by Sierra Rose
“Give me your best shot, Larson.”
I thought you’d never ask...
With a wild cry, she leapt into the air—spinning around just inches away from his face with a high kick. It was a flashy move. One intended to intimidate, while being relatively harmless all at the same time. One that had never failed to work for her before.
...until now.
His hand flashed out like a bullet and caught her ankle, holding it in the air between them. All the breath rushed out of her lungs in a stunned gasp, but he was only getting started. His eyes sparkled with the excitement as he slowly released her, lowering leg back to her side.
“Just tell me when you want to begin,” he teased. “Take your time.”
It was one thing to spar in a studio. It was another thing entirely to do it on a mountain.
They raced back and forth. Exchanging jabs. Calling out taunts and insults. Kicking, and tackling, and laughing, and biting to their heart’s content. There were no set rules, and all the fatigue of the climb was long forgotten as they threw themselves wholeheartedly into the fight.
He was a lot harder to take down than Lacy’s mannequins, but that was probably because he actually fought back. And he didn’t go easy on her. Not by a long shot. His level of skill and experience was obviously much higher than her own, and after a long drawn out struggle, he finally swept her legs out from under her—catching her safely in his arms.
“Not bad, Larson.” He held her in a cinematic dip, their faces just inches apart. “For a minute there, I actually thought you were going to throw me right off the cliff.”
She grinned, staring up into his eyes. “For a minute there, I was actually debating.”
They hovered for a moment longer, smiling breathlessly, before leaning in for a kiss. One of those perfect, suspended kisses. The kind that you know you’ll remember forever.
A neon flash lit up the air around them.
Lacy looked up with a start, as he set her back on her feet. For a moment, both were simply stunned. Then they lifted their heads to see a man standing just a few feet away.
He had appeared out of nowhere. Hiking up without a single sound.
“I’m sorry,” he apologized before they could say anything, stressing all the vowels with a faint German accent. “I’m a photographer. That shot was too perfect not to take.”
They stood there for a second longer as their racing hearts returned to normal, before Dylan stepped forward with a bright smile. He scribbled something down on a slip of paper, then handed it to the man. “Can you email that to me? I’d love to have it.”
The man took the paper with a smile, and slipped it into his pocket. “It would be my pleasure. Anything for love, eh?”
Dylan looked at Lacy. Lacy looked at Dylan. Then, as he always did, Dylan looked away like there was something worrying that beautiful head of his.
“Thanks again.”
He waved farewell to the man and wrapped his arm around Lacy’s shoulders, leading her slowly back down the mountain.
Chapter 7
By the time they made it to the bottom, even Dylan had reached his limit. There was sweat glistening off his muscles, and she could see his heart pounding through his shirt. With a little smile, she tapped his shoulder and cocked her head towards the lake.
“Care for a swim?”
He looked over in surprise. “Can we? Or is it too cold?”
It was a fair question. Most of the people enjoying the water were either just looking at it, or were kayaking across the smooth surface. Very few of them had ventured inside. Of course, Lacy had no intention of doing what everyone else was doing. She had no intention of spending her time anywhere around other people in the first place.
Her nefarious plans required somewhere a little more...discreet.
Without a word, she grabbed his hand and pulled him a little ways back up the trail. Only about a minute or so up, there was a hidden turn-off. One she’d found long ago as a child. One where they were guaranteed to have a little privacy. She thought it’d be a little fun to be spontaneous, to be different from the other women in his life.
He realized what she was doing at the last moment, and froze in his tracks. His lips parted slightly, before he glanced to the right and left—checking for any stray travelers.
“What’s the matter, Stone?” She backed away into the trees, taking off random bits of clothing as she went along. “You scared of getting a little cold?”
He followed after her with a grin, but had the sense of mind to at least be picking up the clothing she was shedding in the bushes as he went. Together, the two of them stumbled out onto a private beach. A secluded inlet away from the general population.
It was there, on the pebbly shore, that Lacy slid off her underwear and backed into the water. Grinning ear to ear. Completely naked.
BAD IDEA!
It was like stepping into a bath of ice. Then sticking that bath on top of a glacier. NO WAY was this enjoyable. Longer than a minute, and she was convinced she’d get hypothermia and die. Fortunately, the only thing stronger than her will to live, was her impossible ego.
She forced her grimace into a smile, shivering all the while.
“It’s...it’s g-great. Y-you should g-get in.”
It might have sounded slightly more believable if she’d been able to stop her teeth from chattering. Dylan cocked his head, lifting one eyebrow with an adorably sarcastic smile.
“Oh I should, should I?” His eyes drifted over her shock white skin and shivering legs, before returning to her face with a little twinkle. “You look like you’re having so much fun.”
“I a-am.” In an act of supreme dedication, Lacy lowered her arms to her sides, letting him feast his eyes on her naked body, as she took a step deeper into the lake. “But I’m prepared to have fun all by myself, if that’s what you’re going to make me do...”
