Page 135 of The Score

Chapter 43

Pen

The lake is cold enough to shock my entire system, but I keep walking into it anyway.

"It's so— cold! Ah!"

"Pen! What are you doing?"

I turn to smile at him while still going deeper into the water. "I thought— you were— ah! Smart. So cold!"

"Penélope Duarte! Come back here."

He stands naked at the edge of the water. His arms are crossed, and something about the way he holds himself makes him look solid. A big wall, staring me down with a deep frown.

"There's the bossy man I know! Come join me."

"I don't want to catch a cold."

"It's summer! And skinny dipping is worth it. New bucket list item!"

"You're going to catch a cold."

"Then come keep me warm! Protect me with your big manlyfurnace of a body."

I stop when the water covers my breasts. Leon stares at me disapprovingly from a few yards away. I laugh.

"Unbelievable." He shakes his head, but enters the water.

He doesn't complain about the cold. He just keeps his eyes trained on me, and advances like the weight of water isn't but a small nuisance.

"Bear? What are you trying to do?"

I scream again when he reaches me and, with firm arms around me, plunges us both under water.

Sound changes. His skin turns slick, but it's a warm magnet in the cold lake. He's pulling me closer, handling me underwater, so we never lose track of the right way up. Like he always does.

We break the surface and he laughs. He keeps me close with one arm. With his free hand, he pulls my hair back again.

"Why do you keep pulling my hair back?" I ask.

"I want to see your lovely face." He drops a kiss on my lips. "I want to see into your eyes and find all your truths there."

I smile. "But you'll also dunk me in the water."

"Of course. What are friends for otherwise?"

I put my arms around his neck. The fairy lights turn on among the trees, and on the deck outside the cabin. Faint daylight remains in the sky, but it's finally getting dark over the lake.

"I suppose you're right," I admit. "You can't really have a friends with benefits situation without the friends part. Or the benefits."

"I think we're past friends with benefits, since we're married. But we should keep it to the bucket list."

"Okay, then I'll make it official. My latest rating is ten out of ten."

"Please tell me you're scoring the skinny dipping part. Technically, that's the latest item we took care of."

I laugh. "What if I meant ten out of ten sex?"