The Broken Lake by Shelena Shorts Page A

that right?”
    I nodded.
    “Well, I have a clear head now,” he said, still calling my bluff.
    My next move would be pivotal, so I had to think. I knew my hormones were bottled up, and he was just messing with me. Or maybe he wasn’t. Either way, he had given me a chance to drive the train.
    “That’s good.” I said, reeling in my line. “Because I’d like to show you. In fact, I’m ready for a swim. How about a change of clothes right now?” I started to take off my shirt.
    “Whoa.” He frowned. “What are you doing?”
    “Showing you something you haven’t seen before.”
    He jumped up. “Okay, okay. I get it. Ha-ha. You win. Keep your clothes on, Sophie.”
    “What? I’m just changing. Where’s my swimsuit anyway?”
    “It’s in the truck. I’ll get it.” He turned away nervously, before I could stand up to take off my pants too.
    I have no idea how I was able to take off my clothes so freely. I was so not a flamboyant person, and in truth, I was completely nervous at the idea of Wes seeing me naked. But I knew it would freak him out, so for some reason, that made it easier for me. Maybe if he was hawking me like a pervert, I might have been less open to it.
    He brought my suit back just as I was pulling off the last undergarment. Although he now appeared much calmer with my nudity, he kept his eyes from wandering below my chin.
    As I finished putting on my bathing suit, he went back to the truck and changed into his at the tailgate end, as far away from me as possible. By the time we were suited up and he was making his way to me, I felt I had lost the upper hand.
For crying out loud,
I thought.
    Having had enough, I walked up to him, cutting short his approach. “Would you just kiss me alrea—?”
    He grabbed the back of my neck and pressed his lips to mine before I could finish my sentence. My eyes closed instantly as the familiar fire spread through my body. I locked my arms around his neck and my mouth opened hungrily, allowing his tongue to meet mine in a long-overdue encounter.
    With one smooth motion, he picked me up. I felt secure with his arms under my bottom. What I did with my legs is a mystery, because the only part of my body I felt at that moment was my brain burning in complete bliss.
    I gasped as I felt a built-up flame explode from within. He kissed me over and over. Eventually, a cool sensation overtook the fire running from my toes. By the time the coolness reached my back, I realized it was water and opened my eyes.
    “Water,” I squealed.
    He kept kissing me.
    “Green water,” I croaked between breaths.
    “Sorry,” he said, shrugging, “I was about to lose time.”
    “Ah.” That was part of his clarity issue.
    We had been in a zone where neither of us was thinking about time, and he needed to cool off. Literally. I understood and wasn’t going to press him. We were both still breathing heavily, but a calm sensation was returning.
    I looked around the lake for something else to focus on. “See? I
am
outdoorsy.”
    He smiled. “Yeah. You are. I like it.” He turned us around, giving me the better view of the entire lake.
    “Why is that?” I felt him pulling me farther into the water, so I kept the cast on my arm raised.
    “I don’t know. I think it’s because I honestly never knew that about you. It’s like I’m meeting you for the first time, and I like it. It makes me feel…”
    I knew what he meant. Even though he couldn’t find the right word, I understood. If he was getting to know me for the first time, then maybe things could be different. He was still searching for the word when I filled it in.
    “Hopeful. You feel hopeful that things are new and different between us.”
    “Yeah. I think so.”
    An idea popped into my head. “You know what? I think we should make it a point to be different.”
    “How?”
    “Well, let’s not fall into the trap of history. Let’s make a new beginning for Sophie and Wes.”
    “And how do you propose we do