by Jamie Begley
Reaper was still taking his jeans off when Ginny jumped into the pool of water, swimming toward the middle. He slowly tried to walk into the pool, only to find it was too deep and he had start swimming to keep his head above the water.
“You swam here when you were three?”
“Mmmhmm …” Laying on her back, Ginny did back strokes toward him. Then she straightened to tread water next to him. “This is my happy place. Whenever I wanted to run away from Lisa and Dalt, I would come here in my mind and everything would be okay again.” Drifting closer to him, she wound her arms around his shoulders as she wrapped her legs around his waist, trusting him to keep them afloat. “Do you have a happy place, Gavin?”
“No.”
“Then you do now. I don’t mind sharing it with you.” She laid her head on his shoulder as they idly drifted around.
“You missed this island, didn’t you?”
“So badly … sometimes I just wanted to scream. I’ve told you a little lie. I might as well tell you now.”
From the whispered, laughing way she made the admission, he could tell the confession wasn’t anything to be concerned about.
“What is it?” He placed his hand on her bottom to keep her from drifting away.
“I didn’t give you all the parts of my soul. Clindale has a small part and always will.” Raising her hand, she used her thumb to press on the nail bed of her pinkie. “So itty bitty that you won’t even miss it.” Ginny gave a small, heartfelt sigh. “Can we stay here forever? I don’t want to leave.”
“You would miss your brothers, Willa, and T.A. too badly.”
She didn’t argue back. “Who would you miss?”
“Viper.”
“Aw … I knew it. You do love your big brother.”
“If you tell him, I’ll deny it.”
“Mums the word.”
Suddenly, she raised her head, pretended to zip her mouth shut, and then threw away the key before she wiggled out of his arms to climb out of the basin. Reaper lazily lay back to float when he saw her start climbing the rocks on the side of the waterfall. Loose stones fell down as she climbed higher.
“Ginny … get your ass back down here!” he bellowed out, frantically swimming to where he could climb out.
He braced his arms, leveraging his body out of the pool, then took off at a run as she went up the rocky incline like quicksilver.
“Wait for me. I’ll help you back down!” he yelled, reaching the bottom of the incline, then hesitating when she slipped from his eyesight. “Ginny!”
She came into view at the edge of waterfall.
His heart stopped midbeat as Ginny jumped off the high waterfall, plunging down at a breakneck speed. He watched her fall as if in slow motion as she hit the water in the basin below. He took a halting step forward, his heart still unable to beat in terrorizing fear she was hurt… until her head popped up and her laughter filled the air.
“Evangeline …,” Uncaring his voice sounded as though it went through a cheese grater, he continued, “come here.”
“Uh … no. I don’t like the way you’re looking at me.” Ginny started backstroking farther away from where he was standing.
“How many of your brothers did Freddy have to make watch you to keep you from getting your ass killed?”
“I’m not gonna tell you.” Ginny quit swimming long enough to stick her tongue out at him, then went back to swimming. “I don’t like your tone of voice,” she said haughtily.
Reaper went to the pool, diving into the water to swim under the surface. Ginny swam like a fucking seal to the other side to get away from him.
Doing a sidestroke, Reaper tried to block her escape by getting in front of her, only to feel the strong kick of her foot when she did a fucking flip, turning to go in the other direction. He cursed at finding another little detail that Shade and Rider had neglected to tell him—Ginny was an expert swimmer.
She darted underneath him, and it was only because he had grown up on a beach and had been a diver in the Navy that she wasn’t completely able to smoke him.
Going through the motions at pretending to catch Ginny, he gradually saw the glow come back in her expression. Angry as he was at her jumping off the waterfall, he was glad this part of the island hadn’t been tarnished by Allerton’s actions. Reaper switched tactics, letting her expel her strength by merely lagging behind and letting her wear herself out. When she saw he wasn’t following her as closely, she slowed her speed, gauging the distance between them.
