“Deal.” Zane stretched out his arm to snag the silver bucket holding ice and a bottle. “Don’t tell your winemaking friend Piper, but I’m going off the reservation for tonight.”
That was...a hundred times easier than Casey had expected. Maybe she could risk relaxing and just enjoying the night. “You mean that wine isn’t from the Finger Lakes?” She reared back in mock horror.
“This is a special occasion.” Zane waggled his eyebrows at her as he untwisted the wire cage around the cork. “Reason enough to spring for the good stuff. Champagne straight from France. Moët & Chandon.” The pop of the cork echoed off the Gorge walls. “I’ll admit, I drove over to a liquor store on Canandaigua Lake to buy it. I didn’t want to ruffle any local feathers.”
Taking the filled flute from him, Casey let her fingers linger along his wrist in the process. Flirting, she could do with her eyes closed. “Perhaps you should tell me what you’ve got planned.”
“I’m upping the stakes. Remember when I told you I was willing to take it slow and wait until you’re ready?”
“Vividly.” She kept her eyes locked with his as she took a sip of...holy crap, the most delicious bubbly she’d ever tasted. And swore not to go home and use the internet to find out how expensive this bottle was, because Casey was quite sure she’d feel guilty about drinking it if she knew.
“I forgot to mention the part where I do my level best to make you not want to wait any longer.”
“You think a picnic will make my panties spontaneously fall to the floor?” Because this picnic, by this man, totally would. Didn’t mean she planned to admit it right away, though. So Casey sipped and eye-flirted some more.
“That would be a great side benefit. But I’ve got a different scheme going. How often do you patrol this trail? A couple times a week?”
It wasn’t only up to her. Checking for falling rocks, the condition of the trail, weather damage were all automatic daily duties for the rangers patrolling the forest. But as park manager, the safety of the Gorge trail weighed heavily on Casey, and she made it a point to get eyes on everything—often. Not to mention all the times she got called out to help with a problem. No hardship, though. Casey couldn’t imagine there was a prettier two-mile stretch in the whole world. “Probably double that, at the least.”
With one finger he traced her left braid from her ear all the way down to its tip, jutting out over the neckline of her tank top. “I want you to think about me every time you walk past this spot. Think about everything we’ve done together. Whatever happens tonight and all the way back to the first moment I laid eyes on your beautiful face.”
She would. There was no doubt in Casey’s mind. When she walked behind this waterfall, she’d always think of Zane. Think of his brilliant brain and brawny body. His curiosity and his care for her. He’d completely imprinted himself on this little section of rock and moss and water.
So of course she compensated by teasing him. Instead of volleying back a compliment. “Everything? Including how I mocked you over the futile search for the non-existent submarine?” How come she could think all these nice things about Zane in her head but still hesitated to share them out loud? Self-preservation, Casey decided. It wasn’t safe to fully unfurl her feelings flag. Because when—if—when—she told him the truth about her past, this whole thing might go up in smoke. Better to hold back a bit until after the big reveal, so he couldn’t throw her heart right back in her face.
Zane tickled her neck with the stubby tip of the braid. “You can pick and choose your favorite parts.”
“It’s been a while since you mentioned the imaginary sub.” She swallowed a fresh round of giggles. “Have you been back down looking for it?”
His toying with her braid grew more deliberate. Now Zane wielded it almost like a paintbrush, swooping in long, slow designs across her chest and neck that raised goose bumps along her entire torso. “No. Joel had me training for the race. And now I’ll be swamped prepping for the new book. The big search might have to wait.” Eyes icing over, the rest of his face hardening, he said, “I’m used to not talking to my dad.”
“Me, neither.” Look at them connecting all over the place. Over sad stuff, sure, but it was still a deep connection. An understanding of a hurt that not many other people ever really got.
