Beautifully Broken Pieces (Sutter Lake, #1)(41)

“Understatement of the century.”

Jensen linked arms with Taylor. “Don’t worry, we grow on you. Now, let’s eat some donuts and catch some rays.”

“Sounds good to me.”

I watched Taylor’s pert little ass stroll down the dock, Daisy Duke shorts mocking me with every sway of her hips. It was going to be a long day.





22





Taylor





The lake glimmered in the late summer sunlight, sending sunbursts across the surface. This place really was magic: serene water surrounded by forests, and mountains that seemed to spring up from the lake’s edge. I was determined to enjoy this day. I wasn’t going to let my mind obsess over this attraction I had to Walker anymore.

I nearly choked on my water as the subject of my inner vow peeled off his t-shirt. A feast of bronzed skin greeted me. He was ripped. Not in a bodybuilder kind of way. In a real way. In a way that said he earned the muscles from hard work, not hours on end spent at the gym. He had a dusting of chest hair that perfectly completed the picture.

I wanted to trace the ridges with my fingertips. Feel that dusting of hair tickle my skin. I gulped, forcing myself to avert my eyes. I needed a distraction. I stood, pulled off my tank, and quickly shucked my shorts. “Who wants to go swimming?”

Noah bounded up immediately. “Me! Grandpa, can you take me and Tay Tay out on the tube?”

“Tube?” I asked.

Jensen grinned. “It’s Noah’s favorite thing in the whole world. We have a double tube that my dad tows behind the boat. It’s pretty fun.”

Cold water and an adrenaline rush. This was just the ticket to distraction. “I’m in.”

“Yes!” Noah cheered. “Can we, Grandpa? Can we?”

Andrew smiled indulgently at his grandson. “You got it. Let’s get this show on the road.”

Andrew guided the boat away from the dock and far enough from shore that we could set the tubes in the water. Noah was already in a life vest, but before I could jump into the deep blue depths of Sutter Lake, a voice sounded from right next to my ear.

“Let me put this on you.”

I turned to see Walker standing all too close and looking way too tempting. I took a half step back to gain some distance. “I don’t need one. You know I’m a strong swimmer.”

His jaw hardened. “Being a strong swimmer won’t help you if you get knocked unconscious.”

I rolled my eyes. Always such an alarmist. First, I was going to get mauled by a cougar while on a run. Now, I was about to sink to the bottom of the lake because I didn’t have a life jacket on. Geez. “All right. Gimme.” I reached out a hand. He didn’t pass it off to me.

“I’ll do it. Make sure it’s secure.”

“Because I can’t tell if a life jacket’s fastened?” I sniped but turned around so that he could slip it over my arms.

The combination of the rough material and the graze of Walker’s fingertips had chill bumps peppering my skin, and a shiver running down my spine. Walker grasped my shoulders firmly, spinning me around, and I wondered what it would feel like to have those fingers digging into my hips as he took me.

His eyes met mine, and I saw a flare of heat in them that surely matched my own. His gaze didn’t waver even as he snapped the buckles into place. He gave a quick, harsh tug on the life vest, bringing me flush against him. “Just making sure it’s secure.”

All I could do was bob my head up and down in agreement. Walker Cole had me wrapped up in a spell so strong, so intricate, that I knew it would take me years to unravel it.

I felt a tug on my hand. “Come on, Tay Tay, let’s go!”

Walker released his hold, backing away but never letting his eyes leave mine. Shit.

Another pull on my fingers. “Taaaaaaylor!”

I shook off the remnants of Walker’s grip. “Okay. Let’s go.”

Noah and I got situated on the contraption, and both of us held tightly to the handles as the tube drifted away from the boat. The farther away we got, the more my nerves kicked up. I snuck a glance at Noah, who was alight with joy and anticipation. Zero fear shone on his face.

“You’ve done this before, right?” I asked.

“Only all the time. It’s my favorite thing to do in the summer. I wish we lived at the lake, then I could go all day, every day.”

My lips tipped. If a seven-year-old could handle this, then so could I. Jensen lifted her hand in an alert that we were about to take off. My stomach dipped.

The jolt of the tube still took me by surprise, even with the warning. Water sprayed up, misting my face, and the wind sent my hair flying. We bumped over the waves left by the boat’s wake, and both Noah and I shrieked with glee. Noah was right, this was the absolute best.

Andrew made at least three loops around the lake before slowing to a stop. Walker and Jensen pulled us back towards the boat. My cheeks hurt from smiling so widely.

Walker offered me a hand to help me into the boat. “Have fun?”

“That was amazing. I want to do this every single day.”

His rumbling chuckle sent chills down my water-kissed skin as warmth filled my chest. I loved the carefree joy I heard. How could the simple sound of laughter have such an effect on me? And every single time. “Here, I’ll get your life jacket for you.”