Chapter 30
30
SUMMER
I admired the excellent view of Asher’s backside as I limped behind him up the trail to Destiny Tarn. Tight butt, strong back, broad shoulders, and those lean, muscled legs. I couldn’t wait to touch him.
Unfortunately for me, that was unlikely to happen today since we were accompanied by almost the entire Braddock posse. Nate and Tess, Max, Kennedy and Liam, Toby, Bailey, Blair, and Asher’s sister Frannie, her husband Dean, and their baby Marcy. Not exactly the kind of company that allowed for a romantic interlude.
That said, Asher had my gear in his backpack—a good sign. He’d insisted on carrying it for me. He’d tried to tell me I couldn’t come to the midwinter dip at all, but having grown up with five brothers, I could out-stubborn him any day of the week. Anyway, my ankle felt much better. It was still sore but no longer puffy and inflamed.
“You okay?” Asher called back to me.
“Fine,” I said, catching Bailey’s eye and grinning. She walked alongside me, also carrying a bag, although hers was smaller. Asher was carrying our lunch as well as a towel and change of clothes for each of us.
“Has he been like this all week?” Bailey asked.
“Yeah.” I peeked up at him, but I didn’t think he’d be able to hear us when we were speaking so softly. “I kind of like it.”
She smirked. “Of course you do. The man of your dreams is doting on you. If it were me, I’d have him hand feeding me grapes off a platter.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” I laughed. “You’re far too nice for that.”
She glanced behind us, and I wondered if she was searching for Max. She seemed to have an instinctive awareness of him whenever he was nearby.She rubbed her upper arms, which were exposed by the strappy tank top she wore. “It’s a bit cold today, isn’t it?”
“The water will be freezing.” I supposed the whole point of a midwinter dip into a mountain lake was the fact it would be cold, but I seemed to forget that right up until this point in the midwinter dip every year, always having to convince myself to strip into my swimsuit and jump into the tarn.
“You managing all right, Summer?” Max called up, as if he’d sensed Bailey looking for him and assumed it was me.
“Seriously, I’m fine,” I exclaimed. “A little sore, but nothing to worry about.”
Bailey pursed her lips. “I’m more concerned about Nate, actually. He looks like he’s ready to fall asleep on his feet.”
“I’m not surprised,” I murmured back. “Babies must be a lot of work. It’s a pity Grace couldn’t come today.”
It would be a while before she was up to much in the way of exercise.
“I think she was looking forward to having a quiet house for a while,” Bailey said.
“You’re probably right.”
My family might have been driving Grace crazy. I knew she loved us all, and that everyone meant well with their visits and offers to help, but it must be a lot for someone who’d never had much family growing up.
We crested the top of the hill and passed out of the forest and onto the tussocks. From here, it wasn’t much farther. Sure enough, a few minutes later, we arrived at the tarn. Several picnic blankets had already been laid around the shore, with groups clustered on a few of them and others empty—their occupants presumably exploring the area.
I followed Asher around the side of the tarn. He slid his backpack off his shoulders, unzipped it, and pulled out a fleece blanket, which he laid on the ground. He dropped his bag on one edge.
“How long until the dip?” I asked as the family gathered around.
Nate checked his watch. “Ten minutes. Better get undressed. I’ll be doing the safety briefing soon.”
He hoisted the foldable chair he’d carried up and took it over to the edge of the water, along with a megaphone. Apparently, using the old-fashioned megaphone was easier than lugging up more expensive modern equipment. Or so he claimed. I suspected he just didn’t want to learn new things.
Asher unzipped his backpack and passed me a bottle of sunscreen. I took it and reluctantly stripped off my tank top to reveal the emerald green bikini beneath. I enjoyed the flare of heat in Asher’s eyes as I pulled my shorts off over my shoes—no plans to walk around in bare feet. Tussock was prickly.
Bailey dropped her bag beside the blanket and undressed too. She’d opted for a one piece swimsuit that looked demure in the front, but when she turned, the swimsuit plunged to just above the top of her bum, showing off miles of sleek back.
“Looking fierce,” I said, high-fiving her.
