Total pages in book: 173
Estimated words: 168701 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 844(@200wpm)___ 675(@250wpm)___ 562(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 168701 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 844(@200wpm)___ 675(@250wpm)___ 562(@300wpm)
“Not tired,” I tell him. In fact, I feel the opposite. I feel energized, elated, almost baptized in water - ready for my new life. With him. I feel ready to move on from the pain of the past seven years.
“Follow me, I’ll show you the Arcana Falls.”
“Okay.”
We swim for a while.
“You are a strong swimmer,” Riley says, once the falls are in view.
They’re beautiful. Rugged. Not very big, but I feel so much energy here.
“Sure am,” I say. “Swim team in high school, too.”
He flashes a grin. “Under the falls. Meet you there?”
“Race you there,” I amend and go under.
I come up first on the other side of the falls and the magic I feel here is incredible. And I can stand up; it’s shallow.
He swims up behind me and loops his arms around my waist.
“Wow, Riley,” I say, staring at the cave ahead. “This is amazing.”
“Me and the guys often end our morning run here. Talk here about things.”
“Kind of like your clubhouse,” I observe. ”You decided on here instead of building a tree house in that magnolia tree.”
He smiles. “I remember that day. Weird that you were watching.”
He catches my waist and boosts me up so I can climb up on the ledge.
“This is incredible.” I squeeze water from my hair.
The wall of water ahead of us is mesmerizing. The stone cave walls around us look like they were molded from a whole lot of different rock types. There are a couple of long cushions over on one side with some small square pillows, too, that look like they come from a patio set. I go over and sit on one and then lay back and examine the ceiling of the cave. There’s an opening up top revealing clear blue skies.
Riley lays down beside me.
“That felt good,” I tell him.
His eyes travel my face.
“The jump, the water, the swimming. All of it. It felt great. Though it’s really weird doing it naked.”
He laughs, then his gaze goes serious. “Yeah,” he says softly, caressing my jaw. “Except for the naked part.” And then he moves in slowly and our eyes are locked.
His lips touch mine and then he’s got my jaw as he deepens the kiss.
“Riley,” I whisper.
“Erica,” he returns.
“I love you,” I tell him.
“I love you so much it hurts, baby. I’m so sorry I was such a dick when you got here.”
“You said that already. Stop apologizing.”
“Okay, mate. You gonna stop apologizing, too?”
“Touche, Mr. Wolf.”
“What time is it, little witch?”
“Is it dinnertime?” I ask.
“Oh yeah,” he says and then his mouth moves down my naked body. His mouth latches around one of my nipples and he bites gently, then sucks hard. This makes my body bow, makes my body sing.
His hand dives between my thighs and I’m slippery with arousal for him. I grab his biceps and turn him to his back. As I climb on, he guides his cock to me, getting just the tip inside. I’m ready to lower myself onto him slowly as he shifts to get more comfortable on his back. Just a little more in, he loses patience, grabs my hips and drives me down hard. It’s so deep and I’m so full that I whimper, grab his face and cry into his mouth as he holds one hip and uses his thumb on his other hand to rub circles around my clit.
I bounce on him as he does, tightening around his steel-hard erection every time he’s buried to the hilt.
He grabs my hair and then sucks on my claiming mark, and I crest over a peak, hitting a big, beautiful climax. Just as it’s starting to ebb, he growls against my throat and the vibrations start. I collapse onto him, lost in sensation as he turns me to my back, and we ride out a big wave of sensation surrounded by beauty.
***
“Uh oh,” I whisper.
We’ve swum back to where we jumped in from and are holding one another, treading water just to the side of the banks we’ll have to use to climb back up.
“What?” he asks.
“I wasn’t real smart leaving my clothes up there. What if someone sees me? What if they come early?”
He laughs, looking up. “I’ll shift, run up that hill and grab your dress and stuff. Drop it over to you.”
“You’re so smart,” I say, smiling. “And good because I’m exhausted. Been a while since I’ve had a big swim like this.”
“Stop treading, I’ve got us,” Riley tells me. He’s not panting. He’s not remotely tired. He’s got me. I stop treading water and it all hits me with a dazzling beauty that makes me want to cry. This feels so good. I feel so lucky to have this. To not be floundering by myself. Miss Independence has experienced some growth; I’m happy to have this man helping me. I don’t have to prove I’m strong even when I don’t feel like I am.