Page 32 of Final Goodbye
I tried to get a closer look with the little bit of light that was provided. Poking my head around the tree trunk, my eyes landed on a vision I hoped would never be erased from my memory.
Holy fuck.
I only got a quick glimpse from the waist up when I realized it was Declan popping out of the water like a cannon as he gasped for air. What was he doing? The water had to be freezing this time of year.
I could make myself known but then I’d feel like a creep. How long would he think I was out here in the bushes lurking like some kind of voyeur??
Maybe I should rethink this whole plan to hang out with Declan tonight and get out of here before I got caught. Trying to be as quiet as possible, I stepped back and began tiptoeing away when I realized I couldn’t see much of the trail in front of me.?
As I fumbled for my phone in my back pocket, I noticed a few seconds too late that the flashlight was still on.
“Shit. Fuck. Oh my god, turn off stupid light!” I whispered angrily to myself as I aggressively tapped on the screen in hopes that it would turn off.?
“Hello?”?
“Who’s out there?”
“This is private property!” I heard Declan holler.
I had been caught. Immediately, my stomach dropped as I squeezed my eyes shut.Could I time travel and just disappear?I felt like a little kid again being caught shoplifting a candy bar that my parents refused to buy me. So instead, I took matters into my own hands.?
Ugh, I had no other option but to make myself known.
Coming out of my not-so-subtle hiding spot, I walked down further toward the creek and gave a slight wave in his direction.
“Paige?” Declan spotted me, clearly surprised I was on his property.
“Hey. Yeah, I uh... I was just stopping by to say hi, but you didn’t answer your door, so I came down here to see if you’d be hanging out where we were the other night.” Scratching the back of my neck, I felt more uncomfortable than I thought was possible. I looked down in discomfort as I kicked the small rocks around with my foot.
“You just came over to say hi, huh?” He beamed as he combed his hair back.?
“Yeah, well… I wasn’t up to much tonight. Was going a little stir crazy at my mom’s house. But I can go. You look busy with y-your swimming or whatever.” Pointing my thumb over my back, I started to take a few steps away at the same moment he started to walk out of the water, looking like Jesus himself.?
“Paige, you don’t need to go anywhere. Grab me that towel?” He pointed over to a pile of clothes spread about and the towel that was thrown next to them. How did I not notice the pile of clothes sitting right there? Was he naked? I couldn't take my eyes off him as I awkwardly stumbled over toward the towel.
The water dripped from the long strands of hair that he had combed back with his hand. Continuous drops rolled over his broad shoulders and down his muscular chest. Declan had such a smooth body that there wasn’t much hair to catch the water drops that trailed down him.
Each drop flowed down, hitting every single indent of his abs, and I lost track of how many grooves they ran into. He was solid and powerful with each muscle protruding. My eyes continued to wander down his impeccable body, taking advantage of the opportunity to fully absorb this image.?
He was inches away from me when I realized he had one hand reached down, cupping his cock, and the other extended out to grab the towel I had failed to hand him. He smirked down at me, obviously noticing how distracted I was while ogling his gorgeous fucking body.
Before he wrapped the fabric around his waist, I wasn’t shy about the way I stole one last glance at the deep lines that led down to his large hand covering the part of his body I was the most curious about.?
“Earth to Paige?” His hand waved in front of my face bringing me back to reality. He stood so close to me, I could feel his breath when he spoke.
“Oh, um. Hi. Yeah. Sorry. I’m, uh, sure you needed that towel. I don’t know what got into me.” Fuck, why did he make me feel like a nervous teenager or like I couldn’t think straight? He made me nervous and scattered, like I couldn’t collect myself around him.
“Enjoy the view?” he said with that throaty sound. Stepping backward to create some space between us, I tried to think of something to say to get my head to stop spinning.?
“What are you doing down here in the water? Aren’t you freezing?”
“I come down here to plunge in the cold water when I feel like I need to get my mind off some things.” Oh, that was interesting. It made me think back to yesterday when we were texting. He mentioned choosing a cold plunge or a hot shower. What could he possibly want to get his mind off of? Not knowing what else to say, I blurted out that very question.
“What were you trying to get your mind off of?”
He took another step closer to me when my back was flush against the tree behind me. Raising one of his arms, he placed it over my head alongside the tree while his other arm hung low at his side with his clothes balled up in his hand. My eyes drifted toward the towel and wondered how it could possibly stay up on his hips without falling. I secretly wished it would drop so I could get a sneak preview of what he was working with.?
My eyes were suddenly taken away from his lower half when his fingers found my chin and shifted my gaze up to his face.
