what he’s talking about, but he clearly knows what he’s doing. I perch on the passenger seat and watch as Jack unties the boat and tosses the ropes onto the dock.

Within minutes, we are flying out of the harbor and across the shimmering blue waves, our wake a long, sharp line of white splitting the deep blue water behind us. The sun is bright, and the wind takes my breath away, tangling my hair, rippling Jack’s T-shirt. He drives the boat as he piloted the seaplane—with that easy confidence, that sharp jawline against a robin’s-egg sky, that unabashed smile that makes me think he doesn’t belong to the world, but the world belongs to him.

Before I know it, the exhilarating ride is over. The boat slows as Jack steers us into a crescent-shaped cove. The rocks jutting out on either side create an ideal swimming area.

“Wow, it got warm,” Jack says, reaching back and pulling his shirt off. Sunlight etches his tanned skin, highlighting the muscles in his back as he opens up a compartment in the bow and pulls out an anchor. He tosses it into the water with a splash.

Jack catches me looking at him and says, “I know. I’m sexier than you thought.” He lowers his sunglasses to wink at me. “I’m sure you would be, too, if you ever took that dress off.” There’s a taunting edge to his voice, a playful challenge under his impatient smirk.

“You think I’m not going to?”

Jack shakes his head. “Nope. You’ll swim in your clothes because you’re too afraid to try something new.”

That accusation sparks a flare of determination in my chest. I hastily untie the ribbon, letting my dress fall to the floor. Jack has his back to me, busy shutting off the engine, so I take him by surprise when I ball up my dress and toss it onto the dashboard in front of him.

“You’re not the only one with a sense of adventure, Jack Stevenson.”

He freezes, staring at my disembodied dress for a second before whirling around. Even through his sunglasses, I can see his gaze sliding down my body. And I do feel like I’m standing naked before him. But, to my surprise, it’s not awkward.

“Wow,” Jack says, slipping off his sunglasses as he walks up to me. “I was wrong. You don’t look awesome.”

My heart flinches a bit, faltering on the edge of embarrassment.

Jack grins and whispers, “You look incredible.”

In one swift motion, he sweeps my legs out from underneath me and scoops me up in his arms.

“Jack! What are you doing—”

“Hold your breath!” he hollers, jumping off the back of the boat.

I scream and gasp a sip of air before we crash into the cold water together. It’s a shock to my system, at first. When I burst back up to the surface, I splash Jack in the face and call him a selfish beast for throwing me in without warning. He says he did warn me. I dunk his head underwater, then swim away, circling the boat while Jack tries to catch me. I’m a good swimmer, but his long arms give him an unfair advantage. He grabs my leg and reels me in, yelling, “Hey, I think I caught a killer whale!”

I laugh, linking hands with him underwater. “I’m the top predator of the ocean.”

“Really? Even more than great white sharks?”

I nod. “Some orcas eat great white sharks.”

“Wow,” Jack says. “I didn’t know that.”

“There—I taught you something for once.”

“You did.”

He dives underwater and tickles the bottoms of my feet, making me burst out laughing. We swim in the cove until our lips turn purple; then we climb back onto the boat and lie on the deck with our faces to the sun—sparkling wet and gasping the sweet, cold air. Jack tells me stories about summers like this one when he was a boy. How Adam taught him to swim in this very same cove.

“Is there anything Adam hasn’t taught you?”

My question makes him laugh. “Probably not. Adam knows everything.”

“He is ten years older than you. He’s got a head start.”

Jack grunts, rolling onto his stomach and folding his arms under his chin. “I’m the one who needs a head start.”

“You say that as if you’re in competition with him. Trying to get ahead.”

Jack falls silent for a moment, his eyes focusing on something far away. “Sometimes I feel like I am. Not trying to outdo him, just trying to… live up to him. I know my parents wish I was more like him.”

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