Reaper did a fish kick, propelling himself, cutting the distance between them in half. When Ginny looked again, he was almost on her. With a squeal, she tried to flip again, but he beat her, going underwater to come up under her. Grabbing her waist, he propelled her upward, holding her securely so she couldn’t slip away from him. Then he opened his mouth to give her blazing hell for jumping off the waterfall, only to go still when, instead of trying to get away, she pressed her body harder against his and dove her tongue into his mouth.
Desire burst into a kaleidoscope of colors, making him forget why he’d been angry. She silkily twined her arms around his neck and brought her thighs around his waist as she hung limply to him, kissing him senseless. The flames of his temper resurfaced in his cock, driving away any plan to punish her for the reckless jump.
His mind jumped backward to their first meeting when he listened to her sing at T.A.’s wedding. This was what he had seen when he stared down into the watery depths of the pool—them embracing in a watery waltz with the glow of the sun playing matchmaker, holding the shadows of their pasts at bay.
The pain of his past and the future he could have converged together, lifting him out of the mire he had been bogged down in.
Possessively holding Ginny, he kicked his feet to float them toward the side of the pool. Using one arm on the bank, he managed to lift both of them out of the water. Laying Ginny down on the ground, he then leaned over her without breaking their kiss.
Pulling the straps of her swimsuit down, he peeled the suit off her body. Then, shifting himself over her, he entered her body in one smooth stroke, easily sliding inside of her warm cavern.
Their bodies clung together damply, moving together as one. Any time he touched Ginny, she gave over herself with her whole heart. It was a heady thing, having that type of devotion centered on him. Despite being with too many women to count, he had never felt this before.
Thrusting harder inside of her, Reaper trembled over her, fighting the urge to fuck even harder until she splintered into a thousand pieces, giving him the submissive surrender he needed from her. Nine years he’d been Slate’s sex slave, and in less than a month Ginny gave back what had been stolen from him—control over his body.
Reaper had to admit the sex between them was one-sided. She gave him access to all of her, while he only gave her what he wanted her to have. Mentally, he couldn’t handle it when she strayed from the areas of his body that he allowed her to touch. If she tried to initiate another way of having sex, or accidently touched him in the wrong area, it would bring back the memories of being violated. Any move made to suck his dick, ride him, or bite his neck sent him back down the dark path that only held pain and degradation.
Sex with Ginny was as simple as it could get, and that was all he was capable of. He would never be the adventurous, sexual, hedonistic man who had helped create The Last Riders with Rider.
She lay under him, moving in unison with him, not trying to take what he wasn’t willing to give, yet each sexual encounter they shared, she was subtly entrenching herself in his heart with her selfless willingness to forego the pleasures he was denying her.
Ginny brought her palm to the curve of his cheek. “Are you still mad?”
“No.”
“Good. I don’t like it when you’re angry with me.”
“Don’t do that again. You have to be more careful—”
“Trudy said I used to do it four or five times a day.”
“You w
eren’t mine then.”
“I’ve always been yours.”
Reaper pretended to shake water off his face, not wanting her to see how affected he was by what she said.
“I knew it would be okay. I already know how I’m going to die.”
Reaper stopped moving inside of her.
Ginny nodded up at him. “Jody and Fynn told me. They have Freddy’s gift. They can read the stars.”
“They told you when you’re going to die?” His breath came in harsh gasps.
She stared up at him winsomely. “Don’t worry; I won’t being wearing a halo anytime in the next seventy years.” She arched her hips upward toward his.
“You keep moving like that and you won’t have a halo waiting for you.”
Reaper started moving again in a series of gentle thrusts that had her slipping her hand to the nape of his neck.
“I asked my dad once how angels earned their halos.”
“What did he say?”
“That he didn’t know. There hadn’t been any Colemans worthy of the name as far as he knew.” She giggled. “Freddy said He only gave halos to the angels He didn’t have to watch over all the time. Colemans kept the good Lord too busy watching over us, so He gave us something else.”
