Stroke Of Fear

Chapter Fifteen

Aubrey

Most of the campers are in the game room by the cafeteria. There’s an X-Box, TV, games and sofas. It’s pretty much like a clubhouse for rainy days. I’m thrilled. Mrs. Jones is watching them so all the counselors get the day off.

Cassie jumps on my bed, spilling my fingernail polish on my comforter. “Bitch,” I say, trying to clean up the mess.

She laughs and runs to the bathroom to get some toilet paper. She dabs the sheet until it’s mostly clean. “Sorry,” she says. “So, what’s on the agenda for today?”

I stiffen. “I’m going somewhere with Tanner.”

“That’s code for ‘you’re not invited, Cassie.’” She flips me off and scurries over to her bed to make a dramatic scene. “You hate me.”

I laugh. “Remember that girl who used to say that freshman year?”

She rolls over holding her stomach. “Yes, she was such a weirdo. She cried all the time for nothing!”

Finishing my last toe, I stick my foot out to examine it. “So, how come you left so early last night?” Cassie asks over her phone.

Cassie knows about the incident now but she doesn’t know I hallucinate. I’m not sure if I want to tell her, but she’s only been a good friend to me. “I hallucinate sometimes. I thought I saw him.”

She frowns. “I’m so sorry, Aubrey. What he did to you is sad. It’s pathetic and crazy. You didn’t deserve it.”

No one ever deserves being tortured or killed. “I know.”

Cassie bails and goes to lunch, leaving me alone in the cabin. I’ve been able to move a little better knowing he’s still locked up. I tug on my swim suit and slide some shorts and a tank top over me. Since it’s raining I put a hoodie on, too. Tanner’s supposed to be here any minute, and my nerves are raging.

I answer my mom’s text and flip through my Facebook for a while. I see a post from Michael’s mother. She’s going to visit him next week. My heart breaks reading her status. She was the nicest woman I’ve ever known. She had no idea Michael had gone off the grid. She loved him so much. I loved her, even after we broke up I communicated with her. She had cried so loudly when they convicted him in the court room. Jesus, the wails broke my heart. But he deserved it. He tried to kill me. I try to tell myself it’s not my fault, because I know it’s not. It’s hard to accept it sometimes. Hard to know out of everyone in the world, he hurt me. Someone who claimed they loved me.

Three months after the attack I went through the what-ifs. What if I had paid more attention to him? What if my parents hadn’t made me break up with him? What if he’d gotten help before it was too late?

Slamming my phone down on my bed, I close my eyes and lean back. I’ll never be able to forget what happened, but I’m sure one day it’ll fade.

Thump. Thump. Thump. “Come in.”

Tanner steps in. “Sayin’ come in while you’re sittin’ on your bed is never a good thing to do to a guy. He could get the wrong idea.”

God, his southern drawl make my knees buckle. “Well, maybe said girl wants to be taken advantage of.”

He rubs his thumb against the side of his mouth and leans down over me to give me a kiss. “You ready to do this?”

I nod. “As I’ll ever be.”

“That’s it, darlin’. One foot at a time.”

The mud of the bank seeps between each of my toes. The water in the light looks more terrifying. Not to mention the light rain cascading down on me. Tanner is right beside me, his finger gripping my upper arm. The rain has caused his white T-shirt to stick to his chest. His dark hair is fallen into his face, and his lips parted. If I weren’t petrified of the water right now, I’d jump on him.

Sliding my foot forward the water engulfs my foot, then my ankle, now my calf. It’s so smooth, refreshing. I close my eyes and let myself remember. Let myself try and love it again.

“Come on! Faster. Faster. Dig,” Coach yelled from the edge of the pool. I was swimming. My arms and legs moved in time with each other. My breathing evened out with each stroke. I was moving faster than the others. I saw them behind me when I turned and shoot of the edge. I was free. Moving quickly. Brilliantly. It was perfect. This was my life.

I gasped for breath when I plunged from the water. Tearing my cap and goggles off, I tossed them to the side as I crawled up the side of the pool. “Great time, Depp.” Coach Bethany slapped my butt and wrote something down on her clipboard.

Hannah reached over and pushed my shoulder. Her dark hair hung from her ponytail, wet and stuck to her chest. “Bitch, you always beat me. One day—one day, I’m gonna whoop your ass.”

“You wish,” I said, sitting down on a chair close by. A few other swimmers climbed out and ran toward the locker room. I’m sure they were trying to keep away from Coach Bethany’s wrath.

“Boy’s turn!” Coach yelled. “Girls, get some rest. Maybe try and think about swimming instead of boys.”

Hannah rolled her eyes. “She’s so nuts. Just because she doesn’t like boys—” I elbowed her and gave her my best shut the hell up look.

“Let’s go get dressed.” I stood up and started to dry my hair. Grabbing my goggles, someone walking my way caught my eye. Michael. He was shirtless, swimming bottoms tight against him. His gray eyes darted toward mine and a smirk crawled up his mouth.

“Well, someone doesn’t like to let anyone else win, ever.” Michael’s arm wrapped around me and he brought me close to his chest. He had long lean muscles. Swimmer’s muscles.

“Can’t give them any hope. You taught me that.” He leaned down and kissed the edge of my mouth.

“I’ve taught you other things, too. Lots of them. And plenty more where that came from.” I laughed and shoved against his chest.

“Ready for Jason’s party this week?”

