Behind the Curtain - Page 15

Her cheeks burned. She stared down at her melting ice cream blindly.

“You didn’t tell your friends about it, did you?” she asked in a hushed tone.

“Of course not. Laila?”

Her chin jerked up at the sound of his deep voice saying her name so quietly . . . so tenderly.

“I wouldn’t. Not about that.”

She blinked uncertainly, confused by the intensity of his tone. She saw him swallow thickly, and thought maybe he was a little knocked off-guard too.

“I’d never even let my friends know about that lake, not even Jimmy. I’d never blab about seeing you there. That’s what I wanted to tell you. You don’t need to look so afraid.”

She just examined him for a moment, tethered by his stare. She nodded once, believing him completely for some reason. Something like relief broke over his face. Shyness swelled in her. Even though she believed her secret was safe with him, he’d still seen her stark naked.

Why today, of all days, did I have to be a little rebellious, and skinny-dip?

What did he think, seeing me naked?

The memory of his obvious arousal rushed into her brain. She viciously damned her hot cheeks.

“You said it was your secret place too. Once,” she said awkwardly, keeping her face lowered to disguise her blush.

“Yeah,” he said, shoving his hands into his pockets and shifting on his feet. His legs were tanned and long and very strong looking. She glanced up at him cautiously when he didn’t immediately continue. “I haven’t been back there for four years, since I went to college in California. My parents have a house down a ways on the beach. I used to go to that lake regularly.”

A smile flickered across her mouth.

“What?” he asked.

“My family’s been coming to Crescent Bay for summer vacation since I was little, but I just discovered that lake four years ago. I’ve been going there ever since.”

“One guardian of the secret lake leaves, another one takes over,” he said quietly. Her smile widened. She liked that idea, fanciful as it seemed.

His eyebrows arched. He leaned toward her slightly. “And you’ve never taken anyone there?”

She shook her head. Her skin tingled in heightened awareness from their hushed conversation. From his nearness . . .

“Not even your friends back there?”

“They’re my cousins. And no. It’s my special place.”

“Now it’s ours, then.”

A dull roar sounded in her ears.

“It’s a good place to be alone, isn’t it?” he asked after a pause.

“Yeah. A good place to escape.” His gaze sharpened on her. She looked down at the soggy cone she was holding. “I’m just going to . . .” She waved at a garbage can a few feet away. When she returned from throwing away her ice cream, he hadn’t moved.

“Where did you go to school in California?” she asked.

“Stanford. I just grad

uated.”

“Congratulations. I wish I were close.”

“To graduating?”

Tags: Beth Kery Erotic
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