I’m right beside him, and he looks down at me with such a possessive look in his eye, my insides tingle. “Why’d you stop? I can’t believe you just got tired of it. It’s so beautiful here.”
He nods and looks away. “After my mother died, it felt different. For whatever reason, we felt her absence stronger here. We tried coming once without her, but…”
A knot tightens in my throat, and I try to swallow it away. “I’m so sorry.”
Dark eyes return to mine. “It was so long ago. It’s funny how her memory still seems so strong here.”
Stepping closer, I put my arms around his waist. “I feel bad for suggesting we come here.”
His arms go around me, and he gazes down, deep into my eyes. “I’m not sorry. I mentioned it to you. I brought you here.” He inhales, releasing me and looking around again. “Somehow it isn’t sad now.”
He starts to walk again, and I follow, thinking about his words, what they could mean. “You know, Native Americans… or I guess Natives? Anyway, they believed the spirits of their ancestors lived in the trees… Maybe your mother’s spirit is here.”
“Or maybe I’m just twenty-three years older.”
I don’t know what to say, and we hike a little ways in silence, me turning these thoughts over in my mind. I don’t even notice him leading us off the designated path, until I look up and see we’re a good distance from any of the trail markers.
He stops at the top of a ridge and looks down. “We’re here.”
It takes me a few seconds to walk up beside him, but the closer I get, the clearer I can hear it. Once I’m beside him, I look down to see we’re standing at the top of a narrow waterfall descending to a small creek below. It’s surrounded by lush greenery and the water is so clear, I can see the multi-colored rocks at the bottom of the pool.
“It’s beautiful.” My voice is a whisper, and I look all around. “But where does it start…”
“It’s a natural stream.” He points to our right. “The path steers away, because the ground turns into more of a bog in that direction.”
We stand for a minute watching the waterfall, studying how the sunlight glistens in rainbow sparkles off the water, listening to the splashing below. “Come with me.”
He catches my hand, pulling me down the left side of the ridge after him. He’s moving fast, and it’s almost a straight drop through damp, brown leaves with trees all around. I reach out and grab the narrow trunks to keep from sliding, and the scent of damp foliage rises around us, musty and earthy. At last we’re standing on the edge of the creek below.
He drops my hand and strips off his shirt. “Let’s swim.” My bottom jaw drops along with his jeans, and I watch as he wades into the pool completely naked, his tight butt flexing.
When I can speak again, I stage whisper the obvious. “What if someone sees us?”
“We’re too far off the path. Anyway, did you see anybody out hiking today?” He stops at the waterfall.
“No, but that doesn’t mean—” I look up and around.
“Get in.” It’s an order, and while my instinct is to argue, I kind of want to be naked with him in this glittering pool.
I watch as he lifts his chin, opening his mouth to take a drink, and the sight of his lined throat, his dark hair hanging in damp waves around his square jaw, is so thrilling. Not to mention his broad shoulders over his muscular torso… His arms—the eagle, the lines of latitude and longitude, a band of iron, and semper fi… combined with what I know he’s hiding just under the water overrules my hesitation.
Catching the hem of my tee, I lift it over my head. He stays under the waterfall, watching me intently.
I’m self-conscious stripping with him looking at me that way, but I want him so much. My stomach is in delicious knots as I step out of my jeans, leaving me in only my lace thong and almost-matching bra.
His brow lowers, and I hesitate a moment before reaching around to unfasten my bra. My nipples tighten as the thin garment falls to the pile of clothes on the ground, and my thong follows it. His scowl melts into approval, and my whole body is on fire.
I slowly walk into the water toward him. His eyes darken, watching me until the water is at my hips, then he moves closer.
He pulls me into his arms. “You’re so beautiful.”
It’s a low, rich rumble, and my arms are pinned beneath his muscular ones as he looks down on my face. I’m completely at his mercy, and I couldn’t be happier.
His wet hair falls in dark waves around his face, and he puts his hand on the back of my head as he studies my lips. I’m electric and horny as hell, my palms flat against his shoulder blades. Finally, he lowers his mouth to mine, sealing our lips together and parting mine in a devouring kiss.
He tastes fresh, like the cool mountain stream, and as our tongues curl together, heat flows through my veins. I exhale a little moan, and he pulls me closer, stepping back, through the waterfall as he kisses me again. He nips my lips, moving my mouth with his. I’m chasing his kisses like the most intoxicating drug I’ve ever had.
“Rocky…” he murmurs, turning me so my back is against the smooth rock wall. “I want to be inside you.”