15. Saylor
Saylor
My oh my, Zale really is quite the swimmer. He shows off his impressive breaststrokes now, and that’s when I feel a pang of envy deep inside me.
I never did learn how to swim.
Trent must have noticed my crestfallen expression because he leans in closer to me then and whispers, “What’s the matter, England?”
I meet his inquisitive gaze, and his fresh, sand dune scent takes me by surprise. I forgot how good he smelled.
Honestly, I forgot how good they all smelled.
Even River.
I swallow, pushing thoughts of the other Rose brother aside now as I focus on Trent. He pulls up his brows, and I sigh, “It’s… nothing.”
His eyes flick toward the water where Zale still shows off his swimming skills. He’s even taken off his shirt now, and I try to avert my eyes.
Trent questions me some more. “Do you want to go for a swim?”
I reach down next, gripping the edges of the beach towel beneath me. It’s covered in coarse, sandy grains now, no thanks to Bridget, the playful cockerpoo, but it still comforts me in that moment. “N-o. Not exactly…”
I bite my lower lip.
It takes Trent a few more moments, but when the penny finally drops, he grins widely, showing me those cute dimples again. “You can’t swim, can you?”
Busted, and now I hide my face behind my curtain of thick, black hair. Not a good day to have jet-black hair and fair skin, as I’m practically melting beneath the sun.
Trent gets up, reaching down to offer me his hand. I stare at it questioningly, then meet his brown-eyed gaze.
“Come on. Zale and I will teach you,” he encourages.
Startled, I look across at Zale again, and that was my first mistake. He has risen from the water now as he brushes his long brown hair aside, his burning gray eyes finding mine instantly.
His tanned, muscled body drips with fresh lake water now, and I think it’s best that I stay under the parasol, thank you.
But Trent persists. “Come on. If I could find the courage to hold a feline, then you can step into the lake.”
Well, he has got me there, and I laugh at him now. “That’s not how it works.”
Trent shrugs, moving toward the lake. “Have it your way, England.”
He starts taking off his own shirt, the shirt covered in Snowball’s white fur, and this is just pure torture. Now they both grace me with their toned, muscled physiques, swimming for me and me only as they show off their skills in the lake.
Stay put, Saylor. Just grab your tablet and do some writing...
You don’t need them.
Yet I can’t get a single word down as I just stare down at my document on my device. My cursor blinks at me, beckoning me to write, yet my gaze won’t stop sweeping toward the lake.
They’re still swimming, and it looks as if they are racing each other.
Ah, what the hell.
I am on vacation after all, and it is hot out today.
I guess I could do with some cooling off, too. Because I’m sunburnt. Not because I’m aroused.
So, I slip my contact lenses out, placing them in their case before leaving them on my beach towel beneath the parasol. And then I rise, moving toward the water. The moment I’m close enough, Zale grabs me by the waist.
I grip onto him tightly, wrapping my arms and legs around him as he backs us up toward the lake. “No, I changed my mind!”
The lake floor disappears beneath his feet. Now cold water surrounds us on every side, and I forget how to breathe.
Yet my fear doesn’t last for long. Zale never loosens his hold around my waist. Trent stays close enough that I could reach him if I wanted. They guide me instead of dragging me, encouraging me instead of laughing at me, and before long, my fear of the water slowly ebbs.
Now all I feel is complete, unwavering trust.
And it frightens me more than the thought of deep water.
Zale chuckles, and it vibrates against my chest, centring me in that rare moment. “Too late, S.”
Now the Alpha ducks us both beneath the surface of the lake, and I gasp when cold water seeps through every muscle in my body.
Holy shit, that is freezing!
Zale holds me secure around his waist as he moves away from the shallow end of the lake where the water deepens, and now they help me float on my back as they teach me how to swim.
They show me what to do with my arms and legs, and I soon get the hang of it. However, I’m much too dependent on them in that moment, as I just cannot swim at all.
Yet my Omega embraces every second. In fact, she gets a thrill from knowing that at any moment, she could drown… but Zale and Trent will be there to save her if she goes under.
Just like she always wanted them to save her back at school. When she was drowning in a sea of bullies.
Lord knows Silver Grove had its fair share.
Wow. They really do hold my life in their hands right now.
These big, strong Alphas...
My Alphas.
Mine.
No, no, no. They are not mine. They may be my scent matches, but we will never be together. Not truly.
Because I will always live in Emma’s shadow.
Still, I push the morose thoughts aside and live in the moment. It couldn’t last, anyway.
I will have to return home to England someday.
So, I will make the most of every moment of this trip.
Now, I laugh and play with Zale and Trent as they each take turns teaching me how to swim, and I at least learn how to float on my own by the end of it all.
We stayed in that lake until sundown. A group of teens even allowed us to play with them and their beach ball as we all took turns tossing it back and forth.
The guys made sure to keep me near the shallow end for the duration of our time in the lake so that I wouldn’t drown, and I guess I will never be much of a swimmer then after all.
Oh, well.
Again. What was that I said about no Alphas?
I think that mantra went down the toilet the moment Zale took his shirt off. It left when Trent brought me Snowball, and when he applied sunscreen onto my burned arms.
Well, when in Rome. I can always return to writing later; there’s nothing wrong with a break every now and then, anyway.
At least now I may have some inspiration.