This time, it was Dylan’s turn to make a decision. The will to see a beautiful woman naked, or the will to survive. Fortunately, his priorities were just as skewed as Lacy’s.
He didn’t wade in like she was doing. That wasn’t his kind of approach. Instead, he stripped off his own, then ran into it straight on—sending up sprays of icy water in his wake. Lacy shielded herself as best she could as he went barreling past her, jumping in with a breathless cry. For a second, she couldn’t see him. Just the still surface of the water. Not even any bubbles to indicate he was alive.
“Dylan?”
She took a step forward, growing more and more worried all the while.
Oh no—he went into shock. His body locked up and he’s drowning this very second.
“Dylan?!”
Terror took hold, and she was right about to dive in after him, when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her legs and dragged her beneath the water. She vanished with a piercing shriek.
The cold was INCREDIBLE!
She tried to move, but her muscles locked into place. She tried to scream, but a rush of freezing water poured into her mouth. Her body tensed and chilled, but before she could start to panic, he released her and she shot to the surface once more—breaking forth into the sunlight with a piercing cry.
He popped up a second later, bobbing there with a cheerful smile.
“Oh hello—fancy meeting you here.”
“Oh my gosh! You scared me. Time for payback.” Then she attacked him without a moment’s pause.
It was probably the most action the lake had seen in a hundred years. They leapt on top of each other with no abandon. Kicking and dunking and spitting water in each other’s faces, as a flock of birds looked on with disinterest from the beach. Fighting turned into groping, which might have turned into something more if the water weren’t so damn cold! Not exactly the best conditions for sex. Not exactly the best conditions for sustaining human life, for that matter.
Of course, neither of them could be the first to admit it.
After a few minutes, the fighting died down and both of
them were simply standing there, shivering silently as they gazed at dry land. Praying the other would be the first to break.
“So...you want to go in?” Lacy finally asked, wishing like hell he’d say yes and they could end this excruciating display of pride as quickly as possible.
His eyes shot to hers, wishing the exact same thing.
“If you do.”
She jutted up her chin, trying her best not to shiver.
“I’m fine.”
He braced himself with a quick nod.
“I’m fine too.”
“Good.”
“Good.”
Another minute went past. She began drafting the outline of a basic will in her mind. He looked longingly towards the shore, but said nothing.
Chapter 8
It had gotten to the point where she was worried about losing one or more of her toes, when he spoke up suddenly. “I think I felt something in the water.”
She looked over in surprise. Surprise that quickly turned to fear as she glanced down at the waves. “You did?! Like what?!”
“I don’t know,” he said quietly. “I couldn’t tell.” His face turned very grave. “But it felt big. Do they have eels in here?”
Her eyes widened in sheer panic, as her heart stopped in her chest. For a split second, she half-imagined she felt it too. Then his poker face cracked, and she splashed him with a laughing shriek. “You bastard! I totally believed you!”
He dodged the water with a grin. “Anything to get us out of this frozen hell...”
“Oh you’ve had enough, have you?” she teased, trailing her arms leisurely in the water, as if it couldn’t bother her less. “Want to go back to the shore?”
Please. Say. Yes.
He opened his mouth to respond, then bowed his head with a shivering smile. Instead, he picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and walked back out onto dry land.
It couldn’t have come a moment too soon. The second they were out of the water, their bodies fell apart. Shaking with both the cold and their own self-deprecating laughter, as they spread the picnic blanket on the ground, and curled up in each other’s arms.
The afternoon sunlight made quick work of the rest. It wasn’t long before there was steam rising off their bodies, heating their skin as they stretched out upon the shore.
Not that it was enough. Dylan had other ideas for how they could heat back up. He caressed her face and told her how beautiful she was. His words melted her heart and made her feel special. He slid his hands into her hair and started to kiss her deeply, passionately, sending electric shots all the way down to her toes. She loved how his tongue explored her warm mouth and shivered beneath his touch. Her hands ran over his powerful chest and muscular shoulders.
Her body was on fire, so out of control, like a forest fire spreading wildly. Her lids slowly shut as he gently and expertly traced a line of kisses down her throat. His hands skimmed down her body as he licked, nibbled, and stroked her into a state of complete ecstasy. No man had ever kissed her like that. He literally traced a path of fire down her chest and stomach.
Lacy opened her eyes suddenly, as his fingers slipped in between her legs. He paused, staring down with a guilty smile, then continued teasing her to his heart’s content.
“Hey, maybe we should stop,” she said. “We are in the middle of a national park. Sorry, I got you so heated up. Let’s finish this at home.”
“You didn’t have a problem with skinny dipping.”
“Yeah—that’s because no one ever comes over here. And it’s shielded by trees.”
He flashed her a mischievous grin. “See? Perfect!”
He hitched himself up onto one elbow, turning onto his side so he could lean down for a leisurely kiss. A kiss that Lacy broke out of halfway, as she gazed nervously around.
