The Sinners - Ruby Vincent Page 0,40
put on a matter-of-fact show, but he was tensing underneath me. “I can’t imagine how hard it is for you guys.”
“It is what it is. Mom goes off her meds, gets confused, and slips away. We can’t force the meds down her throat. We can’t lock her in the house. And we can’t stop the old man from drinking. Life is about accepting the crap you can’t change and focusing on what you can.”
I hummed. “I would say that’s cynical if life hadn’t kicked the same lesson into my head.”
“You know what I can do right now?”
“Whaaat?” I drew out as I spotted the smirk.
“Get you out of those clothes and in that water.”
Just like that, giddiness returned in a flash. “I don’t think you can, Clay Walker. The water is freezing!”
“I’ll sweeten the deal for you.” Clay flipped me over and stood. “I’ll ask you questions. Anything I want. For every honest answer, I’ll strip something off.”
“I’m liking this game so far.”
He chuckled, grabbing the hem of his sweater. “The catch is I step closer to the river for each question, then my naked ass is jumping in, and if you want to get your hands on it, you have to jump in too.”
Holy crap. This player is about to get me in that chilly river.
I swung my legs back and forth, rocking on my hips. “I accept your terms,” I purred.
“Sweet. First question: Bottom or top.”
“Don’t you know the answer to that?” I laughed.
“Just ’cause you end up on the bottom, doesn’t mean it’s where you prefer to be.”
I loved that there was no weirdness about this. I was sleeping with his friend and brother—often in front of him—but Clay and I were just us. Mature and secure in wherever our relationship was heading.
“Bottom.”
Clay dropped his sweater at my feet. “Next,” he said, backing up a couple of steps. “If you get out of this craphole, where will you go?”
“Ooh. Somewhere with lots of life, people, foods, and noises. I’ve had this dream about New York since I was little.”
“You ever been?”
“Two questions means the shirt and the pants,” I teased.
“Sounds fair.”
“No, I’ve never been. Mom and Dad didn’t like cities. We vacationed on islands or lake retreats.”
“Not a bad trade-off.” Clay stripped out of his shirt and jeans as promised. He backed up and moonlight embraced his sculpted inked body. He was so beautiful. Dark and tortured, but reformed in a righteous battle for those he loved. A true angel.
I rose up, shrugging out of my clothes. Clay feasted on me in my lace bra and panties that left nothing to the imagination. My toes imprinted the soft earth as I swallowed the distance between us and stepped into Clay’s waiting arms.
“Next question,” I whispered.
“Do you want to be with me, Ember?”
My reply was instant. “I want to be with you more than I want Nerds, cream soda, and world peace.” I tugged his boxers down. “Ask a hard one this time.”
Clay chuckled as he removed my bra and helped me out of my panties. Together we stepped back, sinking knee-deep in the water.
“Do you know how I feel about you?” he asked, lips brushing mine in a kiss that wasn’t but should be.
“That’s the thing about you, Clay. You’re smart, strong, fearless, and feared, but you wear your heart on your sleeve. I don’t know anyone who loves harder than you do. Who has sacrificed more? I know how you feel about me, and it makes me happier than I can put into words that I’m someone you... care for.”
It wasn’t right to name his feelings anything else. Not before he did.
“Care for?” he repeated. “You say you can’t find the words but those are still too small.”
I kissed him. “What words would you use?” Then kissed him again.
“I wouldn’t use words at all.”
We sank into the rushing water, mouths clashing heat, fire, lust, and more. The water was bitterly frigid. I clung to him tighter. My source of heat.
Protection.
Safety.
Clay held my hands as he told me he’d free me from the Horsemen. He held me as I sat in that terrible office, waiting to die. And he held me then. In the water desperate to carry us away, Clay was my lifeline.
It wasn’t right to name his feelings, but I could name mine as Raven River embraced us, reminding that this was the one place where we didn’t have to be scared.
“TELL ME A SECRET.”
Clay glided on the surface, relaxed on his back, and hands