Page 9 of Ella's Masquerade
Three males, little old me, and a bunch of student spectators.
This could not end well.
Where’s Grayson?I wondered, my eyes dancing around the pool for the swim coach. He usually drew up sets on the board for practice. Of course, he was nowhere to be seen. Meaning I had absolutely no backup here.
Tray’s thumb brushed my hip bone, sending a shiver up my spine. Did he have to hold me so close? I could actuallyfeelhim through our swimsuits, his growing interest a brand against my lower belly. Not good. Not good at all.
And what business did he have being attracted to me?
“I see you caught a dead fish,” Charlie said, his tone chilling the air.
“Oh, I don’t know about dead,” Tray mused, his grip tightening. “Feels pretty lively to me.”
“Let me go,” I demanded, my fingers clutching his upper arms.
“Nah, I like you right where you are, Isabella.”
“Isabella?” I repeated. “No one calls—” I choked on a mouthful of water as he harshly jerked me under the surface, his palms cement blocks against my sides.
Male chuckles reverberated above, the sound distant to my ears. I clawed at Tray’s stomach, demanding my release, but the jackass didn’t even budge.
My legs scissored, creating a whirlpool beneath us as I fought for leverage.
Nothing.
Fuck!
My lungs began to burn, my energy expelled from trying to fight the brick wall that was Trayton Nacht.
I grabbed his swim trunks and tried to yank them down as a last resort.
The tie held.
He couldn’t just drown me. But something about the way he held me had me second-guessing that assessment.
My limbs began to tingle.
My need to breathe taking over in a convulsion that had me opening my mouth.
And sweet air suddenly hit me in the face, causing me to gasp in agony.
Dash and Charlie were laughing hysterically.
But Tray’s eyes were on mine, an intensity in them that had me blinking rapidly and sputtering liquid from my mouth. “Let’s see you finish that lap now,” he taunted, harshly shoving me away from him.
I didn’t think, my arms and legs already moving as I fought the ache building inside my chest. A tidal wave rode my tail, the trio having taken off after me like some sort of screwed-up chase.
I dove under the lane lines, searching for the side of the pool, and forced myself out of the water before they could catch me. Every part of me trembled, from my head to my toes, the vivid sensation of drowning haunting each fresh inhale.
Tray reached the side first, but rather than jump up after me, he placed his arms on the edge and looked me over. Charlie and Dash weren’t as casual, their anger palpable.
“What the fuck was that, man?” Charlie demanded.
Tray’s lips curled briefly, and he winked at me before his features fell behind a cool mask. “What the fuck was what?” he asked, glancing at my tormentors. “The mouse got away. We’ll chase her again soon.”
“Because you used my torso as a fucking springboard,” Charlie snapped, pulling himself out of the water.
And sure enough, he had a red mark forming on his abdomen.
