Page 20 of Anchored To You

"A walk in the forest? At night? Do you watch any documentaries? That sounds like a bad idea."

Beck snickers, grabbing my hand. "Come on, I'll protect you. A short walk. I promise."

"Okay, but the second I hear something in the dark, I'm out." I tell him dramatically, knowing there’s probably nothing hiding out there. Hopefully.

“You do realize there will be a ton of sounds in the forest. Especially with all the monsters who go out there at night,” he snickers, gesturing to the group of monsters at the corner of the street where they’re making heaps of noise.

"Well, duh, but I can tell the difference between a monster out there having fun and someone trying to murder me."

Beck stops in place, turning to face me. "Wow, you're pretty dramatic, huh?"

Looking at him, I smile widely. "I'd like to think I'm honest."

My smile quickly fades when I remember the lie I'm telling him. Pretending I'm hooking up with random people in our room when in reality I'm spending the entire time studying. It makes me feel like shit, but then I recall him completely ghosting me last year, and it reminds me that sometimes a little white lie doesn't hurt anyone. Especially if it makes me feel better about myself.

Beck releases my hand, and I feel the loss instantly. It really fucking sucks, because I know I can't deny our chemistry and if I had my way, I would have already climbed him like a tree again. But it's the principle of the matter. I won't ever let him know how attracted to him I am. He'll never get to see that side of me again.

He spins in a circle before stopping completely. "Are we close to the river?" He asks, taking another step in the direction of the rushing water.

"Yeah, it's just a few hundred feet to the left. Wanna head down?"

"Duh."

I follow behind him as he walks toward the water. A gust of wind picks up, the scent from his jacket causing me to close my eyes and inhale deeply. I wrap the large jacket tighter around my body, hating how much I love wearing his clothes. The one night we had together, I went to sleep in his shirt, and it was incredible. I might have gone home in that shirt too, but after a week of not hearing from him I tossed that shit in the trash. I laugh loudly, remembering when I dumped the shirt into the toilet before shoving it in the garbage.

Beck turns around, staring at me. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," I snicker, not wanting to bring up the shirt. Once I bring that up, ‌the entire night will come up, and I don't want to talk about all that.

"If you say so," he purses his lips as he walks backward. "How cold do you think the water is tonight?"

"For you? Probably too cold. For me? Perfect."

He digs his toes into the dirt, turning it in circles. "Would you like to swim?"

"Raincheck?" I ask, wanting to get into the water with him but remembering what happened the last time I did that. I’m already too in my thoughts tonight; I don't need to confuse myself even farther. "I'm pretty beat. As soon as my head hits the pillow, I'll crash."

He nods his head in agreement, but I know he's disappointed. Hell, I'm disappointed, and I'm the one who said no. I just know myself, and as soon as the clothes come off, I'm going to be tempted. And I can't allow myself to give in to temptation.

I can't.

Chapter

Ten

BECK

I'm sitting in my statistics class, unable to concentrate on anything. I tried to shoot my shot a few nights ago with Talon at the river and got completely shut down. Which duh, I figured he would shut me down, but I didn't realize how much it would hurt. I honestly don't know what I was thinking either, though. I can't be hooking up with anyone. Especially my roommate. That's a recipe for disaster.

But it still doesn't change the fact that I would love to feel him underneath me again. To hear him moaning and whimpering my name while he rides me. I squeeze my eyes shut, slightly adjusting myself in my seat. Fuck, this is not the right time to be fantasizing about Talon. My eyes dart around the room, noting that no one is paying me any attention. Good. Because my mind is already thinking about Talon again.

God, it was amazing to see him let loose at Scareoke. I was so sure that he would not show up, and then once I saw he did, I wondered if he would actually get up onto the stage and sing with me. He blew me away. At that moment, he reminded me so much of the man I met the first night at Zomb-Bar, and less like the man who I've been around for the past few weeks.

I thought we had turned a corner. From studying together, talking more, and then singing together. I got a little overconfident, which is what led me to asking Talon to go swimming with me. We both knew what I meant. Luckily, he didn't call me out on it, and my ego was a little grateful that he shot me down nicely. But now all I've been able to think about is him.

Which is dumb as hell, because all I should focus on is school, baseball, and work. In that order. Not the sexy as hell mermaid with the long teal hair I want to run my fingers through.

"Ugh," I groan, wincing when a few students around me shush me. "Sorry," I whisper, raising my hands apologetically.