Page 54 of Withered

“Get in already,” he urges as he pushes the water in my direction. “The water is nice and warm.”

I check to see if he’s speaking the truth, and the water is pleasantly warm for being in the woods with a cold breeze.

I finally jump in and resurface after a second. The water is warm against my skin, making me feel pleasant. It’s not that deep, either. I stand with my feet touching the sand and pebbles underneath, the water reaching just near my shoulders.

My damp hair sticks to my face, and before I could push them back, Jake did it for me. His fingers are cold as they brush against my cheek. I stare at him, and he is gazing at me with those hooded eyes.

“Enjoying yourself?” He asks.

“Yeah. Very much.” I smile. I am. I never thought I’d have fun with Jake.

We swam for a while. I stay near the waterfall and play with the blades of the water flowing down.

Jake stands behind me, my back pressed against his chest and he does the last thing I expect him to do; he tickles me. I’m highly ticklish, so I squirm in his touch, laughing loudly.

“Please, please, stop,” I say in between laughs. Tears form in my eyes.

He stops and turns me, his hands on my waist. When my laughter dies down, his hold on my waist tightens, and he pulls me underwater. We both emerge after a second or two, and I shove his shoulder lightly, to which he laughs.

He closes the gap between us, leaving a foot of space, and the water around us creates a rippling effect. I’m standing on a rock at the bottom of the pool, so the water level is exactly near my breasts.

Jake’s eyes look down at my cleavage while mine linger at his clock tattoo. Our eyes meet each other at the same time, and the heated gaze is back.

Jake swiftly snakes his arms around my waist and pulls me impossibly closer to him.

“What are you doing, Jake?” I ask him.

The electricity sparks are flowing through my body. It is exhilarating, and I wonder if he feels the same.

“Something I should have done the minute we got here,” he mutters, and before I could ask what he was talking about, he kisses me.

His wet mouth moves against mine. I kiss him back with the same intensity, leading us to make out heavily. A moan escapes my lips, and he swallows it, devouring me.

He leaves my lips, peppering small kisses along my jaw. His one hand comes up at the nape of my neck, whereas the other is around my waist, holding me still. I tangle my fingers in his hair and rake my nails, eliciting a groan from him. He continues his sweet assault while my mind tries to remember each trace of his lips and the feel of his tongue.

A noise from the bushes breaks my concentration, and my body goes still. There can’t be anyone here, right? It’d be so mortifying if someone saw us like this.

Jake notices. “What happened?” His eyes meet mine, eyebrows scrunched, our breaths heavy.

“I just thought there was someone,” I tell him.

“It must be a rabbit or something,” he says this, checking the bushes.

He turns back to me and says, “C’mon, let’s get you out of the water; you’re getting goosebumps. Are you cold?”

I nod, lying at my best. Only if he knew how I got the goosebumps.

He takes my hand, helps me out, and we return to where our clothes are kept. Picking up his shirt, he tosses it to me. “Dry yourself.”

“What will you wear then?” I ask, holding his shirt.

“I brought an extra, just in case. I’ll be back,” he tells me, putting on his pants and shoes, then leaves.

I stand where the sunlight hits the best and dry myself with Jake’s shirt. Even his shirt smells like him, and the material is so soft. I tie it around my waist and bask in the sun with my eyes closed and head tilted in the direction of light.

I hear the soft rustling of leaves again, and my body stiffens. I open my eyes to see Jake making his way over to me, wearing a black shirt.

“You scared me!” I tell him.

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