Page 8 of Ella's Masquerade
I ignored them as I always did and knelt to dip my cap in the water. Heat blanketed my exposed back when I stood, causing me to sigh.Here we go,I thought, very familiar with this game.
Charlie didn’t even give me a chance to turn around before he nudged me hard in the hip, sending me into the water.
Or maybe it was Dash today.
Who the fuck knew?
I pushed off the bottom of the pool, but rather than shoot up in the lane I’d “fallen” into, I kicked to give myself some distance. I made the mistake once of trying to resurface in the same lane and found my hair trapped in a fist for far too long.
Never again.
I stole a breath and made for the next lane, just in case one of the idiots had tried to follow me, and started sprinting for one of the walls.
Fortunately, I beat them to the starting block and was able to hoist myself up onto the deck again.
Masculine laughs sounded from the edge. I ignored them in favor of putting on my cap, but as I slid my goggles on, I realized there were three guys, not two.
Trayton Nacht.
I narrowed my gaze. Was he the one who pushed me in? Because he appeared rather amused standing there in just a pair of swim trunks.
Several of the females were gaping openly at the rippled muscles lining his torso, as if they’d never seen an athletic male. Like, hello, Dash and Charlie maintained the same physique. All right, sure, Tray had the whole windswept-auburn-locks thing going for him, and those golden-flecked eyes. But he was built just like the other guys. It also seemed he was fitting in with their crowd already by the way they slapped him on the back as if congratulating him.
Why? Because he pushed me in?I wondered, pursing my lips.Yes, let’s all bond over picking on poor little Cindersoot.
Whatever.
I’d drown all their asses in a race soon. It drove Charlie crazy that he couldn’t catch me. Dash, however, frequently tied me. So how would Mr. Nacht do? He certainly had the body of a swimmer, with his broad shoulders, tapered waist, and long legs. A freestyler’s build, if my swimmer’s eye was right.
Hmm. This might get interesting because Dash also favored short-distance freestyle events.
“I see you finally took a shower, Cindersoot,” Charlie drawled as the trio approached.
My lips curled as I slid my goggles over my eyes. “And I see you found yourself a new boyfriend, Chuckie. That’s sweet.” I blew them both a kiss and dove into the water before anyone could retaliate. Looked like I was starting my warm-up early, and from the splashes behind me, so were the guys.
Great.
They would be delayed by their own caps and goggles, giving me the chance to get a head start in the fifty-meter pool. Of course, on the way back, I’d have a problem. Maybe I’d hop out of the water and walk around.
Or—
A hand gripped my ankle, yanking me backward into a hard body.
I squealed, my momentum no longer heading in the direction I desired.
Shit!I latched onto a pair of masculine shoulders, the water too deep for me to stand. This wasn’t good. I needed to fight, to scratch my offender and get the hell out of Dodge.
Only, he didn’t even flinch as my nails dug into his skin, instead grasping my hips and pulling me flush against him. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he whispered against my ear.
I blinked, startled. “Tray?”
“Trust me,” he breathed, his lips brushing my cheek just like they did earlier.
My eyebrows drew down. “I don’t even know you.”
“You’re about to,” he replied as the water around us shifted.
Dash reached us first, his triumphant gaze making my stomach twist. But it was Charlie’s arrival and his vengeful glower that had me sweating, even in the water.