“Another few months of him not caring about what I do won’t change anything.” Then, with a conscious brightening, Zane widened his eyes and leaned back, propping himself on his hands. “If you want extra credit, something above and beyond just remembering me on this path, we could make a new memory tonight.”
“I’m listening.”
“Ever had sex?” He lifted his glass to his lips.
Weird. Random. Did he really expect her to still be a virgin after the, ah, enthusiastic way she’d crawled all over him on the floor of her house a few nights ago? “Ever ever? Yeah. Why—do you need references before we get down to it?”
“No. Here.” Zane widened his legs to scrub his foot over the twigs and pebbles on the path. “Ever abused your mighty power as head ranger and had sex in the park?”
“No.” Immediately her mind spun through the index to the binder of rules and regs back in her office. Technically, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation had no official stance on sexual relations in a Forest Preserve.
“Would you be worried about getting caught?”
“No.” Casey wasn’t a rule-breaker. Not even a rule-bender. Any restriction about being here after dark was about safety, and she knew exactly how to keep both of them safe. “Not many people ignore the closes at dusk restriction, except to sneak out in the dead of night, around two. As you’ve seen, it is wet and dark and dangerous. Plus, the acoustics of the shale are such that we’d hear someone coming in plenty of time to clear out.”
“Does that mean you’d be up for it?”
Uh oh. Better get a little full park disclosure out of the way. Because they had teased each other enough for weeks. If he unzipped his pants, those things were coming off and staying off until Casey had a perma-grin etched onto her face. She didn’t care if an owl landed on his head in the middle of it. There’d be no turning back.
“The question is more if you’d be up for it. Overall, nature makes people happy. But there are some who say they feel an odd, dark energy at the Gorge. It calls to the mentally disturbed. We have quite a few suicide attempts.”
Zane convulsed in laughter. “There’s my tell-it-like-it-is woman. You really know how to set a mood, don’t you?”
“I just don’t want to get too worked up and have you back out if you hear a weird rustling or some rock fall.”
“I’ve already heard my share of weird noises. That booming, thunder thing that comes out of Seneca Lake.”
“You heard the Seneca Drums? Nice.” They were completely unpredictable, kind of the Finger Lakes version of spotting the Northern Lights.
“Nice?” Zane widened his eyes comically and whacked his ear, as though trying to dislodge the memory of the sound. “I thought a space shuttle was landing, there was such a big sonic boom. It rattled the plates when I had lunch yesterday. What is that?”
“The more universal name, because this happens at a few sites around the world, is Mistpouffers.”
“That tells me nothing.”
Casey shrugged. “Well, that’s all I’ve got. Because nobody has any idea what makes the noise. It’s been a recorded happening for centuries. The Iroquois Indians even made up a whole legend to go with it. But scientifically? Nada. The only semi-answer that’s been floated is that it’s natural gas bursting from cracks at the lake’s bottom.”
As expected, her smarty-pants professor saw right through that, shaking his head. “If that were true, bubbles, and sometimes even flames, would show on the surface of the water. Nobody warned me to watch out for flaming w
ater when I dive.”
“Because the lake remains calm when the Seneca Drums go boom. It’s our big mystery.” And then, because she knew Zane would get a kick out of it, Casey decided to go one further. “That and our sea serpent.”
Zane’s jaw dropped. “Don’t tease.”
“Look it up in the journals. 1899. You’re welcome.”
“You work at the Gorge all the time. What do you feel?”
Incredibly grateful. Happy. So many things. But one overshadowed all the rest. “Awe. At this magnificent beauty carved out by the harshness of Nature. And awe that you’d take the time to come up with all this.” Casey pointed at candles and blankets.
“Should I bother telling you about the feast I’ve got packed away in that bag for us? Top off your drink? Or...”
Casey leaned way to the side to set her drink down by the backpack. “I choose or.”
