“What the hell, Ari!” Mason yells through laughter, but I keep going, dipping around the fake palm trees that make a nice little lagoon setting. The water splashes behind me, my friends’ laughter loud and growing nearer, so I know they all jumped out too.
“Hey!” the ride attendant shouts. “You guys can’t be up there! And you can’t take the guns off the boats!”
I yelp, cutting to the left where she can’t see me.
The others are yapping away behind me, but I keep moving. I hop over the small stream running through the rocks and tuck into a shaded corner behind a shadowed boulder.
I smile wide, squeezing my eyes shut, trying to calm my breathing.
“You ditched me, bitch!” Cameron yells from somewhere, and in the next second, she’s squealing. “Goddamn it, Mason!”
He laughs, both of them shouting, “Oh shit!” in the next breath.
The place echoes with a call to security.
“Look what you started.”
My eyes fly open, landing on a gun-yielding Noah. I jerk right, but I’m met with more rock, one too tall for me to climb. I whip around, facing him once again.
Noah’s blue eyes gleam as he glances around. “Looks like you’re stuck.”
“Or you could be nice and give me a five second head start?” I give a giant, cheesy smile.
His eyes crinkle at the sides as he takes a step closer, his mouth taking on a devious grin. “You mean let you go?”
Another step.
I nod, but my smile slips as I look at him. I mean really look at him. His hair is drenched and dripping, the dark even darker, shinier. His T-shirt is soaked along with his athletic shorts.
As I look at his face, I find his smile has faded too, and his eyes, they’re on my lower legs, dripping wet just as he his.
Step.
My breathing grows labored as I try to figure out what’s happening here.
Noah’s my friend. We’re friends.
Friends don’t look at friends this way…
He’s directly in front of me now, all tall and gorgeous and confident, and so close we’re breathing the same air.
“I’m a smart man, Juliet,” he whispers, his gaze dropping to my lips. “Only a fool would let you go once they had you where they wanted you.”
“Oh,” I breathe.
Noah apparently appreciates my breathy response because a slow smirk takes over his face and he steps into me. I place my hand on his chest, a little unsure and a lot curious, as he runs his tongue along his lips, his teeth sinking into his bottom one a second later.
And then our bodies are thrown into shock as a bucket of freezing water is poured over our heads. I gasp, and Noah shoots back in laughter.
“Holy shit, it’s cold!”
Noah smirks, tossing his water gun into the water below us. “Gotcha.”
My mouth drops open, and I look up at the dirty trickster.
Brady busts up laughing.
“Thought the cold shower was for her, asshole,” he jokes with Noah and grins my way. “Run, Ari Baby, security’s coming.” He shoots to his feet, shouting, “Security’s coming!”
Wide-eyed, Noah and I look to each other.
“They’re over there!” one shouts.
“I spot two!” another screams.
“Shit!” I look around. “What do we do?”
Noah yanks me by the hand and we jump along the rocks, headed away from the park.
“Over here!” Cameron and Mason shout.
We follow the sound of their voices, spotting them on the other side of the fence, Chase just landing on his feet next to them. Noah and I jerk to a stop in front of it, and in the same second, his large hands are gripping my calves. I grab hold of the teal fence and help hoist myself up, throwing my legs over the side.
Chase rushes behind me, guiding me down by my hips.
Noah is over a split second after my shoes hit the ground, and I throw my head back laughing, my arms shooting up and around his neck.
He spins me, letting go of my right side on my way back down, so I’m tucked under his shoulder.
“Run fuckers!”
All our heads snap toward Brady’s voice, realizing he’s already halfway to Mason’s Tahoe.
“Get back here!” security yells, and we book it.
Mason peeks behind us to see how close the staff is while hurriedly digging in his pockets for his keys.
“Hurry, shithead!” Cam shouts, jumping up and down, her eyes widening as the mini golf cart grows closer. “They’re fuckin’ coming!”
“I’m trying, woman!” Finally, Mason tears the keys free, the lock clicks and we’re shuffling into safety.
Noah tosses me onto the seat, before climbing in next to me. No one takes the time to hop to the third-row seating, so I scooch up onto Cam’s lap and Mason peels out from the parking lot.
Once we’re a good five blocks away, the entire car erupts in laughter.
Brady yells, hitting the dash in excitement. “That shit was fun!”
I grin, dashing a hand out when Cameron shoves on my back.