Breathe Into Me (22 page)

“Can you drop this off at my apartment for me after you take Jessi to the dorms?” he spoke to Landon. “There is somewhere I want to take Kelsey before the weather starts to get too cold.”

“Sure thing. See ya later, bro.”

“Thanks, man.”

I watched as Landon’s taillights disappeared into the distance.

“Um, Kane?” I turned to face him.

“Yeah?”

“I am in a dress you know. How in the world am I going to ride on the back of the bike?”

His smile beamed and he walked over to the garage door to his grandparent’s house. After putting in the code, the doors slowly crept open. Sitting inside was an older model blue pickup truck.

“It was my dad’s,” he said. “He was in the process of restoring it when he died. When I got old enough and pulled my head out of my ass, I finished it. It’s what I drive when it’s too cold for my bike.”

He walked to the passenger’s side and opened the door for me, then took my hand in his and helped me hop into the truck. Once I was in I watched him walk around the front and couldn’t help but be amazed that I was here now. That I was with someone as attractive as Kane and that I was finally learning to live life again.

“So, where are you taking me now?” I asked.

Kane turned the key and the truck roared to life. “You will see.” He smiled and slowly pulled us out of the garage and onto the street. I knew better to even question him any further. He wasn’t going to tell me anything so I might as well just enjoy the ride.

We had been traveling for what seemed like thirty minutes before he cut off the main road and onto a small dirt road. It looked like it had been cut right through the middle of the forest because thick trees and darkness lined each side. We slowly crept down the small path a short ways before he pulled the truck into a clearing. It was simply beautiful. The moon was full and reflecting off some form of water in the distance. We had the windows down in the truck and the warm nightly breeze filtered into the cab. It was quiet even though we were out in the middle of the woods. My guess was the loud noise from the truck’s engine had scared off all the wildlife.

It was a clear night and you could see every star in the sky. There were obviously no lights around, but everything was lit up due to the full moon and all the stars. I never thought places like this even really existed in real life. You only read about places like this, or saw them in some movies. But then you knew it was all staged and they are probably really in some studio with a green screen behind them and all the stars and sounds were edited in later. But not here, this was the real deal.

Kane stopped the truck, put it in park and shut the engine off.

“Another secret spot, huh?” I asked and tuned on the bench seat to look at him.

“I found this one after my parents died. I like to come here when the memories from the other spot are just too much. This spot is just mine.” He paused. “I had been out driving around for hours when I found it. I had been having a bad day, back then it didn’t take much to set me off. I was so angry all the time that if I thought someone was looking at me wrong, my first instinct was to connect my fist with their face to stop the stare.” I sat and silently listened to him. “I had just been kicked out of school for another fight and had gotten into a huge argument with my maw about it and I just took off. I had been driving down that road when I caught out of the corner of my eye the path that led out here. And have been coming here since. It’s actually a good place to fish and swim when I’m not here thinking.”

“Swim? You can’t be serious. You just said that you fish here. That means there are fish in that water. You actually get in there?”

He raised his eyebrow at me. “Yeah I do. Have you ever been in the ocean Kelsey?”

“Well, yeah, but…”

“You do know that there are more fish in the ocean, right? Big ass fish too,” he said with a slight amount of humor in in tone.

I paused for second. “Well, that’s just completely different!” I didn’t know exactly how it was, but the logic in my head right now was screaming it was so.

He laughed and popped his door open. “Come on.” He held out his hand and I just sat there looking at it. “Kelsey, Come. On.” He repeated with a sly smile.

I violently shook my head back and forth. “No way, Kane. I am not getting out of this truck.” I crossed my arms over my chest and turned my nose up in the air. There was no way I was getting out and chancing him doing something crazy like throwing me in that water.

He let out a rough sigh and before I knew it, he was making his way around to my side of the truck. He opened the door and lifted me out and began striding toward the water.

“Put me down! I swear Kane if you throw me in there I will come at you with fists and finger nails flying! Do not push me!”

He laughed, but set me on my feet. “I swear I wasn’t going to throw you in. I just wanted you to see it … up close.”

I stood there and shook my head no. I knew what up close to water was in boy talk. It usually ended up with the girl drenched like a soaking rat while they howled with laughter.

“Come on. Just put your feet in. I promise nothing is going to get you. Do it for me?” he asked and stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. The craziest thought crossed my mind to just pull that lip between my teeth and I felt a warmth grow in my belly thinking about it.

“Kane that water is probably freezing,” I stated. After thinking about it though, a douse in some cold water might actually be what I needed at the moment.

“No it’s been too warm these past few weeks. My guess would be that the water feels about like a lukewarm bath.”

I glanced at the pond and I could see what looked like a very small amount of fog rolling off the surface. Maybe dipping our feet in wouldn’t be so bad.

I nodded. “Okay, I will put my feet in. But I’m warning you now, if I feel something so much as brush past my foot I’m screaming like a little girl and locking myself in the truck.”

He smiled. “Deal.”

I slowly edged toward the water, still a little nervous that Kane would push me in. When I made it to the water’s edge I could see by the moonlight that the water was very clean and clear. I could see the tiny pebbles that led down the shallow surface disappearing as the water got deeper. Looking around, I could see toward the back of the pond that there was a small stream that connected into it, then flowed right back out the other side.