“Thank God.” Zane rose to his knees. Casey didn’t know what he did with his glass. All she knew was that he was over her, on her. Hands...everywhere at once. Untucking her shirt, sliding up beneath it, skin on skin. His thighs straddled hers. Heat and pressure surrounded her hips. And his lips were retracing the path he’d forged with her braid earlier, taking swift nips along her collarbone, down to the vee of her breasts, and then back up along the side of her neck.
Casey, well, she held on. Managed to clutch at his thick hair with both hands as her eyelids fluttered shut in sheer, overwhelming pleasure. She and Zane passed the torch back and forth as to who took the lead during their makeout sessions. But tonight, it was clear Zane was in charge. Clear that he’d been restraining himself, his passion, more than she’d realized. Because his hunger seared her. It was big and strong and overpowering, just like Zane himself.
The thunderous roar of the waterfall seemed to echo the blood pounding through her body. Her shirt was gone. Idly Casey wondered if he’d remembered to toss it sideways, or if it was battering against the rocks at the bottom of the Gorge. His right hand reached back, pulling up behind her knee until her leg bent enough for him to stroke up and down. Meanwhile, Zane expertly flicked her bra open with the other hand. Yanked the strap down her arm with his teeth, and aimed a fierce, smoky look up at her while he did it.
“You said you’re okay with waiting for dinner?”
“Mmm hmm.” With him talking, Casey seized the chance for equal time. She pressed her lips to the throbbing pulse beneath the tan, warm skin of his neck. Grazed over that tendon with her teeth. Sucked hard and felt the pulse thrum faster.
“On a related note, are you okay with waiting for foreplay until round two?”
“Mmm hmm.” Cool air danced across her skin as he left her, taking her bra as he went. Casey hugged her arms around her chest. The Gorge did always run about ten degrees colder than the temperature in town. “Hang on. How long will I have to wait for round two? Tomorrow? After dinner?”
Zane crawled back to her, holding up the handful of condoms he’d grabbed from the pack. “Just long enough for me to strip one of these off and put the next one on.”
“Okay, then. I guess I can wait that long,” she said with a grin. Because, truly, she didn’t need the bells and whistles and fancy maneuvers. They’d been engaged in foreplay since the night they met. Casey got turned on the moment she saw Zane. Her blood turned into a lava stream as soon as he touched her. Panties soaking, every inch of her body aroused and aware, the only thing she needed to tip her over that edge was Zane buried deep inside her. She slid off her shorts. Didn’t want to waste the time unlacing her hiking boots, though.
Zane hitched out of his pants until they were below his knees. Guess he’d been optimistic—or, knowing Zane, cocky—about tonight, because he’d gone commando. His cock speared toward her, long and solid, and the sight of it sent another surge of wetness between her legs. He made quick work of rolling on the condom, then settled himself with his back against the low stone wall that was the only thing between them and the powerful cascade of water. “Come here.”
She knelt next to him. Reached for the hem of his shirt, and then realized how painful the stone would be scraping against his back. Casey contented herself with running a hand up the thick muscles of his thigh, covered lightly with dark hair. Zane edged a thumb along the waistband of her panties.
“Nice color, buttercup.” He moved his thumb beneath the thin elastic on the top of her hip and yanked them clean off of her. “Too bad they were in my way.” Then he placed both of his hands on her hips and lifted her in the air to straddle him.
The blatant display of such strength made her moan in anticipation. Casey grabbed at his shoulders to steady herself. He still held most of her weight, keeping her suspended so his velvety tip barely teased at her opening.
“I want you so much, Casey. Need you.”
Only one way to respond to that. “Take me.”
With that, he lowered her the rest of the way. She was slick enough to take him all at once without pain, just a sensation of stretched fullness that brought a cry from her lips. God, he was magnificent. Casey started to curl forward, to press against those taut pecs she was so crazy about.
Instead, she felt a tug at the side of her head. “I want to be able to taste you.” Zane grabbed both braids and rolled them around his hand until it was flush with the nape of her neck. He tugged until she arched back, thrusting her breasts at him. And then he closed his mouth around one nipple and sucked.
