No Attachments - By Tiffany King Page 0,43

were here for," I piped in, looking back at the blanket longingly.

"I'm aware of that," he said, shooting me a wry look as he pushed the canoe to the water's edge. "Hop in," he told me, holding the canoe in place.

"I'd rather go back to the blanket," I pouted, looking over my shoulder at the blanket one last time.

"Get in," he mocked growled, making me laugh.

Stepping into the canoe, I braced my legs, trying to gain my balance from the swaying beneath me. When it finally stopped rocking from my weight, I sat on one of the narrow metal benches.

"Here," Nathan said, handing the two oars to me before climbing into the canoe. The canoe rocked dangerously from his weight before settling back down. Sitting on the bench opposite from me, Nathan reached out for one of the oars. He used it for leverage, pushing against the bank of the lake until the aluminum canoe moved off the sand that was holding us in place. Once we were adrift, he reached for the other oar. He made short work of rowing us away from the shore.

I leaned my head back, wishing the thick heavy clouds weren't obstructing the moon and stars. I had to admit though, the clouds gave off a different allure that was beautiful in its own way. It was as if we were floating off into some mysterious void, shrouded in darkness and haze. When I had added this moment to my list, I always imagined something breathtaking, but the weather today made this something more. I could have stared at the big puffy clouds all night if not for the fact that the breeze blowing off the water was chilling me to the bone. A violent shiver trembled through me as one of the gusts sliced through my clothing.

"Come over here," Nathan said, indicating the floor of the canoe between his legs where he'd stacked a couple of lifejackets for me to perch on.

I moved cautiously so I wouldn't tip the canoe. With his help, I sank down on the lifejackets between his legs and felt warmer almost instantly. I leaned back against him, resting my head on his chest so I could look at the sky again.

"The clouds look amazing," I murmured.

"Very," he answered, trailing a hand across my cheek. I tilted my head and saw that he wasn't talking about the sky like I was. He cupped my face gently in his hands, holding it in place. My breath hitched in my lungs as he leaned in to drop a soft kiss on my lips. Where the other kisses we had shared ignited the lust we felt for each other, this kiss was something entirely different. The softness of his lips caressed mine as his tongue slowly slid into my mouth. He explored my mouth leisurely, never increasing the intensity. It was as if he was trying to memorize every detail and was meticulous with his mission. The tenderness of his mouth made my heart ache and I wished it would never end. That is, until a large drop of water landed on my cheek, quickly followed by another, and then another.

"Oh hell," he said, pulling back as the sky opened up above us.

"Holy crap!" I said as the freezing rain found its way down the back of my jacket and into my shirt.

Nathan grabbed the oars and dug them into the water to propel us back to shore, but the distance seemed insanely far. We were going to be soaked no matter what. I scooted back to my seat, taking care not to capsize the boat and add to our dilemma.

Chapter 14: Shower for Two

Nathan

There's a time in everyone's life when I'm sure they wonder if fate is actually some dude watching from beyond, just waiting for the right moment to fuck with us. Feeling the first raindrops land on my head as I was bent over enjoying Ashton's lips made me believe this was one of those times. Having the sky dump on us out of nowhere convinced me he was one sick bastard.

Watching Ashton huddled on the small metal seat, trying to stay warm as the rain continued to pelt us, made me feel like the biggest asshole ever. I was zero for two now in the dating game.

A giant shiver rippled through Ashton's delicate frame. I dug into the oars with all my strength, but these damn metal canoes only move so fast through the water. The rain made the