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“Sure.”
“Hop on.” He pats the pink tube and I duck under, trying to lift myself up through the center as gracefully as possible. Pushing up and over the top, I flip over and kick my legs out in front of me, toes barely touching the water, fingers trailing along the glassy surface.
“You think you can make it all the way out there—” Ipoint into the distance at the furthest sandbar. “Pushing me on this tube?”
“You doubt my swimming skills?” he teases me, already moving around to the front of the tube and grabbing the rubber handle. His fingers brush mine and my breath catches in my throat.
“No—” I lick at my lower lip, the brine from the lake salty on my tongue.
“Good. Trust me, Trouble. I got you.” Cam gives a hard kick beneath the water and we’re moving out toward the sandbar faster than anticipated. I try to help, reaching down and paddling with my hands, but I don’t make much of a difference. Most of the forward momentum comes from Cam.
His back is to me, one arm outstretched as he moves us away from the crowd. I marvel at the muscles rippling beneath the flesh, long cords of strength, flexing and bunching. Hot desire unfurls low in my belly and everything in me coils, tightening.
The sounds from the boat fade as we get further out into the lake, with only the occasional peal of laughter cutting through the quiet. A slight breeze cools my skin, waves lapping against the tube. Finally, Cam glides us onto the golden sand of the sandbar.
“We’ve arrived.” He eases the tube onto the edge, flashing a white, cheeky grin at me, the dimple in his right cheek popping.
He’s gorgeous. Even better grown-up, all sharp edges and chiseled physique. Gone is the boy—no more scrawny, awkward adolescence remains. Any insecurity’s been replaced by muscle, strength, confidence. Masculinity rolls off Cam in waves, like a force field humming over his taut skin. Every move lithe and athletic and my mind flashes towhat that would be like in bed, his huge body hovering over mine. I want to reach out and run my fingers down his chest, over each pronounced abdominal muscle, all the way down to that deep-V that leads to…
“Sloane?” Cam’s voice startles me out of my fantasy. He inches closer to me, the raft squeaking as his body rubs against the plastic.
“Yeah?”
“Do you have any regrets?” He peers over his shoulder, marine eyes lasered on mine.
“Sure. Doesn’t everybody?”
“I mean, like, big regrets. Things that you did or said—or didn’t say—that haunt you.”
The question feels dark and deep out here in the bright sunlight. I ponder for a second, rolling over all the things I could say.
Instead of answering, I kick the question back to him. “Do you?”
Cam leans back on his elbows, tipping his head up to the sky, his Adam’s apple defined in his long neck. I watch as his chest rises and falls, waiting. We sit still for a long minute, the waves lapping against the sandbar, the din of music from the boat pulsing over the surface of the water. Finally, Cam looks over at me again.
“I do. I’ve done some stuff I’m not proud of. Things I wish I could take back. But I can’t.” He bites at his lower lip, staring out over the blue of the lake. His jaw tics and I wonder what he’s talking about.
“We all have, Cam. You know and I know there’s no such thing as a perfect game. Life’s the same way.” I shrug, my wet ponytail flopping on my back.
“I know. It’s—some things change you. And now everything’s different, Trouble. I’m different.” He sits up,brushing his hand over my calf dangling in the water. Shock waves of excitement ripple through me at his gentle touch as I try to figure out what he means.
Another long beat passes before I respond.
“I think we’re all different now, Cam. Well, maybe all of us but Nick. He seems to be permanently stuck in high school.”
Cam chuckles, the corners of his lips tipping up into a smile. “I agree on Nick. But you don’t seem all that different.” His fingertips glide up and down my calf and I’m struggling to make sense of anything right now. “You’re still the fun, easygoing girl you always were, with the same sense of humor, the wit.”
I let out a half-laugh. “If by easygoing you mean floating along, still trying to figure shit out, then yeah.”
“We’re in the same place then.” Cam picks his hand up out of the water, sliding his fingers through mine. A light wind blows, the sun warm on my skin, as I stare at our fingers intertwined on the pink float. His much larger and thicker than mine, his grip strong yet tender.
Everything about this moment—about us here together—feels right.
Lifting my gaze to meet his, my entire body trembles as he leans forward, his face inches from mine. We’re so close I feel his breath on my face, the scent of the coconut sunscreen strong.
Crack!
A loud clap of thunder rings out and the sun’s rapidly eclipsed by dark, almost black, clouds. Cam peers up at the sky as the wind picks up, whipping away every remaining water droplet on my skin.
