‘Come on,’ she said, her skin goose-pimpled despite the warm morning. She hugged her arms over her chest. ‘We can get in over here.’
He followed her as she picked her way between rocks to a point where the grass gave way to a muddy bank level with the edge of the water. They began to wade in, and Georgia felt the mud squelch between her toes. At least she hoped it was mud – she knew from experience that the odd cow ventured down to the waterline, but she didn’t want to spoil the moment. She tested each place carefully before putting her foot down properly and releasing her weight, wincing as she hit a congregation of sharp stones that lurked beneath the surface.
Leo had waded ahead, but when he checked back and saw her struggling he came across to her and held out his hand. ‘Here . . .’
She grabbed his fingers and let him help her into deeper water, aware of his warm, steady grip. When the water licked the insides of her thighs, he turned to her, still holding her hand. ‘Okay?’
Only when she nodded did he let go. For a second his gaze remained on her, then without warning he flicked showers of freezing water at her, making her squeal. Usually the water wasn’t too cold, but today everywhere it touched made her wince. She could hardly breathe.
Leo didn’t seem to notice. ‘Come on, then,’ he chuckled, and was swimming before she could respond. ‘If you can beat me to the other side, I’ll buy you dinner.’
He swam away with long front-crawl strokes, scattering ducks in his wake. His words danced in her ears, she was desperate to win. However, even though Georgia was an excellent swimmer she knew she wouldn’t catch him. As she sank down to her shoulders and her feet pushed off from the stones, the water stretched away from her, the surface shimmering like oil, the body of the lake slippery and resistant to her movements. Despite all her training, next to Leo she felt like a pretender, waiting for the magic ingredient that would transform her into a real athlete.
Undeterred, she tried to chase him down, but even though the day was sunny the water further out was freezing, and she was shivering in no time. ‘I’ll give you another chance,’ Leo shouted as he reached the other side before her, but on the way back her skin began to feel strange and her body jittery. She saw him slowing down, smiling at her, letting her win, but she was too desperate to reach the warmth of her towel to respond. As she staggered out of the tarn, the air met her wet skin with an iciness she couldn’t bear. She heard Leo calling her name, and in seconds he was next to her.
‘You’re shaking.’ He sounded shocked. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t realise you were having a hard time.’
‘I’m usually fine,’ she replied through chattering teeth. ‘I wore a wetsuit for the Derwent, but I’ve swum in the tarns plenty of times in just my swimsuit. It’s not that cold, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’ll be okay in a minute.’
She went to collect her towel, but he was faster. ‘Sit down for a second,’ he said, pushing her gently towards the ground. As she collapsed on the grassy bank, he wrapped her towel around her shoulders and put his own over her legs. She watched water droplets trickle down his chest as he rubbed her arms vigorously, trying to warm her up. When he caught her eye she tried to smile, but she was embarrassed, afraid of how she must look with her straggly wet hair and pale skin. She didn’t say anything until he asked, ‘Does that feel better?’
She tried to smile again, reassured now that she had almost stopped trembling. ‘Thanks.’ She looked at him dripping wet in front of her. ‘Aren’t you cold?’
‘I’m okay.’ His hands went back to hold her arms, but he didn’t try to warm her. He grinned, but as she held his gaze, his expression changed and her breath caught when she saw the question there. In the pause between them he read her reply and leaned forward, his lips releasing a current of heat as they pressed against hers. He stopped after a few seconds, rocking back on his knees, his gaze never leaving her, as though assessing her response. She gave him a small smile and as soon as he saw that he moved forward again, pushing her back against the grass, his hard body heavy on hers, his mouth soft and hot against her own. This wasn’t her first kiss, but it was the only one that had made her whole body tingle. She forgot about the cold, and her shyness. She put her arms around him and then moved one hand up so that her fingers buried themselves in his hair, wanting to keep him there. Her temperature had risen so rapidly she felt faint. She pushed herself against him, but they both became aware of voices at the same time, and came apart as two bikes whizzed past, only a short distance from where they lay.
Leo sat up and smiled. ‘You okay?’