She took the shot and the ball fell through the hoop without even hitting the backboard. William whistled.
“Nice,” he said with a nod.
The two of them bantered back and forth and shot hoops for an hour before either of them became breathless and ready for a break. William’s forehead was shiny with perspiration as he panted. Holly tied her hair back and walked up to face him.
“You know, even when you’re all sweaty you’re still hot,” William said, brushing a strand of damp hair away from her face. His soft gaze sent shivers of delight through Holly.
“Funny,” she said. “I’m hot and sweaty. Wild, huh?”
She smirked at William’s appreciative chuckle. When he stopped, Holly took a step closer and rested her palms on his chest. He tensed under her touch and Holly sensed his nerves. Which only made her want to move closer.
“I think you’re pretty hot, too,” she said in a silky voice.
It wasn’t the perfect moment for a first kiss, granted. But not kissing felt wrong. So much of this man was a mystery. She hardly knew him. But there was something about him that made her feel… different. She couldn’t put her finger on it. Kissing him would provide all the answers. Of that, she was certain.
Holly slowly rose to her tiptoes as William bent his head to join her. But just before she could capture him with a kiss, a door banged, and an old man shouted from the top of the steps.
“What are you two doing in here?”
Holly jumped back from William and looked up at the old caretaker standing in the doorway.
“Run!” William shouted. Holly grabbed her boots and followed him.
Moments later, the two of them burst out of a fire door, laughing and panting while a high-pitched alarm ricocheted off the walls of the alley.
“Come on,” William said, grasping Holly’s hand as she slipped into her boots. “We’re not safe yet.”
The two of them dashed down the dark alley and ran along the streets. Sirens followed.
Holly had no idea what time it was, nor where they were heading, but she didn’t care. As the air whipped through her hair and William tugged on her hand, she couldn’t stop herself from beaming.
Never had she felt so alive.
They finally ended up beside the Hudson river, and settled on the bank, gasping for air. Holly’s lungs burned. She hadn’t run for that long in years.
“See, breaking the law can be fun,” William said, he was splayed out on the bank, his chest heaving. They fell into a comfortable silence as Holly waited for her heartbeat to calm down.
The summer night was warm, and she was drenched in sweat. Struck by an idea, she stood up.
“You know what would be really fun?” she said, kicking off her shoes again. William’s face was pale in the moonlight and his dark brows lifted as he watched her peel off her denim dress.
“What are you doing?” he said.
“I’m going to cool off,” Holly said, now standing in her black underwear. This was the most reckless thing she’d ever done. But right now, it didn’t feel reckless. She was soaked in sweat and overheated. Going for a dip in the Hudson to cool down seemed perfectly logical.
The look on William’s face made her wonder if it was downright scandalous.
“Are you coming?” she asked innocently as she skipped to the edge of the bank.
There was no hesitation. Within seconds, William had stripped to his boxers and joined her. She took his hand.
“Jump on three?” she asked. William nodded; his eyes wide. They counted to three and jumped at the same time.
As soon as Holly crashed into the water, all of her common sense returned, and she immediately regretted the idea.
Idiot. Now you’re going to drown.
Despite the hot evening, the water was icy cold. So cold, Holly couldn’t catch her breath. She gawped like a fish and shivered uncontrollably. The movies lied. She had watched lovers jump into water at night, as if it was a beautiful and romantic thing to do. But no. It was impossibly cold and now Holly was probably going to die. At least, that was what she thought.
William seemed to read her mind––or perhaps seemed to notice that she still hadn’t caught her breath yet. He grabbed her and pulled her in close. If she was not so starved of oxygen, she might have noticed that her body was pressed up against his. But she could have been hugging a cactus for all she knew. Her whole body had gone numb.
“I’m going to lift you up, and you’re going to grab hold of the edge,” William said in a shuddery voice. He was freezing too. But he was able to talk. How was he breathing? Holly wished she knew.
William pushed her up to the edge, his hand cradling her butt; a memory that would send heat to her cheeks later. She grasped the side and took her first greedy gulp of air.
Her head was spinning, her ears were ringing, and every part of her body tingled as Holly crawled out onto the bank again. She collapsed on her back and stared up at the dark sky, taking in as many breaths as her lungs would allow.
Moments later, and with a splash, William got out of the river and walked over to his clothes.
“You okay?” Holly called out with her eyes closed. Her head was pounding, and every part of her body ached.
“Can you bring the car over here; we need warm blankets too.” William’s low voice was barely audible.
“A warm blanket sounds so good right now,” Holly said as William returned to her side. She blinked drops of water out of her lashes and looked at him. Water clung to his perfectly sculped body and his muscles glistened in the moonlight.
“You could be a model, you know,” Holly blurted. Apparently, her filter was still in