He nodded, nuzzling my neck. “Am I ever? We can finally have some alone time. Since coach…” He trailed off and looked over my shoulder. “What the fuck are you looking at?”

I turned and saw Chase, a guy on the guy’s team, staring at us. “Nothing, man. I just glanced up.”

“You were staring at my girl’s ass. I saw you!” Michael’s jaw tightened.

Chase shook his head back and forth. “No, I wasn’t, Michael—”

“Shut the fuck up. I saw you! You fucking…” He stopped when Coach hits him on the back of the head with her clipboard.

“Is there a problem here?”

Michael hadn’t taken his eyes off of Chase. The blue in his eyes was darker. It wasn’t not right. I bit my lip and shook my head back and forth. “I’m leaving,” I said, looking up at Michael. I try to plead with him.

His eyes darted toward mine and everything was fine. He was…smiling? What. The. Fuck? “See ya later, baby. I love you.”

“Are you okay?” Tanner asks.

My eyes focus, and I look up at Tanner. “Yes,” I whisper, my throat hoarse. Why hadn’t I seen it before? He was going crazy in front of me and I didn’t try and stop it. I let him go crazy.

“Are you sure?” He touches my rib. “We can go slower if you’re not ready.”

“I’m ready.” Taking another step, the water seeps higher, sloshing around my feet. My toes sink into the mud, but I keep going until the water is at my hips. Tanner’s grip on me tightens. I’m here. You’re safe. Always. His words rattle along in my head. We’re here for each other. To help one another.

“Darlin’,” Tanner whispers behind me, his arms wrapping firmly around my waist. “You’re in the water.” He nips at my neck, and I feel his erection growing against me. I smile and let my fingers graze the water’s smooth surface.

“You’re hard.”

He chokes out a growl and pulls me toward him. “I’m extremely hard. You make me that way.”

Christ. “Well, why don’t you show me how much you want me?”

“Oh, I wish I could. But, you know we have that meeting in an hour. And baby girl, it’s gonna take way longer than that. I’ve got plans for you.”

Goddamn. My swimsuit bottoms are soaking and not from the water.

“I’m so proud of you,” he says.

“I’m just standing here.”

“When is the last time you’ve done this?” he asks, pushing my hair away from my neck.

“Years.”

Sliding his lips against my skin, he whispers, “Progress.”

Turning, I grab a handful of him and he lifts his brows in warning. “Progress,” I say.

His eyes widen but a smile rides along his strong jaw. “You’re a really bad influence. Here I was trying to let you keep your virtue and be a true southern gentleman. Then you go and get me all wired up. Tsk. Tsk.”

“Right, because we all believe you don’t want to do bad things to me.”

Tanner grips the back of my neck and forces my face up to his. “You better stop talkin’ to me like that, or I’m going to forget my morals and do what I really what to do to you right here on the fuckin’ dock.”

Fuck, any chance of me not melting into a puddle just blew out the window.

“Now,” he whispers. “Let’s get your pretty ass in the truck before I slip my fingers under that swimsuit.”

Smiling, I let him drag me back toward his truck.

“Just one more kiss,” he whispers. My back is against the outside door of my cabin. My legs are trembling. If he wasn’t pushing against me, I’d fall onto the ground and quiver like a child. He’s fucking my mouth with his. His tongue grazes mine, then my bottom lip and down my neck.

“This is the fifth one more kiss. Not that I’m complaining,” I say through heavy breaths.

My vision starts to darken on the sides from the pressure of his dick against my stomach. I wish it wasn’t so late, and I wish Cassie wasn’t listening on the other side of the door right now.

His rough hands grab the bottom of my ass and he lifts me onto his waist. “Goddamn, baby…you’re so fuckin’ beautiful.” He’s whispering in my ear, trailing kisses down my neck.

“Excuse me.”

Startled, Tanner drops me to the ground and turns around quickly. Jake is standing on the bottom step, staring up at us. His cheeks are red and each fist is clenched at his sides.

Oh fucking great. “Jake not now—”

“I just need to talk to Tanner. Alone.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “So you can try and fight him again? I think not.”

Jake rolls his eyes but Tanner places a hand on my back. “Go inside, darlin’. Let us have a talk.”

My mouth drops open, but Tanner gives me a pleading look. I mumble underneath my breath and open the door.

“Fuck,” Cassie says, holding her head. “Warn a girl before you walk into a room.” She backs away and rubs her knuckles against the spot.

“So you were spying on us?”

“Do you see anything else to do around here?”

I laugh and we both turn to press our ears against the door. “Can you hear anything?” she whispers.

“Nada.”

She growls and looks out the peep hole. “The bastards moved away from the door,” she grumbles.

Running toward the window, I look out. “Shit. They’re over there by the boy’s cabin. Assholes.”

Cassie walks to her bed and flops down. “So, how are the swimming lessons going?”

I gawk at her. “How do you know about that?”

She tosses her chestnut hair from her shoulder. “Come on. You have a bathing suit on, Aub. It’s pretty obvious. You don’t swim, so why would you have that on?”

“To suntan.”

“You’re already tan, and I know you. You’re trying to learn again. I’m glad. It’s time.”

I nod and reach over to give her a hug. “Where’s Eric?”

She shrugs. “Not my boyfriend, remember.”

I lift an eyebrow at her.

She groans. “Playing X-Box in the game room.”

“That’s what I thought.”