Southern Desire (Southern Heart 2)

“Yep.”

“You do know that you have to spend time with someone in order to get to know them, right?”

He sits up and leans on his elbow as well, facing me. “I told you, when I meet her, I’ll know.”

I bite back the sadness that washes over me. Obviously, I’m not his “one,” not that I had really thought I was. I might have fantasized throughout the last week that the guy from the bar was interested in me, and tonight when it turned out he is just as amazing as I remember him being. It’s kind of a jab to the self-esteem that he just threw it out there that I don’t do it for him. Oh well, he’s my boss’s brother. Better to not mix business with pleasure.

“What about you? You have a Mr. Right?”

Sadness washes over me. The last three years I’ve spent in hospitals and sitting at home by Mom’s side. There wasn’t time to date. Sure, I could have, but I wanted to be there for her. She was my rock, and I wanted to be hers.

“No.” I don’t elaborate. He doesn’t need me getting all emotional on him again. At least last weekend I could blame the beer.

I suck in a breath when I feel his thumb wipe under my eye. I hadn’t even realized I was crying. “I don’t handle tears well.”

I want to laugh at that, because his touch alone sucked the air from my lungs and derailed my thoughts of losing Mom. He successfully derailed the train wreck of emotions that were threatening to break free.

“Sorry,” I whisper.

“Don’t be sorry. You miss her, I get that.”

We lie there side by side, looking up at the night sky. There are a million stars and the view is breathtaking. “You know, when I was younger, I never took the time to take it all in. I was too young to understand the beauty of being out of the city. To me, I was just coming to visit my cousins and aunt and uncle for a week.”

“I love it here. I would never be able to live in the city. These are my roots.”

I chuckle. “I can see that about you.”

“So you ready to give it a try?”

I was hoping that I would be safe. They all tried, including little Lexi, to get me in the water earlier, and I just couldn’t do it. The thought of fish or snakes or turtles or whatever else lives in there slithering up against me—no, thank you. “I’m good.”

“Come on, you have to experience it at least once. How can you say you won’t like it when you’ve never tried? Live a little,” he chides me. He quickly stands and holds his hand out for me. “I got you.”

His brown eyes shimmer in the moonlight, and I can see that they are locked on me. His hand is suspended in the air, waiting for me to take it.

“Whitney.” He whispers my name into the night, and without thinking, I reach for him. Once our fingers are locked, he pulls me to my feet and I stumble against his chest. His hands rest on my waist to steady me. “Strip,” he says huskily, his lips next to my ear.

It takes me a few seconds—hell, it could be minutes—to process his words.

“Come on, Whitney!” McKinley encourages me.

I blink and Aaron comes back into focus. He’s standing close, hands still on my hips. He’s smirking, and for the second time tonight, I’m thankful for the dark of night to hide my blush. Placing my hands on his chest, I give him a gentle push. We’re still close enough that our eyes are connected. I don’t so much as blink as I grab my tank top and pull it over my head, letting it fall to the blanket. His eyes widen and he swallows hard. I’m enjoying his reaction, so I give him a flirty smile, eyes still boring into his, and unbutton my shorts. I unzip them and shimmy my hips, letting them fall to the ground.

“Now what?” I ask.

He shakes his head and reaches for my hand. “Now we go all in.” He pulls me down the dock. We stop at the end. Evan, McKinley, and Lexi all cheer when they see that I’m actually going to go through with this. Aaron squeezes my hand. “Ready?”

“If I say no?”

“We still jump.” He grins.

“It’s safe, right?” I know it’s a crazy question, but I need to hear him tell me it is.

“You think I would let my family in here if it wasn’t?” he asks.

Good point. “Okay.”

“On the count of three.”

I close my eyes and hold tight to his hand.

“One . . . two . . . three!” With my eyes shut tight, I jump, my hand still holding his like a vise. We hit the water with a splash and somehow our connection is broken. I swim to the top and break the surface. I’ve managed to swim the opposite direction of the dock. As I tread water, I see McKinley, Evan, and Lexi now sitting on the dock, drying off. I turn in circles looking for Aaron, but I don’t seem him. It’s darker, the clouds now covering the once bright moon.

“Aaron.” My voice quivers as I say his name. I’m in a pond with God only knows what in the middle of the night and the guy I let talk me into this is nowhere to be seen. Circling back around, I see Evan lead his girls back toward the truck. I start to panic. Something slithers past my leg and I yelp. “Aaron.” This time it’s more of a cry.

“Hey,” I turn to the voice and see him swimming toward me. My heart is pounding, and I’m sure if I were not in this damn pond my palms would be sweaty.

“Where were you?” I manage to squeak the words through my trembling lips.

He finally reaches me and places his arms around me, pulling me to him. “I got you. Nothing out here can hurt you. I promise.” His voice is soothing, but it’s not enough to convince me to stay in.

“I did it and now I’m done,” I tell him. I push back on his chest and swim away from him. He quickly catches up to me and silently swims beside me back to the dock. I grip the sides and try to lift myself out, but my hands are shaking so bad, I fail miserably.

“Turn around.”

I turn to face him and his hands immediately grip my hips. “I told you, I had you.” He lifts me effortlessly and sets me on the edge of the dock. I’m mesmerized as I watch his muscles flex as he lifts himself up to sit next to me.

Reaching out, I smack his arm. “You left me!”

He rubs his arm, like I actually hurt him. “I didn’t leave you. I just took a little swim is all. You were never in danger, Whitney.”

“Hmph.”