Sometimes I forgot how much of a fitness fanatic my best friend was. Years as a competitive gymnast had honed her body, and although she no longer competed, she went to the gym most days of the week and her hours of hard work paid off.
“You too.” She glanced at Asher behind me and winked. “I reckon you need someone to fix up the sunscreen on your back, right?”
I grinned. “You know what, I think I do.” I turned. “Ash, can you give me a hand?”
His eyes widened, and for a moment, he looked like a startled deer. “I’m sure Bailey can—”
But Bailey was already shaking her head. “I haven’t sunscreened at all yet, and we’re going to get started soon.”
Asher glanced between us, then with a wry twist of his lips, took the sunscreen. “Turn around.”
I did as he said, fully expecting him to squirt a big blob of cold sunscreen onto my skin to repay me for backing him into a corner, but he didn’t. Instead, his strong fingers smoothed along the tops of my shoulders. His thumbs dug into the meat of my upper arms, and I groaned.
“God, that feels good,” I murmured.
He worked his way down my back leisurely, massaging between my shoulder blades and along the ridges on either side of my spine. If not for the witnesses, I might have melted into a puddle at his feet. As it was, I struggled not to moan with pleasure.
“Good?” His voice was husky, as if touching me had affected him as much as it had affected me.
I cleared my throat. “Yes, thank you.”
I took the sunscreen bottle from him and quickly did my legs, arms, chest, and stomach.
Bailey side-eyed me. “You were so lucky no one was paying attention. I know I set you up for that, but I didn’t mean for you to get quite so into it.”
I ducked my head sheepishly. “I can’t think when he touches me.”
She giggled. “That much is obvious.” She leaned closer and lowered her voice. “If it helps, he couldn’t take his eyes off you.”
Heat unfurled in my lower belly.
Good.
I’d known, theoretically, that he wanted me—he must, since he’d kissed me—but having someone else see it somehow made it more real. I wasn’t built for secrets, even though I’d carried one for years.
Kennedy and Liam, who’d taken up the rear, arrived just as Nate called everyone to gather at the edge of the tarn. We slowly made our way over, clustering beside the water.
I stood with Bailey on one side and Asher on the other as Nate lectured us all on the importance of being careful, not drowning, not staying in too long, and so on. Finally, he reached the part we were all waiting for: the countdown.
“Ten,” he called.
“Nine,” we all chorused. “Eight, seven, six…”
I took Bailey’s hand, and we smiled at each other.
“Five, four, three…”
Asher’s arm brushed mine, lighting me up inside.
“Two, one.”
The group lurched forward, into the water. I hobbled behind the mass, splashing into the shallows.
“Ready?” I asked Bailey.
“Never.” She gritted her teeth. “Let’s do it.”
Together, we powered into deeper water, releasing our grasp on each other and diving in. My abdomen quivered from the cold, and I burst through the surface, spraying water all around me as my hair flicked over my shoulders. Bailey emerged a moment later, panting and wiping water from her eyes.
Droplets stung the side of my face, and I spun sideways, glaring at Asher, who was poised to splash me again. I cupped my hand and splashed him back, then splashed Bailey, and Toby, who was just ahead of me. They returned fire, and I giggled and shielded myself.
When it became obvious I had no chance of winning, I trotted back to the shore, favoring my left foot. I headed for the blanket and wasted no time grabbing one of the towels Asher had pulled out of his bag. I dried myself quickly, then wrapped the towel around me and flopped onto the blanket.
A moment later, Kennedy, Liam, and Asher joined me. Asher sat close enough that I could feel the heat from his body. We exchanged a glance, our gazes catching for a long moment.
I tore my eyes away from him and immediately noticed a man staring at me from the next group over. I dropped my gaze for a second, taken aback, but then raised it again.
He was still watching me. I cocked my head, wondering whether I knew him. He was perhaps in his early forties, with a stocky build, brown hair and brown eyes. He was fully dressed, in contrast to most other people here.
I was so preoccupied that when a hand landed on my shoulder, I jumped, my heartbeat ratcheting up a notch.
“Jesus, Blair,” I exclaimed. “Warn a girl.”