“What did He give the Colemans?”
“The Ten Commandments.”
His hand shook as he traced the line of her jaw. “I have a new commandment to add to His list. Thou shall not jump off anything higher than two inches.”
“There was nothing to be afraid of,” she assured him matter-of-factly. “Silas was there to slow me down. No matter where I am, he always manages to cushion my fall.”
He stopped moving his hips. When Ginny jumped off the waterfall as if in slow motion, then hit the basin, he feared Ginny had been hurt. It hadn’t been a trick of his mind. Silas had been there catching her.
“The night you and Leah were on the roof, when Silas spanked you, he had to catch you, didn’t he?”
“It’s beautiful here. I don’t want to go back to Sherguevil.” She stared at him wistfully, as if memorizing his face.
“Ginny.” Refusing to be sidetracked, Reaper used the same tone of voice that he had used to intimidate new recruits under his command when he was in the military.
She made a face up at him. “He cushioned me.”
“Caught.”
“Cushioned.”
His voice grew more intimidating. “How many times has Silas caught you?”
“A few times. It was Leah and my favorite spot.”
The woman knew no fear because Silas had always been there to catch her.
When he got back to Treepoint, Hammer wasn’t the only one he was going to rip into for enabling Ginny’s reckless behavior.
“The first time you went out there, you should have had your ass set on fire.”
Ginny gave him her own intimidating stare. “Gavin, I told you I don’t believe in corporal punishment.”
“Too fucking bad. When it comes to you getting hurt, only what I want matters.”
“News flash”—Ginny wiggled, trying to shimmy out from under his dick and almost succeeding in slipping his dick out of his resting place—“what I want matters, too.”
Thrusting deeper, he bore his hips down on her, stopping the wiggling movements. Then, changing tactics, his expression went from intimidating to disappointment. Reaper hadn’t earned his medals without knowing how to win battles.
“How did you feel when I took off with Slate?”
He knew he had her when her body softened under his.
“I was terrified for you,” she admitted.
“That’s how I felt when you jumped off the waterfall. You took a risk you didn’t need to take.” To make his point, he had to expose a part of himself. “You scared the fuck out of me. Please don’t jump off anything that high again. Please.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I won’t do it again.”
Stroking one of her nipples with the tip of his tongue, Reaper unashamedly used a secret weapon that he’d used more than once on unsuspecting women. Giving Ginny puppy dog eyes to get the capitulation he wanted, he said, “Promise?”
“Aw … I promise.” Ginny stroked his back lovingly. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Well, you did.” He plaintively used his tongue to flip her nipple into the direction of his mouth. Sucking the tender nub, he felt Ginny bucking under him to get him moving. Sliding back and forth in her slick pussy, he drifted his mouth to Ginny’s other breast to latch on to her nipple. Opening his mouth wider, he sucked the whole areola into his mouth, swirling his tongue over the delicate flesh, while squeezing her other breast in a tight grip to get the blood rushing to the nipple. He then broke the suction on the breast in his mouth to switch targets. Ginny gave a hiss of air when his mouth hovered over her straining tip.
“No fair.”
Reaper barely let his lips touch her nipple without exerting any pressure. “What’s wrong?” He grinned, knowing full well what was irritating her.
“You’re teasing me.” Ginny strained upward, trying to get him to open his mouth.
Reaper flexed his hips upward. “I wouldn’t call this teasing.”
“My nipple,” she gasped.
“What do you want me to do?” He teased her by lifting his lips higher away from her nub.
“Suck it.”
Reaper laughed at the uncomfortable demand. Ginny was more like Willa than her own sister, T.A. She was a prude when it came to dirty talk, and he couldn’t help but be charmed when she would finally slip and reveal her own desires.
He lowered his mouth to place it over her nipple as he slowly built up the speed of his thrusts.