The pleasure spiked through her, down to where they were joined. Her hips ground in a hard circle against him, seeking more.
“Open your eyes. I told you—we’re making a memory here.” Zane palmed her ass with his other hand, moving her where he wanted her. And then his hips pistoned in a forceful rhythm that took her breath away. “I want you to be aware of where you are when I make you come.”
Casey’s eyes flew open. How did he know she was so close to that peak already? She looked at the curtain of water, painted with golden streaks from the candles. Saw it rushing in a constant, mighty combination of force and delicacy. Smelled the moist, chalky shale, mixed with the earthier green scent of the moss that streaked across it. The pure sparkle of the water. All the parts of her favorite place in the world swirled together with the unbelievable sensuality of the moment. But she couldn’t obey him. No, as the scream of pure joy ripped from her throat and every nerve ending exploded into electric bliss, Casey dropped her gaze to look at Zane. The man she loved.
With his final thrust, his fingers dug in hard and every inch of him froze. Casey could’ve stayed like that forever. Okay, maybe not forever. She was getting pretty heavily misted by the falls, and a rock was digging into her knee. But to feel all that caged passion released inside of her was heady stuff. Better even than the champagne.
“I know you’re the one used to handing out grades, Professor. But I’m ready to give you your score.”
Zane folded his arms around her waist and brought her in tight against his body. “How about we do a performance review at the end of the night? Average everything together?”
“You sure? Because I’m ready to hand you an A plus right now.” Their banter was light, but they both clung to each other fiercely. Casey had never felt so desired. No, so craved.
Scooting more toward the center of the blankets, Zane rolled to his side so they were lying entwined. “You still want to go again right away? Or can I wait until I get some blood back in my extremities?”
“I’d be okay with finishing my drink before we reboot.” Casey could use the break to let the earth stop spinning beneath her.
Zane tugged off the elastics and finger-combed out her braids. “Times like this I wish I smoked, just to have that traditional habit as a way to cap things off.”
“Aside from the whole terminal disease thing.”
“Well, yes. And I’ve never done it. But what
could we do as a good celebration to end spectacular sex?”
“How about sharing a secret?” What was she doing? Sure, all her brain cells were in recovery mode, but that was no excuse for letting the words spill off her tongue with no plan, no spin, no introduction.
A low laugh rumbled through his chest beneath Casey’s ear. “You mean like truth or dare?”
Damn it. There was no turning back. Zane wasn’t like a dog with a bone once presented with an idea. He was more like a lion with a fresh kill locked in its jaws. “No. No games. Just a truth.”
“My favorite thing. A secret truth. What have you been hiding from me?”
Chapter Seventeen
This whole falling in love thing was working out really well. Wild waterfall sex with the woman Zane hadn’t realized he’d been waiting for his whole life was enough to brand this the perfect night. Casey voluntarily sharing a part of herself without him using a crowbar to get it out of her? Off-the-charts spectacular. Still plenty of hours left to have fun out here, too. Because he’d barely begun to explore the beauty of her body. There were quite a few more interesting ways he wanted to take her in this spot. See how many mind-blowing orgasms they could rack up before the candles guttered. Then she shifted, and her boot snagged on his bunched shorts. Practicality intruded on his salacious plans.
“How about we finish stripping first? Get comfortable.” His hand slicked across the fine layer of mist on her chest. “Maybe dry you off a little. I don’t want you shivering from the temperature. Only from me.”
Casey grabbed the napkin he’d used to uncork the champagne and blotted herself. Damn. He’d wanted to be the one to do it. Zane would grab at any excuse to touch her. Because having sex with Casey hadn’t sated him. It had just opened a window on how huge his hunger for her really was. He shucked off the rest of his clothes. Tucked the used condom into a baggie he’d brought for just that purpose. No littering in the state forest, after all.
All for You Page 27