I knew it was Jameson even before he spoke and my body reacts in a confusing way when the terror is mixed with something else. Something equally heady and intense that courses through me in a rush and I think fainting is a real possibility right now.
I force my eyes open and my head immediately spins as I see the turquoise water waiting for me forty feet below.
“Jameson, I can’t,” I whimper. “I can’t even look.”
His tone is stern but there’s a softer underline to it that helps me curb the urge to walk away. “Then don’t look.”
Panic rises again as he tightens his hold on me. “You said you wouldn’t push me. You promised.”
He speaks with his lips against my ear, his warm breath comforting. “And I won’t. I always keep my promises. Let’s go.”
I lift my head to look into his eyes and open my mouth to ask him what he means, but he acts faster than I can utter any words. His other arm circles my waist and I’m cocooned in his protective embrace.
The contact with more of his ripped chest distracts me long enough that I realize that we’re moving just when I no longer feel the tiles of the deck under my feet.
It happens in a split second, one minute I’m standing there, looking into Jameson’s silver eyes and then I’m falling.
Jameson jumped off the deck with me in his arms, and it was so unexpected that I barely have the chance to register what’s happening.
Our bodies touch the cool water of the pool and before I know it, we’re completely submerged.
I’m still being held against Jameson’s body and as I open my eyes to look at him, he turns me in his arms so that I’m facing him fully.
His lips touch mine as he holds me tighter but it’s fleeting and before the kiss can be deepened, he kicks his long, powerful legs and we breach the surface.
I only vaguely hear the cheering of all the people gathered poolside, as my attention is focused on those smoldering gray eyes.
“You said you wouldn’t push me!” I say, unwilling to leave the safety of his arms as my body is flooded by adrenaline. “You promised!”
I should be used to Jameson’s knee weakening winks. “I didn’t push you. We jumped together.”
I give his chest a little push, but he doesn’t let me go. “That’s semantics and you know it!”
He chuckles. “Well fuck, semantics are all that matters when you make a deal with the Devils, right? But I’m glad you didn’t punch me in the face like Peyton did when we landed the day we met and I helped him overcome his fear.”
“He punched you?” I gasp.
“Yup! That motherfucker doesn’t like surprises. But after my little push, he never had a problem with heights or planes again.”
He swims toward the edge of the pool. “I doubt I’m cured of my fear of heights but ... thank you, Jameson.”
He tucks a strand of my wet hair behind my ear. “Nah, don’t thank me. You owe me one.”
I grab the metal of the ladder at the deep end of the pool. “What do I owe you?”
“I’m the only one who hasn’t had any alone time with you. I’m going to be calling dibs on doing something together soon.”
I smile before I start climbing out of the water. “Sure. I’d like that.”
The shimmer of intensity in his eyes causes a throb between my thighs and I tighten my hold on the metal of the ladder to keep my balance.
I know these guys are supposed to be our rivals, the enemy; but with every passing day, I feel like I belong with them, to them, more and more.
Maybe being in debt with a Devil isn’t so bad after all.
***