She was shaking her head--- smiling slightly.

"You're not getting out of it." I said with what I hoped was a gleam in my eye. I leaned up farther.

"It's going to be so cold. Do you know how cold the water is here in the spring? It's like glacial water."

"Kell's got a hot tub. I saw the deck out back. We'll turn the hot tub on, and then run--- jump in the pond and then come back and jump in the hot tub."

She got up and extended her hand for me. I took it and pulled myself up. I like that she's strong. She's athletic. I like that she's intelligent, but not worldly. I like that she understands ADHD. I like that she wanted to drown her sorrow in me---- she thought I could take it. And I can.

She reached for my shirt. I raised my arms over my head and held her gaze as she divested me of the flimsy material. I knew she had never done that before. Not that she was bad at it, but her movements were slightly hesitant. Or maybe that was brought about by not being really inclined to get into the freezing cold water.

She had to look down at my belt. It was black--- had gangster studs in three lines. She fingered them first.

"Not really the gangster look, is it?" I snorted.

"No. I was just looking at them. Smaller. Like--- fake gangster ones."

"I'm not trying to be somebody I'm not."

"And you're not a gangster?"

I shook my head and placed her fingers on the buckle. Instant arousal again. I closed my eyes trying for control. Aubrey looked back into my eyes. "You really think I'm capable of doing this?"

"We---- we are."

She nodded and began undoing the belt buckle. I had to stop her as my arousal got too blatantly obvious. Maybe too much for virginal fingers. Maybe too much for me knowing about those virginal fingers. She turned, but I grabbed her by the shirt, and pulled it up. She hesitated again, but then allowed me to remove it and toss it on the couch.

We went out into the darkness where things could be done with a little more cover. I was out of the jeans, and dropped them on the patio deck, lost the socks, shivered. She was right.

Aubrey had lit the deck with the hot tub and turned it on. She pressed a button that unrolled the cover and then I watched as she pulled off her jeans and left them on a deck chair. I held out my hand and we started off across the grass.

"You realize there's likely to be peacock poo out here."

"That's gross." I said. "You want to go get flip flops?"

She pulled away and went back to the hot tub where a box containing just that, random flip flops resided. She tossed me a couple and I caught them against the backdrop of lighting from the deck. It didn't shed much light our way, but was bright against the house. I saw that she'd grabbed two towels. Smart girl, although I had relished the idea of running across the grass stark naked with her.

She made it back to me and handed me a towel. I realized she meant to wrap hers around herself now. I grabbed both of them. She took my offered other hand, as if she hadn't noticed that I took her towel and I pulled her close. Her body was slight--- curvy--- and as I'd already realized--- all her-- all real. I could see the shadows against her skin---

I blew out my breath. It was a further walk than I'd thought. Aubrey was not just shivering--- she was trembling. I swung her hand and she pulled it close to her chest, pulling herself close, and the contact made us both jump apart. My skin burned where she'd touched me. This was---- perhaps--- not the best idea.

We got to the edge. "Is this a natural pond? Are there bugs and snakes and stuff?"

"There could be, but no, I think Kell put this in himself and it drains into an underground----"

"Good!" I dropped the towels and scooped her up. I'm great at bras.... had hers off in seconds, even one handed, and plunged us both into the water. I pulled on her till we were not just on the edge and dunked her under.

Aubrey came up--- she couldn't catch her breath---

I swam away from her in case of retaliation, and then stood up, a little ways off. I wasn't even in to my waist. "Take the underwear off and we'll go back." I yelled to her, hooting. The water had almost taken my breath away as well. I could feel my skin shriveling.

"Let's hear-- you-- howl, Rafe!" She shouted back swimming suddenly in my direction. I leaped away from her as she came closer, expecting an attack.

I slid out of my underwear and threw it up on the bank as a challenge. Then I howled.

Aubrey howled too, and I saw the panties go flying. Shit....!

I didn't think she'd really do it. I was shaking all over. This water had taken both of our breaths and no amount of swimming was helping. It might even be cold enough to make us cramp up, or whatever happens to people who get too cold.

"Is this water too cold? Really?" I yelped.

Aubrey had stopped swimming and was standing up now, her arms over her chest. One side of her was completely in shadow and the other exposed to the dim light, and the luster of pearly skin was tantalizing to my eyes. I stood also, feeling the involuntary spasms.

"Okay, we did it. C-can we-- go-go--- back up?" She asked without an ounce of I had fun, this was fun, Rafe, in her voice.

I sank down--- it was freaking cold... maybe the coldest water I'd ever been in. I felt kind of sick with it. Aubrey walked steadily over to me, shaking hard, her arms clasped over her chest. She came to within my arm distance and I could see her eyes.

"You sure this is what you want?" She asked and I put my arms around her. That was almost too much for me. I slid up her body carefully, keeping my hands on her back. I was so cold I couldn't appreciate her front anyway. I got to my full height and Aubrey was looking up at me.

"You're probably the bravest girl I have ever met." I trembled.

"Thanks. Can we get out now?"

I bent and kissed her. "You're turning blue."

"Yeah, honestly, I'm not worried about you at all. Not like you could get it up in this cold."

My eyes widened, and I couldn't help bursting out in laughter. Had she really said that? Not like her at all. She started humming--- probably to fend off the cold--- and then she sang---

"When you've been fighting for it all your life
You've been working every day and night
That's how a superhero learns to fly
(Every day, every hour
Turn the pain into power)"

She was singing a Script song I knew well.... I was laughing so hard I couldn't do more than stand there and shiver and laugh. I could barely breathe. Turn the pain into power.... haha!

"Do I have to carry you out of here?"

I tried to hold her. She slid out of my grasp and started back to the shore. So I tried a song as well--- one that had been running through my head all night. It wasn't my song--- it was done by the Plain White T's. Aubrey stopped, knee deep in the water.

"My heart beats like a drum
A guitar string to the strum
A beautiful song to be sung
She's got blue eyes deep like the sea
That roll back when she's laughing at me
She rises up like the tide
The moment her lips meet mine"

The lyrics were poignant for both of us. She was white, rising up out of the dark water, I could see just her very graceful indentations of hip and side--- like a halo---

We may only have tonight
But till the morning sun, you're mine
All mine
Play the music low
And sway to the rhythm of love

She turned to look over her shoulder at me. She'd claimed me twice--- even calling me her boyfriend. And now--- with these words, I had claimed her. She stayed where she was, arms crossed over her chest, shaking pretty hard, her hair a wet trail down her back, as I walked closer... singing... which is one of the things I do best---

And I knew she would be able to see my eyes, not the deep shadows that hers were to me. And I was pretty sure mine were gleaming. In seconds I would be touching her---

*****