Page 36 of Jumping In

Standing next to MJ at the counter, the back of my hand brushes hers. She most likely dropped my hand out of convenience—I hope. But I also don’t want to push her out of her comfort zone. I may be ready to pursue things, but I’m not certain where she stands. A smile tugs at my lips when I feel her pinky reach out and link with mine.

Sophie comes out from the back room, followed closely by Beck, and they both eye us up and down. They say nothing, but Beck gives me a wink when MJ is busy ordering with Sophie. We both opt for iced teas to help beat the heat tonight. Before MJ can try, I pull my wallet out, swiping my card to buy the drinks.

“Hey!” MJ protests.

“Oh, just let the man pay, Em!” Beck says with her back turned. How did she know? Freaky. The bell over the door dings again as we take our drinks from Beck and say our goodbyes. Dodging the patrons who walked in on our way out, I try not to wince at the whispers I hear. It’s going to be a long night.

We wait for the others out front of Spoon, while Beck and Sophie close the coffee shop. Austin, Blake, and Shannon all walk up, Shannon lugginga huge tote bag overflowing with blankets. Damn, I knew I forgot something. As if reading my mind, Shannon reassures me, “I brought a few blankets, so we don’t all have to sit on the grass.”

“Thank you,” I mouth to her, and she smiles sweetly.

“That was nice of you,” Blake says in a tone I can’t place. Shannon must be familiar with it though, because the look she shoots him is anything but sweet.

Sophie and Beck join us, Sophie carrying a little picnic basket. Damn, that would have been a good idea, too. We all walk toward the grass area where Noah is already setting up a blanket for him and Sophie. He waves us over and we all pitch in, helping spread blankets out and make sure there’s room for all eight of us to sit.

Once we’re all settled, Sophie opens the picnic basket and surprises us with enough muffins and cookies for everyone. Man, I love being friends with that woman.

We make it through about half of the movie, MJ and I sitting next to each other when I notice MJ fidgeting. She’s leaning side to side, rolling her neck, and cannot sit still.

Leaning into her, I whisper, “You okay?”

“Yeah, just a little stiff from sitting up like this,” she whispers back, stretching her legs out in front of her.

Scooting back a foot or two on the blanket, I extend my legs and then spread them so there’s a nice little spot for MJ to sit. “Come on, lean up against me so your body can rest a bit.”

She looks at the spot, then back up at me, her eyes darting around the park and then back to mine. I nod, encouraging her and pat the spot onthe blanket. She nods her head but doesn’t move. “What’s wrong?”

“Um.” Her eyes dart to the surrounding people again and then up to mine. “I don’t want to get up and block everyone’s view, but I also don’t want to flash my underwear by crawling around to move.” I snicker but nod.

“Okay, one sec.” I channel my inner gymnast and roll my body back to give myself room to bring my legs down on either side of MJ. I can’t see her face, but I can guarantee she’s trying not to laugh.

“Weebles wobble but they don’t fall down,” I hear Beck whisper from behind me. Austin’s quiet laughter joins hers. I turn my head to glare at them and am surprised to see how close they’re sitting—back-to-back, using each other as back rests.

Facing forward again, I slide my arms around MJ’s waist and pull her into me, whispering in her ear, “Better?”

Goosebumps rise on her arms as she nods. I inhale her scent, closing my eyes as a soft hum slips from my lips. Strawberries and sunshine.

Settling back in to finish out the movie, I can’t help but catch snippets of whispers. So many eyes looking at us and then whispering to each other. The gossip mill is going to be in full force tonight. We’ll likely be the talk of the town tomorrow. Even people who weren’t here tonight will know MJ and “that Macdonald boy” were looking awfully cozy. It bothers me a bit; not for me, but for MJ. She’s not used to the town talking negatively about her. And while it’s mostly about me, I don’t want her to feel judged by association.

“You ready to get out of here?” I whisper to MJ as the credits roll. She nods, peeling her body from mine. We’re both sticky, and there’s an imprint on my shirt from where our body heat combined. I scoot back, standing and then offer my hand to help her up. Everyone helps fold the blankets up. Shannon and Blake folding one together, but it looks more like a comedy bit. Every time he goes right, she goes left. It would be funny if they were laughing, but they are definitely not.

We say our goodbyes and head to my car back at the auto shop. I help her into the car and then get in, cranking the AC to give us some relief, the heat of the day still lingering well into the night.

“Would you wanna go for a swim?” she asks as we hit the roundabout.

“Sure, we can do that.” Taking an earlier turn, I head down a little dirt road that will get us closer to the creek than her parents’ house. My car is going to take a little beating, but I don’t think either of us wants to make the mile trek when we’re already hot and sweaty.Too bad we weren’t hot and sweaty for another reason. The thought flies through my head. Well, okay then.

Racing around to open her door for her once we’ve parked, I realize a pretty important part of swimming that we’re missing. “Uh, MJ, we don’t have suits.”

She gives me a devilish smile over her shoulder as she walks away from me, heading toward the creek. I follow, slightly confused. Maybe she has a suit in the locker her dad has up here. It’s usually full of firewood, but it would be just like her to plan like that. All questions—hell, all thought—leaves my mind as MJ grabs the hem of her dress and lifts it up over her head.

“Undies are just as good as a suit, right?” She yells over her shoulder as she tosses her dress onto a tree stump.Fuck. Me.

The moonlight allows me to watch her saunter down the hill. Hips swaying, her black lace underwear matching her bra perfectly. My brain short circuits. All the blood rushing from my head to my cock in an instant. Tripping over my jaw, I follow her down. Reaching the stump her dress was haphazardly thrown upon, I fumble out of my shoes, undoing my belt at the same time. Almost falling over, I step out of my jeans and then pull my shirt over my head, leaving me in just my boxer briefs.

I jog down to the creek, where MJ has already waded into the water and follow her down. The water has a slight chill to it since it’s shaded most of the day, but it’s refreshing on a night as hot as this. I swim out to where MJ just dipped under, treading water near her. She pops her head back up and looks at me with a teasing smile. Her eyes trail from my face and over my shoulder. For a moment her faces fills with terror but then it’s gone. Looking over my shoulder I see the swing swaying in the breeze. It’s always there and I know she never jumps but I’ve never seen her react that way before.

“Hey, what was that?” I ask. MJ shakes her head, but I know better. “The swing?” She nods. What about the swing has her spooked right now? “MJ, did something happen?”

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