21. Ambrose
Ambrose
The rope swing hung from a sturdy branch overlooking the river.
One glance at someone swinging forward off the high bank and into the water had my blood rushing with excitement.
When I peered over at Zeth, he didn’t seem as enthused.
His forehead creased while he eyed the rope, then the water.
This was just like the old Zeth I grew up with, who calculated risks before taking them.
I bit back a smile. Some things never change.
A young woman with a lively colored headwrap was next to use the swing.
She hung onto the wooden dowel tied to the end of the rope before running forward and lifting her feet up in the air.
Her body swung out, and when she let go, she screamed as she fell and splashed into the water.
Laughter and whistles followed from the crowd along the bank.
If someone swung the wrong way, they would certainly get hurt.
From the thrilling sensation in my bones, I knew I wouldn’t be leaving this party without taking a turn.
I put my hand on Zeth’s shoulder to steady myself and pulled off my shoes and socks.
I ended up losing my balance and fell into him until we both landed against one of the many surrounding trees.
Zeth hummed with delight as his comforting hands grabbed me and set me upright.
“Good God, Amby, you’re acting like a child over that swing,” Emiline chuckled.
Hattie gave her cute giggle that always brightened my day and said, “I’m going to sit with the girls and watch how this all plays out. Millie, care to join us? There’s someone who wants to see you from our school days.”
Millie’s brow raised as she peered over at the shore, where several of Hattie’s friends were, most of them wearing swimsuits. “Sure,” she said with a nod, and followed my sister.
Emiline waited to take our clothes, so I pulled off my jacket and trousers and passed them over, along with my glasses.
As I unbuttoned my shirt, I eyed Zeth briefly while he stripped to his white cotton underpants.
They were old-fashioned and baggy, covering everything between his trim waist and knees.
My lips curved up playfully before I cut my gaze over to Emiline, and she raised her eyebrows in amusement.
I hadn’t told her yet that Zeth and I were secretly courting, but from the knowing look she threw at me, I didn’t have to.
She gave my bare arm an affectionate squeeze. At least one person was happy for us.
This whole day was lifting my spirits. After going to boring elite events for so long, it was invigorating to be doing something so casual.
I was part of the informal crowd once again by indulging in riverside shenanigans, a feeling I’d forgotten about in the past couple of years.
No matter how much older I got, I still craved adventure in some way.
Moving to stand on the hill in only my undershorts, I grabbed the rope and held it out to Zeth. “Want to go first?”
He joined me and peered over the edge to the river. “Are you planning to land on my head?”
“Of course not. I’ll wait until you swim out of the way.” I grabbed Zeth’s hand and placed the dowel in his palms, wrapping his fingers around it.
He walked backwards with the rope, poised to run, but paused and walked back to lean into me. “I’m going to be honest, I’m a bit nervous.”
“Oh?” I gave him a reassuring smile. “You don’t have to jump, you know.”
Zeth blinked at me with surprise. “You’re right, I don’t.”
“Do you want to sit with the others? You can have the blanket warm and ready for me.” I tried to take the rope but Zeth held it tight.
“No, I want to have fun with you. I miss doing stupid stuff,” he admitted, and walked backward to draw the rope taut again. I felt his excitement as he inhaled and said, “I dare you to swing higher than this.”
Before I could reply, Zeth sprinted past me and swung out. I hooted as he flew out over the water before letting go. He splashed in with a joyful shout. When he resurfaced and swam out of the way, looking happy, something delightful and fiery surrounded me.
As the rope swung back, I grabbed it and ran as fast as I could along the sloping bank before soaring out over the water. I twisted as I fell through the air, feeling free, and then hit the icy water. The shock to my body revived me, releasing a part of me I’d kept locked away for so long.
When I emerged at the surface, I wiped my eyes and searched for Zeth. When I didn’t see him, panic rose in my chest.
“Zeth?” I called out, but I couldn’t find him anywhere.
Shit, where did he go?
Then something grabbed my hips to tug at me. I gasped as my chin dipped into the water, but before I went under, Zeth popped up in front of me with a smirk.
I grabbed onto his arms and spit some water out at him. “Jackass,” I laughed.
“Prick,” he teased back. He made a small wave toward me as he confidently stated, “My jump was higher.”