“I think this used to just be a stream and that someone dug out the part over here creating the pond.” Kane said.

I slipped off my shoes and Kane kicked off his boots and rolled the bottom of his jeans up. After he was done he held out his hand to me. “Sometimes the rocks can be a little slippery. I don’t want you to fall so hold on to me.”

I placed my hand in his. “Yeah, but what happens if
you
go down and I don’t?

He thought for a second. “I guess we will both be going for a swim then.”

I playfully slapped his chest and he laughed as we slowly edged into the water. Kane was right, the water was warmer than what I thought it would be. It actually felt pretty good on my bare feet and legs.

“See, not so bad is it?” he asked.

“No, it’s not. You were right. This temperature is perfect. It’s too bad we didn’t bring swim suits. I can’t remember the last time I went night swimming,” I said and slowly kicked around in the water. When Kane never said anything back to me, I glanced up at him and could see him pondering an idea.

“What is it?” I couldn’t take his silence anymore.

“Well, we could go swimming. If you really wanted too.”

I gave him a questioning look. “How? We would have to ride home in soaking wet clothes.”

“Not if we lost the clothes.”

My eyes went wide. Was he saying what I think he was saying? “Are you talking about skinny dipping?”

He smiled. “Well, not actual skinny dipping. I was going to suggest keeping on our underwear but if you want to go naked … I’m game.” He gave me a playful wink.

“You cannot be serious.”

“You said it would be fun to go night swimming. I just thought if you really wanted to, we could. I swear I would be on my best behavior. I won’t touch you if it will make you more comfortable.”

What he was suggesting really wasn’t that crazy. I had on a bra and my panties were boy shorts so they would have me covered. There really wasn’t much difference in a bathing suit and the undergarments I was currently wearing.

“So what’s it going to be? You going to walk on the wild side with me?” He waggled his eye brows.

I had never been swimming in my bra and panties before. I’m sure there were a lot of people my age that had done it numerous times. Sometimes I felt like I missed out a little on the fun, reckless, teenage years by secluding myself the way I did.

I didn’t have any exciting stories or memories to look back on. Just the horrible ones I was trying to get away from. Maybe I needed this, to make some crazy new memories to cancel out some of the bad.

“Okay.”

Kane looked at me stunned. “Okay?”

“Yes. Let’s do it.”

He stood there for a minute in silence just starting at me. “All right. But a second ago I was sure you were completely against the idea. Can I ask what made you change your mind? Wait, I know what it was. You just wanted to get me naked didn’t you?”

I laughed. I don’t remember a time I have ever laughed so much after my mom died until I met Kane. It was a nice change from crying. “God, could you get any more full of yourself?” I teased back. “It’s like you said. I need a good walk on the wild side every now and then. You know, to live a little. I am ready to make some new memories, and what better way to start then to strip down and get to it?”

“Strip down, huh? I like the way you are thinking already.” He flashed me a smile then gave his lip ring a flip.

Oh boy, when he messed with that lip ring it was like instant turn on for me. I’m glad he didn’t listen to what his grandpa Ralph had said and kept it. I was growing fonder about body piercing every day.

We walked the few steps back out of the water and onto the bank. The tall grass rubbed my legs when we reached the bank.

“Ready?” Kane asked as he crossed his arms at the bottom of his shirt, grabbed the hem, and lifted it effortless over his head.

I watched all the muscles in his abdomen twitch and ripple as he tossed the discarded shirt to the side in the tall grass. I raked my eyes slowly up his toned chest and saw that in addition to his tattoo sleeves, he had one that twisted and scrolled across the top of his chest from shoulder to shoulder that read, ‘Honor thy Father and thy Mother.’ His gray eyes reflected in the moonlight, looking as if they were glowing, and I stood in awe of him.

When I finally realized I was staring at him, I quickly glanced away. I guessed it was my turn to lose some clothing. I nervously unbuttoned the sweater I had been wearing and slid it off my arms, tossing it into the pile with his shirt. I then grasped one of the straps to my dress and slid it down my shoulder, doing the same with the other shortly after.

When I looked back at Kane, he was just watching me. His eyes were on my straps, then he slowly brought them up to connect with mine. We stared at each other as I let my dress fall to the tall grass at my feet. I kind of expected Kane’s eyes to immediately drop and begin checking out my body, but they never wavered from the intimate hold they had on my eyes.

I lifted one foot and stepped out of my dress and in the one small step I found myself almost chest to chest with Kane. I could see the quick rise and fall with each breath he took. I noticed then that my breathing was just as fast. We kept up the staring match until Kane had rid himself of his jeans. I kept my eyes locked with his like he had done for me. It was kind of surreal. Here I was standing in the middle of an open field in just my bra and panties, with a guy who was just in his underwear and we had made no attempt to sneak a peek at each other. Not that I didn’t want to, but this moment was too intimate to go there.

I felt Kane’s hand connect with mine and he laced our fingers together. My eyes fluttered shut and my body lit up like a flame from just that tiny bit of contact. If I didn’t get in that water soon, I felt like I was going to combust and burn the whole world down with me. Kane pulled my hand and I opened my eyes as he walked backward to the edge of the pond. He slowly retreated into the water pulling me with him, never taking his eyes off mine.