“Harder,” she demanded.
“Which one? You want me to suck your nipple harder or fuck you harder?”
“Both!” She pressed the balls of her feet on his ass harder as she bucked under him.
Pounding inside of her, he tightened his mouth over her breast, giving her the pressure she needed. Feeling her spasming pussy on his cock, he gave in to his own climax, only removing his mouth when he felt her ecstatic thrusting ease into intermittent shudders.
Using his thumb to rub back a strand of her hair clinging to her parted lips, he gave her a kiss before disengaging himself from her body to lift her into his arms. Ginny gave a shrill squeal when he jumped into the cool water. Giving him a dirty look when she came up for air, Reaper did a backstroke away from her, dodging the playful punch she aimed at him.
“Jerk!”
“That wasn’t what you thought a second ago when I was fucking your brains out,” he taunted.
“Wild man, you’re good, but you’re not that good,” she taunted back.
Reaper turned onto his front in the water and, in one move, did a flip to dive under the water just to come up under her. Taking her by the waist, he lifted her up until she was above him, staring down at him.
“What’d you say?” Giving her a mock threatening look, he dared her to repeat her taunt.
Her lips pressed together in a stubborn line. “Nothin’.”
“You sure you have nothing else to say?”
“Pretty sure.”
Slowly lowering her back down to the water, he gave her a satisfied smile.
A splash of water aimed directly at his face interrupted his triumph.
Grabbing Ginny’s wrist before she could splatter him with more water, they started wrestling in the water, each of them trying to dunk the other. When Ginny slipped behind him to use all her strength to press down on his shoulder with her hands, Reaper turned his head to eye her quizzically.
Out of breath, Ginny laid her head on his shoulder. “Trying to dunk you.”
“That’s was a fail.” He snorted sarcastically.
“I wasn’t trying hard.”
“Seemed like you were.” Unable to keep from laughing, Reaper reached behind him, snagging Ginny’s hands to float her in front of hi
m. “You’re a nut.”
“And you take life too seriously,” she rebutted. “We can be serious when we go back to Sherguevil. Sweet man, come out and play with me,” she called out coaxingly as if their bodies weren’t intertwined to stay afloat.
Reaper felt a sharp stinging pain from inside his chest. He had never felt the strange pain before and was nervous to take a deep breath, wary of the ache hitting him again.
“Aw … look, Gavin. Isn’t that pretty?”
Reaper turned his head to see where Ginny was pointing, only to find himself sinking under the water. Kicking upward, he shook the water out his eyes and saw Ginny swimming away from him, gloating laughter reverberating around the secluded falls. Dunking him should have set off alarm’s bells after the game Slate used to torment him with, yet hearing Ginny’s at her out maneuvering him only soothed his soul.
The momentary pain in his chest gone, Reaper gave chase after the water nymph, his own laughter filling the air as he pursued her. Reaper had to admire her, it took all of his skill to keep up with her. He had a natural affinity for water as did Ginny.
In olden times, sailors had been warned about sirens and their ability to steal a man’s soul with the sound of their voices. Reaper knew his thoughts were fucking ridiculous, blaming Ton who had spoon fed him old legends from Greek mythology of sirens who had healing powers derived from the water to heal the warriors they protected.
Using the rocks near the base of the waterfall, he was able to corral her by the waterfall, rocks, and him. Inwardly congratulating himself that he had her boxed in and would be able to outswim her to the open side, Reaper drifted closer to her.
His win of their game was within reach, until the water nymph spun in the water, her hands going to a large rock, intending to clamber up it.
“No.” Reaper’s voice sternly rang out to bring the game to an abrupt end. “Come here.”
Ginny paused, turning her head to look at him from over her shoulder.
“I don’t want you climbing on those rocks. They’re too slick.”
Ginny turned back to the rocks as if to ignore his warning.
“Come. Here.” His voice went deeper, darker. “Now.”