Redesigning Fate (Revive Series Book 1)

by A. M. Wilson

  By the time we reach the end of the trail, its noon. The trail opens into a community park with a beautiful beachfront, boathouse, and wooden dock. We walk down towards the lake, laying a blanket beneath a tall Maple tree with huge lush boughs casting precious shade beneath its branches. Elias leans his back against the rough bark of the trunk, while I position myself between his outstretched legs, laying back against his hard, warm chest. His arms come around me, settling on my waist, and I close my eyes. The wind blows gently off the lake across my face, smelling of flowers and fresh water and warm heat. It’s gorgeous outside today.

  A few minutes pass as we rest together. I don’t want to disturb the moment, but my stomach is protesting against me. Unzipping the pack at my feet, I pull out the sandwiches and bottles of water we packed. Elias takes some food and water from my hand for himself, his fingers grazing softly against my palm.

  We eat our sandwiches quietly for a while, watching the waves roll in onto the sandy beach. Elias startles me by pulling himself up, reaching down to help me up with him.

  “Let’s go for a quick swim,” he says, while peeling his shirt over his head.

  Oh. My.

  My mouth goes dry at seeing Elias shirtless. His skin is flawless; a light trail of hair running over his breastbone, trickling down to his naval, and disappearing beneath his waistband. His body is all hills and valleys, ropes and plains of muscle, tan smooth skin. My heart thunders loudly in my chest as he hitches his thumbs beneath the waistband of his shorts, slowly dropping the material to the ground before stepping out. Elias in nothing but sexy tight boxer briefs would rival the most sculpted model.

  “Are you going to stare all day? I’m guessing you definitely need a dip in the lake now judging by how red your face is,” he laughs, before turning and jogging off into the dark blue water.

  I don’t have a swimming suit. Glancing down my tank top, I remember I’m at least wearing a sexy matching bra and cheeky panties. I peek towards the lake, and when I don’t see Elias, or anyone else for that matter, I whip the shirt over my head, tossing it on our blanket and shimmy out of my denim shorts. A loud whistling cheer turns my face crimson.

  “Hurry up, babe! Don’t make me come up there and get you!”

  Oh hell no. I kick off my flip-flops and practically run down to the beach, throwing myself into the lake before too many people can see me. The water feels cold, but not too frigid for a swim after our sweaty hike. The lake bottom is squishy and mucky between my toes. I’m about waist deep, and I spin around, trying to find Elias. He’s hiding on me, but he can’t stay down there forever. A pair of cold arms wrap around my torso, and I scream at the sensation.

  “Boo!” he shouts in my ear.

  “That’s not funny!” Spinning in his arms, I make a weak attempt to splash him, failing miserably.

  “Oh, is that how this is?” Elias picks me up and hauls me over his shoulder headfirst into the lake. I suck in a breath at the last moment, right before my face breaks the surface, and a blast of cold water shocks my face. I flail about, righting myself, coming up for air in a childish rage.

  “Oh my God, how could you!” I can’t help but laugh. With my outstretched arm, I land a perfectly huge arc of water right in his face. “Ha! Payback!”

  He laughs, wiping water out of his eyes. Slinging his arms around my waist, he catches me, pulling me flush against his rigid body. My softness curves into his muscles, melding us together. We fit perfectly, like two distinct pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, and I can’t help but melt into his warmth.

  Home.

  The word resonates in my head, and it strikes me just then that Elias really feels like home to me. A safe, comfortable, welcoming feeling that comes from being somewhere familiar. I’ve never had that before. Not growing up, not even in my apartment, which feels cold and lonely most nights. Without even realizing it, Elias has built himself into my home, and the revelation shoots a warm stream of emotion though me. My eyes well up with tears, and I look into Elias’s baby blue eyes, reaching my hand up to thread my fingers into his damp hair.

  “What’s wrong?” he asks, bringing one hand up to cradle my cheek, brushing his thumb back and forth along the crest. I lean into his warm, safe touch. I keep my eyes locked onto his and prepare to do something I have never done before. It’s time to bare all.

  “Nothing. Nothing is wrong. I just realized I have found something in you that I’ve never had before in my life. And the feeling is incredible.”

  “And what is that you’ve found?” he asks, his mouth lifting in one corner, his eyes alight with excitement. The emotion visible on his face is encouraging, and I dare to speak the word.

  “Home.”

  I don’t have time to register the passion shining in his eyes before his lips are melding to mine, pressing deeply. The same moment he lifts, I jump, wrapping my legs around his waist, anchoring myself securely to his lean body, never breaking our kiss. His tongue seeks the same moment my mouth opens, taking small licks of my mouth, teeth, tongue. He tastes divine, igniting a new desperate need inside me, so intense I feel as if I will combust.

  One hand supporting my ass, his other threads through my hair, tilting my head to the side so he can deepen our kiss. Our breaths come in frantic gasps, a perfect match to each other. His chest heaving to my exhale. The cold of the water melts away, replaced by a fiery heat starting low in my belly, reaching out to the very tips of my limbs. I can’t stop my body from grinding against him, my hips seeking the reprieve only his body can bring me. Elias breaks the kiss in one loud gasp.

