Page 45 of Loathing Ryan
“Okay, here, I’ll jump in with you.”
“No, I don’t think—” she started to protest again, but I didn’t give her a chance to finish. I propelled myself out of the pond and onto the dock. Izabel’s face turned bright red, and she made a massive effort to not look at my naked body. I tried to give her the same courtesy, but her body was beautiful, and I couldn’t help but appreciate her delicate curves.
“Here, take my hand. We’ll do it together,” I said, holding my hand out for her.
Begrudgingly, she took it as she grumbled, “I hate you.”
“No, I don’t think you do,” I teased.
“Yes, yes, I do. I hate you so very much,” she said between gritted teeth. I held her hand and led her over to the dock.
“How much?” I asked, playing along.
“So much I can’t even put it into words!” she huffed at me. “It’s not even hate that I feel toward you. It’s loathing. I loathe you, Ryan Miller!”
I laughed full-on now. “Really? That’s a shame, ’cause I definitely don’t loathe you.”
I didn’t give her a chance to process what the hell that meant because I pulled on her hand. “On the count of three: one, two…three!”
Hand in hand, we jumped into the water. Izabel popped up first, sputtering and wiping at her eyes. She looked around for me, relief flooding her features when her gaze landed on me. My heart skipped a beat at the way she looked at me. I’m not sure if she even realized the intimacy that existed now between us, the camaraderie, but I sure did.
“So, now what?”
I grinned at her. “Now, we learn how to swim.” I took her hands and carefully pulled her out farther into the pond. It wasn’t deep by any means, only coming halfway up my chest.
“I know how to swim. I’m just not good at it,” she argued.
I rolled my eyes. “Same thing. I’m not gonna have you ever feel like you’re not capable of getting yourself out of a dangerous situation again. So we’re gonna make sure you know how to swim.”
Izabel tried to keep herself from panicking as the water inched higher on her torso. I instructed her to focus on my hands. She had her eyes glued to mine the whole time as I led her out.
“Okay, first thing’s first. Do you know how to float on your back?” I asked her. She shook her head. “Well, then I think that’s where we’ll start. Here, let me hold you.”
Wrapping my hands around her waist, I lifted her until her feet were no longer touching the bottom. I leaned her back so the back of her head barely brushed the water’s surface.
“Okay, now I’m going to lean you back all the way. You’ll feel it over your ears, but you’re going to be fine.”
“Alright,” she responded, her voice shaky.
I gave her an encouraging smile. “Don’t worry, Bells. I got you. Just relax.”
I helped her lean back even more into the water. Her eyes were wide as she stared up at the sky. My hand stayed rooted firmly on her lower back, ensuring she didn’t sink, while my other hand moved her arms out so they were extended against the surface of the water.
As she floated by herself, I couldn’t stop appreciating how beautiful she looked. Her warm brunette hair spread out through the water, looking like silk. Her eyes reflected against the blue of the sky, somehow making them look even more striking. Her breasts were only half covered by the water, peeking out of the surface, and her nipples pebbled in a way that made my mouth water.
She was breathtaking.
I let her float, supporting her until she felt secure enough to do it herself. Finally, I could see the confidence returning to her shoulders. I loved seeing her strength in action.
After she had mastered floating, we touched base on the technique of treading water. That was a little more complicated, so I eventually agreed we could return to it when she continued to protest. Izabel showed me that she was capable of doing the doggy paddle, which helped put my mind at ease. I decided that we would come back to learn more advanced swimming strokes later. She was having fun now, and I didn’t want to ruin that with more homework.
Izabel had started a splashing war, but I had ended it when I sent a massive tidal wave her way. Even though I knew I’d face her wrath for doing such a thing, it was worth it. The expression on her face made me laugh, and soon she followed my lead. We swam around the lake for a good part of the afternoon, enjoying each other’s company and the cooling effect of the water.
Finally, I called it a day when we were both tired, and our fingers were wrinkled like prunes. We climbed back up onto the dock to spread out against the warm wood and let the sun dry off the remaining water over our bodies.
I sprawled out flat against the boards, tucking my arms behind my head and closing my eyes. Izabel shuffled around in her position, but then finally settled. I turned my head and peeked at her. She was sitting cross-legged but leaning back with her arms braced against the docks, her face turned up toward the sun.
As if she could feel my eyes on her, she looked over and smiled. “What are you doing over there?”
