Free Lights to My Siren by Lani Lynn Vale Page A

Lesson
    Baylee
    Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
    I shivered as the cold water went from my knees, to my thighs, to my crotch, and then to my stomach before Sebastian came to a standstill, turning to survey me before going in any further.
    His eyes glanced down, and then right back up again.
    “Cold?” He smirked.
    My body chose that moment to shiver again. “What gave that away?” I asked dryly. “Was it the shivering or the chattering teeth?”
    He looked at her closely, weighing something in his mind before he finally said, “Neither.”
    My head turned slightly to the side, wondering what else would’ve given it away when he laughed. “Oh, Baylee. Please tell me you’re not as naïve as you seem.”
    That, of course, only served to straighten my spine and narrow my eyes at him. Then what he was saying dawned, and my face flamed. Sebastian was laughing and hauling me closer to him before sinking deeper and deeper into the dark murky depths. The further out he got, the more my heart raced.
    I also found that my arms were no longer crossed in indignation, but were wound so tight around Sebastian’s neck that I was pretty sure he couldn’t breathe. That didn’t make me let go, however. Instead, I wound my legs around his thick waist, and held on for dear life.
    “I won’t let you go, I promise.” He insisted, wrapping an arm around my back tightly, pulling me impossibly closer than I’d been only moments before.
    His arm felt like a metal band across my back, ensuring in its strength. My heart rate slowed, and it was only then that I realized how perilous this position could be.
    My crotch felt like it was on fire where it was touching him. Could he feel it? The longer it sat against his warm, hard belly, the more and more heat it seemed to emit. Then my heart was pounding for a different reason.
    “Have you ever tried to learn to swim?” He asked when he came to a stop with the water up to his collarbone.
    “Uhh,” I said intelligently. “Yes. I took swimming lessons, but each time I got into the water about waist high, some sort of survival mode seemed to kick in, and I’d start freaking out. Up here,” I said, pointing towards my head. “I knew it wasn’t going to hurt me. Not with all those lifeguards, or my father around. But down here,” I indicated towards my heart. “I just couldn’t do it. I was scared shitless. My father tried, as did my mother, but after my last freak out, they didn’t try anymore.”
    I hoped he wouldn’t ask more questions on the matter, but with the quizzical set to his mouth, I knew I wouldn’t be that lucky. I’d have to tell him my most embarrassing secret.
    “Did you have an accident when you were younger to make you not want to be near water?” He asked, with his eyes still on my own.
    I thought long and hard for a moment, contemplating the merits of just getting the inevitable over with early. He’d have to know eventually that I had ADHD. He’d wonder about the way I acted, and I’d have to tell him. Then he’d leave. Wouldn’t it be better to just go ahead and do it before I became attached? Sebastian, a man I’d only known for a little over two weeks, had the power to break me. Not wound me, but literally break me.
    Finally, I was able to look away. Laying my head onto his shoulder, I looked out over the calm lake, and started to explain.
    “I was around seven or eight when my parents decided that I had a problem. I was in gymnastics, karate, softball, soccer, and girl scouts, all within about a six-month period. I’d be interested in it for about a week or two, but never much beyond that. There were other signs, too. I was hyperactive, regardless of my sugar intake. I had hellacious temper tantrums. At first they thought I might be bi-polar, but then I went to the doctor, and they diagnosed me with ADHD.” I explained.
    When he didn’t interrupt or say anything, I continued.
    “They pretty much explained my symptoms to my parents, and knew