“Skinny dipping isn’t sex, Dylan. We can’t have sex on the beach—”
“Lacy,” he paused for a moment, staring down at her with that same gravitas as when he’d talked about the imaginary eel, “have you ever seen the movie Titanic?”
“...I can feel a massive rationalization coming on...”
“I’d be willing to bet that the water they were dealing with, wasn’t half as cold as the water over here. And they still got hypothermia and died.” He paused for dramatic effect, those blue eyes widening to take up half of his face. “Do you want to die, Lacy?”
She bit down on her lip to fight back a grin.
“Those are really my only two options? Sex or death by hypothermia?”
He considered for a moment, before nodding with a childish smile.
“...yes.”
Her head fell back with a burst of laughter, one that echoed over the sparkling waves. She had no idea what it was about him that brought out this side of her. She was not the kind of person who would ever have sex on a beach. She was not the type of person who would have ever taken off her clothes to begin with. But something about being with him made her feel alive.
Made her feel free.
“Tell you what,” he bargained, “you think it over. I’m just going to busy myself over here.” He sank down on the blanket, his trailing warm kisses down her stomach. “Tell me whatever you decide, and take your time. No need to rush...”
Without another word, his head sank down between her legs. She let out a sharp gasp, followed by an even sharper cry as he got to work. Her fingers wrapped in his damp hair, and every thought flew out the window as his tongue swirled faster and faster. Her body heaved and arched. Her teeth clamped down upon her lower lip.
Forget about heating her up, it wasn’t long until her very blood was at a boil.
“Ja—”
His lips came down over hers before she could finish saying his name, absorbing her breathless cry, as he pushed himself suddenly inside her. There wasn’t much left to do, he had already brought her so close to the edge that with just a few quick thrusts, she was already falling to pieces, wrapping her arms around his neck as her head fell back to the shore.
A few seconds later, and he was right there with her. Crying out aloud as he buried his face in her neck, trying desperately to catch his breath.
They lay there for a moment, riding it out together, before he rolled off of her and onto his back. His fingers reached down to take her hand, and a little smile played around his lips as he stared up at the sky—watching the birds as his face warmed with the sun.
It was truly one of the most beautiful things she’d ever seen. The way the light caught in his eyes, dancing like it had a mind of his own. The way his blonde hair haloed around his handsome face—falling in messy little waves across his forehead.
“What are you smiling about?” she asked with a grin, rolling onto her side so that she could see him better. “We dodged a hypothermic bullet? Two more lives saved?”
He laughed quietly, before it faded into a gentle smile. His eyes never left the sky, but he lifted her hand and slowly pressed it against his lips. “I’ve never done this before.”
Her breathing hitched at the sudden change in his tone. At the tender way he was stroking his thumb against the back of her hand. “What? Had sex outside?”
“No.” He pressed her hand against his chest, right over his pounding heart. “This.”
Chapter 9
The two of them fell asleep in each other’s arms and woke up a few hours later. Frozen stiff with the permanent imprint of a million little pebbles on their skin.
Lacy rolled over onto her side, staring in astonishment as the sun slipped below the horizon. It had been high in the sky just a few seconds ago. What the hell happened?!
“Dylan.” She nudged him anxiously, but he didn’t budge. He’d made a little nest in the picnic blanket and seemed content to stay there until the end of time. “Dylan, wake up.” Still nothing. Out like a light. “Honey?”
He opened his eyes at once, stared at her in confusion for a moment—like he’d completely forgotten where he was—then glanced at the settin
g sun in alarm.
“Shit—we’ve got to go! They’re going to be closing the gate any minute.”
He helped her to her feet, gathered up the blanket, and started walking briskly to the main path. Completely oblivious to everything else around him. Like the two dozen leaves in his hair, and the way the wind was nipping at his bare skin. She stared after him for a moment, a tender smile playing about her lips, before she cleared her throat.
“Uh, babe? Aren’t you forgetting something?”
He glanced back questioningly, then looked down and realized he was naked for the first time. A self-conscious flush reddened the tops of his cheeks, as he doubled quickly back, taking the shirt she was dangling between them.
“Shut up.”
She bit her lip, sliding into her own pants.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You were thinking it really fucking loud.”
They both burst out in laughter.
By the time they made it back to the car, the other people had long since left the park and the gate was just about closing. They skidded through it just in time, sliding to a stop in front of the kiosk as Dylan realized for the first time that he didn’t have any directions.
“Excuse me?” The ranger popped his head out the window, and Dylan flashed him a quick smile. “Do you happen to know the way back to the main freeway?”
Lacy immediately spaced out, thinking of a million things at once as the two men started hashing out the directions. He might have been concerned with getting back to Cleveland before daybreak, but she happened to be quite content reimagining their perfect day. The way his neck curved as he leaned over her, pressing a soft kiss into her skin. The way his hair spilled messily into his face, catching the glow of every ray of light. The way his eyes sparkled when they gazed down at hers in wonder—like she was his own personal heaven. Lying right there in his arms.