He came up for air, eyes gleaming, face flushed. “This is not fair. You’ve been swimming since you were a baby.”
“Go cry about it.”
He scowled, but the look disappeared almost immediately. “How’re you holding up with everything that happened yesterday?”
“What can you do when the world goes mad? You continue living, right?”
“Fair enough, but don’t take the town gossip to heart. You know they’ll be chatting about something else soon enough.”
“Oh, I think this one will last a while, but why worry about something I can’t fix? One thing I’ve learned is that you can’t change people. Can’t stop them from doing what they want, and Dad and Ozzie want to be together. They knew it would tear us apart, but they still did it.” I slapped my hand against the water, spraying him with it. “Why couldn’t they have waited, told Carter the truth, then start dating?”
“Come on, Matty, it wouldn’t have made a difference. They’d still be gossiping about it. Plus, your father looks happier than I’ve seen him for a long time. Doesn’t he deserve that?”
I didn’t answer him for fear that I would lash out at himagain, demanding to know if he’d been happier with Heather. Our legs tangled beneath the surface, the water lapping softly around us. For a moment, we floated, inches apart, breath syncing.
The current between us had shifted with the seriousness of our talk, no longer playful. Charged now. Heavy with everything we hadn’t said. The ache of years apart. The burn of what we’d just done.
“Matt, I’m sorry your family’s going through this.” Hudson’s gaze dropped to my mouth.
And fuck, I felt it.
That pull.
His hand skimmed the water, brushing mine, deliberate and light, like a question.
Slowly, he leaned in.
Eyes locked on mine.
Lips parting.
Like he was about to kiss me.
His lips brushed mine, barely there.
I pulled back.
“We should go.”
The words were a bucket of cold water. He didn’t argue. He nodded and moved toward the shore.
We dressed in silence. My shirt clung to my wet skin, and I couldn’t meet his eyes.
“What does this mean, Matt?” he asked quietly as he buttoned his jeans.
Of course he would ask that question. I laughed, short and bitter.
“Why does it have to mean anything? I just had sex with a married man.”
He flinched.
“But it’s fine. Everyone’s doing it these days, right?” Isaid, each word a knife turned inward. “Commitment means nothing anymore, so why should this?”
Hurt flashed across his face, but I turned away before I could feel regret. Despite just fucking him, the urge was still strong to hurt him because why should I hurt alone? He needed to share in my misery. He was the reason for it.
“I’ll see you back at the house.” He turned away from me.
I didn’t even look up. “Don’t be pigheaded. It’s a long walk. We can both ride Junebug. She’s already familiar with you. I know you’ve been secretly seeing her and slipping her treats so she doesn’t forget you.”
