Read Online The Choosing by Annabelle Jacobs - Free Book Online Page B

He glances over at Serim and sees her duck under the water to wash her hair. Her long, dark locks swirl all around her, and Jerath smiles as he notices the contented look on her face.
    He strips off his shirt and trousers, then rubs the soap into them like Serim showed him and wades farther out to rinse everything off. When the water reaches waist height, Jerath ducks down until his head slips beneath the surface. He’s used to the cold now, and the cool water feels so good against his clean skin.
    Serim is laying her clothes out on one of the large rocks when Jerath comes up for air, completely at ease with her nakedness. She tells him to pass his clothes over so she can do them as well, and Jerath does as he’s told. The rock is in full sun now and it shines down on their clothes. With any luck they’ll dry quickly. Jerath hates having to put on wet things.
    When Serim has finished with their clothes, she slips back into the water and swims into the middle of the pool. Jerath dives under the water and comes up next to her, the splash hitting her in the face as he breaks the surface.
    She splutters and laughs, wiping the water out of her eyes, and then she smirks at him. “Do you know what else I found over in those bushes, Jerath?”
    She looks far too mischievous for Jerath’s liking. “No, what?”
    “Lava berries.”
    It takes Jerath a couple of seconds to make the connection, but when he does he can feel the curl of excitement deep in his belly. He avoided thinking about the ritual all morning while they walked. He can’t wrap his head around the fact that it’s tonight. He’s going to have sex for the first time. The fact that it’s going to be with Serim is kind of weird, yet also kind of right. He loves her—not in the romantic way, but he knows he’ll love her forever.
    As he watches her now, big brown eyes sparkling as she smiles at him, Jerath thinks there was never going to be another choice for him. Yes, he loves Mahli too, but he and Serim have a deeper connection he can’t really explain. It’s just there and Jerath needs it now more than ever.
    “Um… that’s good, then?” Jerath may be excited at the prospect of finally getting his tattoo, but he’s still nervous about actually performing the ritual itself. Serim isn’t a virgin like he is. She tells Jerath everything, so consequently he knows about the three boys she’s bedded and also what she thought of their performances. He’s well aware of what goes where, but he has limited sexual experience, and all that has been with boys. Jerath won’t be able to look Serim in the eye if he’s terrible at it.
    “Yes, that’s good.” She swims a little closer to him and wraps her legs around his waist.
    Jerath’s hands automatically go to her hips to keep her steady, but he still gasps in shock when he feels her rub up against him. “Wh-what are you doing?” He stutters a little and blushes. His cock is soft between them, but having something warm pressed against it is definitely making it take an interest.
    “We’re going to be a lot closer that this later, Jerath. I don’t want you to freak out when we start the ritual, so I’m acclimatizing you.” She grins at him as if her logic makes perfect sense, and he laughs at her.
    “Thank you for being so thoughtf— Serim !”
    His voice catches as she grinds her hips against him and it feels… nice. It’s not the instant heat that flares in his groin when he touches another boy, but it still feels good and he’s already half hard.
    Serim slips her fingers into his hair, and her expression turns into something more serious. Her eyes are darker and she licks her lips before speaking. “I don’t think we’re going to have any trouble later.” She rolls her hips again to emphasize her point, and Jerath realizes with a jolt that he’s going to have to fuck his best friend in about six hours’ time. This is actually happening.
    Serim is a solid weight in his arms. She’s not as