A light tapping on my window startled me after laying there wide awake for at least an hour. I pulled the covers up to my chin, feeling like I was five years old again. Okay, Della, the boogey man doesn’t exist. What in the hell are you freaking out about?
The tapping continued, getting more frantic, so I pushed back the covers and crept towards the window. I crossed my fingers hoping it was a stupid branch or something, and whipped back the frilly pink curtains.
A scream escaped my lips and I quickly covered my mouth, hoping I hadn’t woken my grandparents back up. I pushed the window up and stuck my head out. “What in the hell are you doing on my roof in the middle of the night?” I hissed at Nash, who was biting on his bottom lip, probably trying to hold back his laughter at my reaction.
“I’m here to take you on an adventure. You remember those, right?”
“Oh, really?” I rolled my eyes and tightly crossed my arms over my chest, I’m sure the thin material of my cami was not providing much protection, and I was not about to give Nash Griffin a show.
“Yes, now come on.” He yanked on my arm with enough force to pull me through the window, and I followed along so I wouldn’t fall off the damn roof. He walked carefully onto a thick tree branch and held out a hand to help me. I have no clue why I willingly went with him. Now was my chance to go back inside and lock the window behind me, but instead, I followed his every move until our feet hit the grass beneath the tree.
I kept following him until he stopped abruptly, and I realized we were right at the edge of the lake that our houses were situated around.
“Um, what exactly are we doing here?” I wrapped my arms around my shoulders that had broken out in small goose bumps with the brisk air.
“We’re going for a swim.” He grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it over his head in one tug. You know that one tug thing that some guys just perfect so easily they could probably do it in their sleep? Yeah, that one.
And Nash, well, I could look at him all day without his shirt on. He wasn’t buff like some weightlifter, but he was lean and tight in all of the right places. He tugged on the gray pajama pants he was wearing, to reveal a pair of black boxer briefs and rocked back on his feet when he saw me staring.
“C’mon, you’re turn to put on a show.” He twirled a finger at me and I shook my head sharply. “No way, I’m not getting in there. It’s starting to get cool and that water is probably freezing.” I rubbed my arms again to emphasize my point and he took a step closer until he was just an inch from my face. “Where did my adventurous Della go? The old Della would be all for this. In fact, it would probably be her idea.”
“Well, the old Della obviously didn’t know what hypothermia was,” I deadpanned. I turned to leave, but was quickly twirled around, so I was face to face with Nash, his hands resting at the waistband of my yoga pants.
“You either take these off now or I’ll do it for you.” I knew he wasn’t joking, he would, and he snapped the stretchy material to prove his point.
“Fine,” I huffed out. “But you need to turn around or get in the water or something.” I pushed him closer to the edge of the water and tugged on my pants. Thank god I didn’t have a thong on, but instead a pair of lacy boy shirts, at least they pretty much covered up more than a bikini. There was no way in hell I would be taking off my top, even though once it got wet I knew it would end up sticking to me like a second skin.
I heard a loud laugh as I hit the water but it was soon drowned out as I went under. The chill of the water shocked my body, and I quickly swam to the top, gasping when my head broke through the surface.
I pried my eyes open, wiping away the cold moisture that was blurring my vision and turned around in a complete circle, looking for Nash. He wasn’t anywhere in site, and I groaned out loud. Did I just run in here like a complete idiot, practically naked, and he took off? My question was answered quickly when I felt a tug on my ankle from underneath the water, and I smiled right before I was pulled back under the water.
“You’re seriously crazy,” I stated as we both broke the surface again, my teeth chattering as I spoke every syllable. “So is this adventurous enough for you?”
“Oh, yeah, definitely,” he responded, gliding through the water until he stopped right in front of me. We could both just barely touch the muddy bottom where we were, and I felt his hand land on my bare thigh and the other wrap around my waist to pull me closer. “I think you need some warming up.”
“Nash,” I breathed out, trying to ease some of the sexual tension between the two of us. “What are you doing? I thought we talked about this. How did you even know I was here anyway?”
“I saw your Grandpa bring you home earlier while I was helping my mom out in the garden.”