Hood River Rat (Hood River Hoodlums #1) - K Webster Page 0,40
He’ll watch over him. That’s always been the deal. I look out for Jordy and he looks out for Cal. Someone has to keep those two assholes in line.
“Come on. Let’s go watch these dickheads blow their hands off.”
By the time we reach the pedestrian bridge that crosses the Hood River from the campground to a park area, the wind is howling and spitting hard pellets of snow and ice at us. The alcohol is no longer keeping me warm. I’ll need to somehow convince Sidney to get out of her Gio and Hollis sandwich so she can warm my sleeping bag up tonight.
Thoughts of Sidney riding my dick with her pert tits bouncing normally sends a spike of fire burning through me. Tonight, I feel nothing. I glance at her friend Wendy. The girl isn’t as giving sexually as Sid, but I know she’s given head to a few guys on the team. I bet I could get her in bed.
Sidney giggles, earning my attention. Gio is fucking with her. Flirting maybe. Whatever it is, she’s into it, grinning in a silly way I’ve never seen. Hollis watches with satisfaction. He’s dressed in his substitute teacher coat, but he’s wearing jeans and Docs. A scarf is wrapped around his neck and a beanie is pulled down over his head.
He looks warm.
I shudder against the wind, forcing my feet to remain glued on the bridge over the river rather than carrying me over to him, seeking his warmth. Despite the freezing temperatures, the river rushes by beneath us. Cal, the fucking idiot, shoots off several roman candles, not mindful of everyone around him.
One of the drunk guys named Tim, who almost took a firework to the face, pushes Cal. He and Cal get into a shoving match until Terrence tackles him against the railing. The wood snaps off with the weight of their bodies. Both Cal and Tim land on the snowy wooden floor of the bridge, but don’t fall off. I start toward Terrence as he grips the handle tight, but more parts of the bridge railing snap. He nearly goes over into the icy waters when Hollis flies out of nowhere, grabbing his coat before it’s too late. I freeze, shocked that he got him in time.
No way.
My heart hammers in my chest as Terrence shakes Hollis off him and storms away from the edge. Tim stumbles away as Cal rises to his feet. Jordy and I approach Hollis.
Hollis’s gaze finds mine, seeking approval. Fuck if I don’t want to give it to him. He just saved my friend. He deserves something. A smile of thanks tugs at my lips. One his eyes drop down to admire. I lick my cold lips, loving the heat that races straight to my dick when his eyes widen.
I start forward, unsure what I want to do. Maybe I’ll tell him thank you. Maybe I’ll just hug him. My mind drifts to the fire station. How he ran his fingers through my hair. What if I pressed my cold lips to his? My dick is halfway to hard.
We’re so focused on each other that we don’t notice Jordy.
Swift. Angry. A storm.
“This is for Roux,” Jordy snarls.
I watch, horrified, as my best friend shoves Hollis off the bridge. The collective gasp from the group nearly rumbles the earth. I catch Hollis’s eyes before he falls over.
Not afraid.
Fucking terrified.
It haunts me to my goddamn soul.
I charge over to the edge seconds too late. I heard the splash but didn’t see it.
“What did you do?” I yell to Jordy. “What the fuck did you do?”
“Holy shit,” Cal gasp.
“I, uh,” Jordy stammers.
We all stare at the icy, churning waters, waiting for Hollis to come back up.
A hand.
One desperate grab for the surface, but an utter failure. It reminds me of when Roux fell in the public pool one summer when we were younger. Thrashed wildly before she sunk to the bottom and had to be fished out by a lifeguard.
Oh my fucking God.
“He can’t swim.”
My words barely leave my mouth before I dive off the bridge, dreading every second before my body hits the cold-ass water.
Icy hell.
That’s the only way to describe the way it feels the moment I become fully submerged in the river. My muscles all scream in agony at once, my bones stiffen in protest. It’s my lungs, though, that feel as though they’ll collapse in on themselves. I burst to the surface, searching for where he might have gone.