The cold water dances around me uncomfortably as a shiver crawls up my spine. Blake wraps his arms around my waist and rests his head on the middle of my shoulder. The bone of his chin digs into my shoulder causing a small pain to erupt, but I focus on the warmth of his body which helps the pain subside.

"Are you ready to get you?" he quietly asks.

"I can stay until everyone else wants to leave," I reply.

The group seems to be enjoying themselves so I don't want to be the person who ruins the night. My eyes wander over to the other four splashing around. Kyle and Tori are sitting on the side of the pool with their legs dangling in the water. Jude and Ben are wrestling in the deep end. They've got limbs hooked all over the place in an attempt to hold the other one under the water. So far it looks like a mess of water and body parts.

"I'll take that as a yes then." Blake grabs my waist and throws me over his shoulder. As my stomach hit his shoulder, the air is knocked out of my body. Groaning, I let my body go floppy against his. There's no point finding this.

"What are you doing?" I call out.

"We're getting out of the pool," he replies.

As Blake climbs the steps, the cold air stings my skin as the water drops slide off my skin. I squeeze my hair out which ends up with the water splatting against the ground. Blake walks towards the house and I wave to the group. Before we disappear out of sight, I see the four get out of the pool and head to the main house.

"You don't need to carry me, I do have legs for walking," I say.

"But I want to," he shoots back.

"Why?" I frown.

"Because I can, baby." Blake slaps my bottom which creates a loud sound to echo around us. The skin in contact with his hand stings. To get back at Blake, I smack his bottom which makes him giggle excitedly.

We slip through the front door and head upstairs. Blake walks directly into the bathroom and places me on the floor before turning away. He walks to the cabinet to grab fresh towels for us.

Because I'm freezing cold, I step into the shower and turn on the hot water. A burst of cold water flies out of the shower head and onto my face. Jumping back, I scream as I'm pelted with the water.

"Carefully, baby." Chuckles Blake.

"I can't believe I forgot about that," I mutter.

As I stand in the shower, I poke my leg under the stream of water to wait for it to heat up. Within a couple of minutes, I'm reaching for the cold water tap to balance the heat. The feeling of warm water cascading over me is brilliant.

The shivers subside as Blake decides to get in.

"Now that the water isn't icy." He continues to laugh at my expense.

"You're welcome." I pout.

Blake stands next to me and steals some of the water. I press my hand against his chest and feel the cold skin beneath my fingers. Looking up into his green eyes, I search for the emotion playing in them.

Over the last couple of weeks, I've seen the same emotion replay. The distilled unhappiness of a working man with no goals or a reason to smile. But now that we're moving towards a desired direction it seems to have shaken the vibrancy of his eyes. Gone are the days of iced eyes, but a marvellous swirl of evergreen.

"Are you serious about shipping London off with Tori?" I ask.

His green eyes are conflicted before the words reach his mouth. The thought has been frequenting my mind this afternoon. The idea of spending our free time together is amazing, it's something I've wanted since the moment I realised what I'd gotten myself into.

However, the fear of losing London rattles my insides uncomfortably. I know this ship needs to run, but I have limits on how far we need to go to ensure it keeps floating.

"Yes." He nods his head. "I think it's the perfect chance for Tori and London to bond," he replies.

"But what happens if –"

"If it goes extremely well?" cuts in Blake. "I'm sure you can find ways to thank me." He winks. B

"I just –"

"I love that you care, Ava, but things will be fine."

He rubs his nose against mine which sends my knees trembling. His lips lightly trail across mine which prompts me to lean in and kiss him. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I pull his body closer to mine. I run my fingers through his hair which makes me shiver.

"You need to wash your hair," I whisper against his lips.

The water trickles down the side of my face as Blake leans in and kisses me.

"It's fine for another couple of days," he replies.

"Let me wash it for you then?" I say.

"I love it when my woman takes care of me." He grins madly.

"Is that because you're too lazy to do it yourself?" I shoot back.

"No." He shakes his head. "I love it when you run your fingers through my hair."

"You're lucky I love you," I tease.

"Baby, I'm the luckiest man in the world because of you." His lips crash against mine as a swirl of butterflies erupt in my stomach.

"I love you," I say between kisses.

"Not as much I love you." We laugh.

I make Blake stand out from under the shower head so I can rub the shampoo through his hair. It's a bit awkward with his height, be we manage to make it work. He bends his knees to lower his head. As I run my fingers through his hair, I can see the half smile on his face.

When I'm finished, I move him under the shower and wash the soap out. The bubbles stream down his chest and onto his colourful board shorts.

"Do I get to wash your hair now?" he asks.

"Are you sure it needs washing?" I tease. "I think I have a couple more days."

"Maybe I just like playing with your hair." Winks Blake.

It's my turn to stand aside. The cold air makes me pout as Blake grabs the shampoo bottle from the ground. He squeezes the soap directly on top of my head and laughs when it makes a farting noise.

Blake roughly rubs his hands through my hair – which is how he usually washes his own. I hold onto his arm to keep balance. He lets me rinse out my own hair, thankfully.

"Body soap time?" he asks.

"I think I can wash my own body." I laugh.

"Was my hair washing not good enough?"

"Perfect, baby."

"Whatever." He casually shrugs it off. "I'm using the good body wash first then." He pokes his tongue.

"Do it." I chuckle.

Turning away from Blake, I take my bathers off and grab the soap. The smell of cherry blossom consume my senses which makes me smile.

"I love the smell of cherries on your skin." He moans with delight.

Looking over my shoulder, I smile and flutter my eyelashes. A large smile tugs onto Blake's lips as he steps towards me. His arms wrap around my body as he kisses my lips.

"You are a tease, baby," he whispers seductively.

Blake suddenly turns off the shower taps and moves away from me. He gets out of the shower and hands me a towel. I quickly wrap it around my body while he walks into the bedroom as he wraps the towel around his waist. I scramble out of the shower and follow Blake.

When I get into our room, he's already wearing his underwear with the towel discarded on the ground.

I didn't expect that reaction from Blake, I'd hoped for something else.

"Make sure you wear something warm, comfortable, and with a lot of layers," he warns.

"How come?"

"Ben always wants to play strip truth or dare," replies Blake.

"How many different items of clothing can I get on?" I ask.

"Not enough when it comes to Ben." He laughs.

"Okay." I hunt through my drawers and find a singlet I can wear under a shirt, and a pair of jeans along with my bra and underwear.

When we're dressed, Blake and I head downstairs. We settle on the couch and wait for the others to return. Within five minutes, Jude walks through the door with drinks and Ben following with an empty wine bottle which is probably from Angela.

"We've decided to play spin the bottle," announces Ben.

"Exciting." I frown at Blake.

"Don't worry, it's just a game, Ava." He kisses my cheek. "Maybe you'll get me." He winks happily.

"What if we get different people?"

"Just a pair of lips connecting, not a full blown love affair, Ava, it'll be fine. We can sit out if you want," offers Blake.

"No, you're right. It won't mean anything." I nod.

I like that Blake is comfortable enough in our relation to set it aside and have fun – to know that in a silly game of spin the bottle, he's not worried about the notion of two lips meeting will mean anything else. But there's a crazy part of me that wants Blake to be jealous about another man kissing me.

"Sounds good, now let's play." Blake gets off the chair and pulls me with him. We walk towards the others and grab a drink. Jude has a collection of wine and spirits which makes me half smile.

If I have to potentially kiss my best friend, my ex-enemy, my boyfriend's brother or his best friend, I need a seriously potent drink before that happens.

Who would you most like to see kiss in spin the bottle?