Page 121 of Carrick
“But this is… nice. Peaceful. It helps me ignore all the voices in the back of my head, all screaming at me todosomething, anything.”
The distance between us narrowed as she floated closer, the water lapping gently at our chests, drawing us together like gravity had changed its rules just for us. Her voice was almost a whisper when she spoke again.
“I forgot what quiet feels like,” she whispered. “The kind that doesn’t come with strings. Or threats. Just… breathing.”
It wasn’t a question—it was a confession. And it hit deep, not because I didn’t understand, but because I did. The ache for silence that didn’t signal danger. Stillness that wasn’t a countdown. Peace that didn’t cost something.
I didn’t answer aloud. Just let the quiet stretch, filling the space between us with something softer. Truer.
My hand found her waist, anchoring us. Even that small contact sparked heat. Her breath caught, quiet but clear, and I felt the tremor echo through her. Then she moved closer—inch by deliberate inch—like the pull between us was inevitable.
Like gravity.
“Carrick,” she whispered, my name falling from her lips like a secret she hadn’t meant to say aloud.
I didn’t kiss her. Not out in the open like this. Not when the air between us was already tight with something unspoken.
But God, I wanted to. The ache curled low and hungry, coiling heat through my chest and down my spine, every part ofme tuned to the shape of her breath. Her mouth was so close—close enough to taste the warmth of it, to fall forward just one inch and drown in the feel of her. The want pulsed hot beneath my skin, a low thrum of restraint barely holding.
Instead, I traced my hand up her spine—slow, deliberate—fingertips dragging over each vertebra like I could learn her by touch alone. She shivered before I even reached her shoulders, the tremor slight but unmistakable, and she didn’t flinch from it. Didn’t hide it. She let it happen. Let me feel it. And somehow, that did more to me than a kiss ever could.
“You’re allowed to want things, Bellamy,” I said, my voice rougher than I intended. Like the words had to fight their way out from somewhere deep.
“So are you.”
And then she swam away.
Just like that. A flash of movement. A swirl of water. Her laughter spilling out behind her like sunlight on the surface, leaving ripples where she’d been. She didn’t look back, didn’t offer a warning or an explanation.
She left me in her wake—but it wasn’t rejection. It was a summons, disguised as distance. A dare cloaked in calm. That smile wasn’t just a look—it was a provocation, a pull, a spark in the dark that lit up something wild in my chest. She knew exactly what she was doing—and exactly who she was doing it to.
And chasing her? That wasn’t a decision. It was a biological certainty. My body had already chosen her in a dozen quiet ways, and now it just followed the signal she sent like gravity. She didn’t go far. Just enough to maintain the illusion of indifference. Just enough to make me want to close the distance.
So I did.
She moved through the water like it knew her, carving a slow, deliberate path that was half grace and half challenge. Herarms stretched out, sleek and confident, each stroke sending ripples trailing behind her like ribbons. She wasn’t trying to be seductive—but that didn’t matter. She didn’t have to try. She justwas.
I kept my distance for a minute. Let myself watch her without pretense.
The way the moonlight caught on the curve of her shoulders. The quiet control in every movement. The slight tilt of her head like she was listening for something—me, probably. Waiting to see if I’d chase her.
I always would.
She dipped under the surface, silent and smooth, disappearing into the black water like a shadow slipping free.
I stilled.
“Bellamy?”
No answer.
I treaded carefully in place, scanning the water, a faint thrum of adrenaline curling low in my gut. One second. Two. Five.
Then she exploded from behind me in a burst of movement, gripping my shoulders and dunking me hard before I could react.
I went under with a startled bark of laughter and came up sputtering, wiping water from my eyes.
“You little shi?—”