“Oh, was it?”
“At least twenty-six feet higher.”
“Alright, now you’re just full of shit.”
“Shit doesn’t float.” Zeth’s chuckle was rich as he tried to float on his back to look peacefully at the sky.
I looked around as well, marveling at the full trees as late spring took over. On the river bank, Arthur and Emiline walked together and chatted while Hattie and Millie waved to us from their small party.
When I felt a splash on my face, I splashed Zeth back.
He flinched dramatically and I swam closer to capture his hand under the water.
That earned me a wide grin as Zeth opened his eyes again.
It was pleasantly familiar to spend time with him like this, an echo of our youth.
But I had to admit I was freezing, and my teeth were starting to chatter.
Perhaps if we were alone, and it was a hot summer day, I’d stay here all day long.
“God, it’s cold in here.” I shivered. “How did we do this when we were kids?”
“I recall a lot of touching to keep warm,” Zeth answered with a heated glance as he used our joined hands to pull me through the water until our legs bumped. “Maybe we can find a spot to cuddle under my blanket?”
“Yes, I could use your body to warm me up now.”
“In that case, I’m all yours,” Zeth assured me and started pulling me toward the shore.
“Zeth,” I laughed, letting go of his hand so I could swim quicker. As I passed him, I dunked his head under.
I felt his hand around my ankle a moment later, pulling me under.
By the time I popped back up, Zeth had already reached the shore.
He ran out of the river, raising his fists in victory.
I licked my bottom lip free of water as I trudged through the rocky shallows, my eyes tracing the outline of his muscled arms and bare chest. My gaze lowered to where his white undergarments clung to his thighs and…
God, I had to look away. Zeth’s body was so appealing, he had Hattie’s friends eyeing him too, and now I was flustered as well in front of them all. I found my sister and focused on her. But my eyes drifted to a girl gawking at Zeth while twisting her hair around her finger with a smile.
He smiled back at her as he bent to pick up his blanket from our pile of clothes Emiline brought over. I walked a little faster, and when I reached him, I let out a heavy breath. I wanted to take his hand and show everyone there he was mine, but I was too nervous.
“Millie, aren’t you going to introduce us to your brother?” Hattie’s friend asked.
“Don’t bother,” Millie replied. The gathering turned to her with curiosity. “You’re too late, because Zeth already set his cap for someone.”
I wasn’t sure if she meant me or Anna, but the girl gave up with a pout.
When Zeth turned to me with a rakish grin that told me he was enjoying the attention, I glanced away, my teeth chattering.
“Goodness, Amby, you look miserable,” Edgar Shears pointed out to everyone. He eyed me with a gleam in his eye. “You can share my blanket and stand by the bonfire if you’d like.”
“Actually, we need to get into dry clothes,” Zeth said with a hint of assertiveness.
He unfurled his blanket and shook it out before throwing it around my shoulders in a protective way.
The old, blue-patterned quilt brought instant comfort, and I had to keep myself from acting like a silly fool as I wrapped the fabric tighter around me.
It smelled like Zeth’s fresh, earthy fragrance that always intoxicated me.
As much as I wanted to take things slow with him, this was too much for me to brush aside.
His affection had me beaming with pride.
Here was my friend and lover taking care of me, for all to see.
“Thank you,” I said, turning back to Zeth to see him smiling adoringly at me. I was sure by now that the surrounding group knew there was much more between us than simple friendship.
Zeth grabbed up our clothes from the ground, and we slipped on our shoes as Hattie and her friends scattered away. After seeing that Millie was safe with my sisters, Zeth and I waved them off.
We walked past the crowd of people to a back trail that wound through the trees along the river. Once we were well out of range of others, I looked over at Zeth and said, “You cold?”
“I’ll be fine,” Zeth responded and moved his arm around my back to grab my hip.
I leaned up against him as we walked and grabbed around his waist too. “We should find a place to lay on the blanket and cuddle. I can think of about five hundred and fifty-two things we could do to warm up.”
Zeth shot me a glance. “You remember that number, do you? It’s the amount of places on your body I wish to kiss. It might take me a while.”
“Then I guess it’s a good thing I get to keep you forever, so we can take our time. Come on.”