Chapter 58 58.Swimming
Tabitha’s POV
“I didn’t bring clothes to swim in!” I protest. “That’s on you all for dragging me here blind.”
Evren pulls his shirt over his head and dives in with one smooth motion, joining his brothers. Reed shouts again, splashing more water my way. “Come on, Tabitha. The sun’s cooking you alive up there.”
He isn’t wrong. My skin already burns from the afternoon heat, and the idea of sinking into that cold pool sounds far too good. Before I can decide, Luca steps up and circles his arm around my waist, his lips hovering on my ear.
“You’re taking too long to decide. Here, let me help you,” the bastard whispers before scooping me into his arms like I weigh nothing, and bolts toward the water.
“Luca! What the—” My protest cuts off in a gasp as he leaps straight into the falls. The crash swallows us, water closing around me in a shock of cold. When we surface, I can’t stop laughing, sputtering as droplets cling to my lashes. “I’m gonna get you for that!”
I scoop up a handful of water and fling it straight at his face.
“Is that all you’ve got, Sweetheart?” Luca only grins wider, his hair plastered to his forehead, and kicks up a splash so strong it nearly knocks me back under.
“Oh, you’re asking for it now,” I warn, trying to shield myself as I throw another wave at him.
He laughs, dodging most of it, then comes right back at me with twice the force. Cold water stings against my skin, but I can’t stop laughing, my shrieks echoing off the rocks. It feels ridiculous, juvenile even, but I don’t care. For once, I let myself act like a kid who doesn’t have to worry about anything but trying to out-splash the infuriating bastard in front of me.
Jace points up at a thick vine hanging from the rocks above the falls, his grin as cocky as ever. “Alright, let’s see who’s brave enough to swing in. Bet none of you can do it as smooth as me.”
Reed snorts, already climbing onto the rocks. “Please. You’ll fall on your ass before you even reach the water.”
“I’m not the one who belly-flopped last summer,” Jace shoots back.
“That was intentional.” Reed grabs the vine, gives it one hard tug, then swings out with a loud, ridiculous war cry that sounds like a mix between a caveman and a dying coyote. “Awooo-WO-wo-wo-wooo!”
The echo bounces off the rocks, and Jace nearly falls over laughing. “You sound like fucking a drunk hyena!” he calls, still snickering as he grips the vine. With a quick hop, he launches himself out over the water and releases at just the right moment, slicing into the pool below with a surprisingly clean form.
Yeah, they definitely do this a lot.
“Tsk, bunch of amateurs,” Luca shakes his head like he is dealing with toddlers. Then, without missing a beat, he seizes another vine and swings out over the water. His arc is higher than the others, and he lets go right at the peak, dropping into the pool with a sharp splash that rivals Jace’s.
That was amazing!
Jace pops up from the water, pushing his hair back. “Your turn, Tabi.”
I hesitate at first, but when the others start climbing back up the rocks toward the vines, I end up following along, dripping wet and heart hammering as I trail behind them. Now I’m standing right there on the ledge, the vines dangling above, the pool far below.
“Uhm…” I warily observe the dangling vine, my fingers fidgeting at my sides as I shift my weight from one foot to the other.
“Don’t tell me you’re too chicken to try it?” Reed taunts. I glare at him.
“I’ve never done anything like that before, alright!” I bit back a bit defensively, my fingers twisting in the hem of my soaked shirt. “What if I mess it up?”
“Then you’ll belly-flop like Reed, and we’ll laugh about it for years,” Jace teases.
“It’s okay, Tabi. Just try it one time. If you don’t like it, then we'll just stick on swimming,” Luca encourages.
Come on, why am I even scared? I literally rode a motorcycle blindfolded! I should be able to do this tarzan swinging thing too.
But Reed was with me during the motorcycle ride so I wasn’t that scared
Ugh. Right, he was holding the handlebars the whole time in a way that made it easy to trust him.
I stare at the vine again, my pulse kicking up. The water roars below, louder now that I am standing so close to the edge. My toes curl against the slick rock. Then I feel the heat of someone behind me.
Evren’s breath brushes hotly against my nape, almost making me shudder. “Want me to take you across?”
I turn slightly, finding him close, too close, his chest grazing my back as if he did not bother with personal space. My breath stutters, and I hate how much it thrills me.
“I…” My fingers twitch toward the vine. “I don’t know if I can do it.”
“You don’t have to,” he murmurs, his breath skimming the side of my neck as his arm slides firm around my waist. “Just hold on to me.” His chest presses against my back, warm even through our soaked clothes, and his grip anchors me in place. It feels too natural to lean into him, too easy to forget about the drop below. And I don’t know if I’m imagining it, but there’s something delicious about his scent—something reminiscent of a sweet dessert. Nope, definitely just imagining things.
I clear my throat as my arms slip around his shoulders, clinging tighter than I mean to, and he doesn’t comment on it. His hands wrap around the vine effortlessly, muscles shifting against my palms as he takes the weight of both of us.
“Ready?” His voice hums low, the kind that rumbles more in my chest than in my ears.
I nod dazedly, barely managing to school my gaze as it drifts down his red lips. Before I know it, we are moving, his body swinging us out into open air.
“Oh my god!” I gasp and clutched on him tighter like a baby koala fighting for her life. The wind whips my hair, and a wild thrill floods through me. For a heartbeat, the world tilts, sunlight scattering off the cascade like shards of glass, the whole forest yawning wide beneath us.
The moment we arc out, cheers erupt from below. Luca whistles loud enough to pierce through the roar of water, Jace hollers my name like I’ve just won a contest, and Reed’s booming laugh rolls up the rocks, half mocking, half impressed.
I never thought I’d enjoy it, but once my feet hit the water, all I wanted was to do it again. And again. The next few tries, Reed stuck close, letting me cling to him while he swung us across like it was nothing. After that, I managed on my own, shrieking every time but loving the rush. The vines held through every swing, sturdy enough to take all our weight despite how many times we launched ourselves out.
By the time we finally dragged ourselves back to the bank where our blankets and food still waited, we were breathless and dripping, chuckling at each other like idiots as we collapsed to rest.