  He takes a moment to catch his breath. We’re both sucking precious air into our lungs. He doesn’t release his hold on me before he speaks. Instead, he brings his mouth to my ear, giving it a gentle nip.

  “We have to stop before I lose my control and fuck you right here,” he whispers, nipping my ear again. A shudder runs through my entire body, and Elias growls, “I don’t want to get arrested because there are families on the beach.”

  I know he’s right, I try to tell myself, but my body couldn’t care less. I shift, and Elias realizes I’m trying to pull my feet down. He lowers me until I’m standing on my own in front of him.

  “Okay, only because I know you’re right. But I need you.”

  “I need you,” he echoes in agreement.

  Elias is first out of the lake, since his boxers are a little more decent than my practically see through underwear. I watch from the water as he packs up our food, slips on his shorts over his sopping wet boxers, and carries my clothes and the blanket to where I stand freezing in the lake. He holds open the blanket like a towel, and I sprint out of the water into his awaiting arms. The material is rough and scratchy against my overly sensitized skin. We walk together, him shirtless, me wrapped in this oversized blanket, to a concealed spot where I can dress. Elias laughs as I look around to make sure nobody is watching me before dropping the blanket to the grass.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “You. You weren’t this modest when you came sprinting in the lake after me.”

  “Well that was before my underwear became see through!” I snap back. The abrupt ending to our sexual escapades must be making me moody. If I don’t get a piece of him tonight, I might explode.

  After I dress, I turn to face Elias, holding out my hand to grab his when his face splits into the biggest grin I have ever seen. Instantly, I go on the defensive.

  “What now?” I ask, too curious not to. His change in demeanor was too sudden to be random, so he must be laughing at me.

  “You should take your bra off,” he replies, trying for nonchalance and failing.

  “Why?” Looking down, I answer my own question. My shirt is now sporting two identically round wet spots over both of my breasts and nowhere else. I have boob imprints on my shirt. I can’t help the flush creeping up my neck into my cheeks. Straightening my shoulders, I raise my head to look into his eyes. “I don’t see a problem.”

  “If you say so
!” He shouts, jogging to catch up to me. Taking me by surprise, he bends down, lifting me into his arms and catching me off guard with a kiss. It’s not a light kiss; it’s filled with the same heated passion we shared in the lake, equally hot and intense, only shorter. He sets me back on my feet, holding me as I regain my balance, and leans down to whisper in my ear, “I think it’s sexy.”

  “You better watch what you say, or we won’t make it out of these woods anytime soon.” I watch as his Adam’s apple works on a swallow while we walk down the trail. It thrills me inside that I can have this effect on him.

  We manage to find our way out of the forest near late afternoon. Both of us famished, we stop for a quick bite to eat before getting in the truck again.

  “You’re not telling me where we’re going, are you?” I ask as we pull away from the small diner.

  Instead of answering, Elias simply smiles and shakes his head. Once again, I am reminded how much he has helped change me in a few short months. Normally, I’d be gripped with fear about the unknown, fretting over where we are going and what we’ll be doing. But I find myself feeling calm. Actually, more than anything, I’m excited over what he has planned. No doubt, he’s trying to keep my spirits up after last night’s nuclear meltdown.

  He drives for nearly an hour while the sun begins to sink nearer to the horizon. I rest my head against the cool window glass as I search the sky for early stars.

  “You’re quiet over there.” Elias breaks through the silence, pulling me back to the present.

  “I know,” is all I offer, not looking to delve into the details of my thoughts. What matters is I’m here now with Elias by my side.

  He reaches across the console to lace his fingers through mine in my lap as he pulls off the rural road. On either side of the truck is nothing but fields, stretching as far as I can see. What are we doing out here?

  Elias kills the engine but must leave the battery running, because the radio is still playing. He turns to face me in his seat, his free hand cupping my cheek.

  “For years now I’ve dreamed of finding you. Not someone like you. You. And now that I have, I wonder what I did to deserve you.”

  I could echo the sentiment back, word for word, but I don’t. Truth is I’ve spent years doubting I’d ever be good enough once I did find him. I still struggle with feeling good enough, but I don’t want to taint this moment with insecurities when he’s proven repeatedly I shouldn’t have them.

  Therefore, I stare back into the infinite depth of his eyes, silently conveying how much I’ve fallen for him. Words will never be enough, and yet, I don’t even have the words to try.

  “Come here,” Elias calls as he releases me and gets out of the car.

  I scramble out to meet him, a little taken back at how quickly the moment was broken. Is he upset I didn’t say anything in reply? I watch from the hood as he leans back in the truck. I wonder what he’s doing until I hear the music pouring out into the silent dark night. He rounds the front, stopping in before me. He takes my hand.

  “Dance with me.”

  A giggle erupts from my mouth, and I’m surprised at his odd request. “Elias, I can’t dance like this.”

  “Sure you can. It’s easy.” He wraps the hand he’s holding around his neck, letting go once he’s certain I’ll leave it there. Then he grabs my free hand, tangling my fingers with his. He pulls our bodies flush against one another as we begin to sway to the soft melody. The Curse by Josh Ritter drifts delicately on the breeze surrounding us as we sway and twirl with one another.

  “You’re crazy,” I tease, but I can’t deny the fact I love this moment. I don’t proclaim to be a romantic, but what girl wouldn’t swoon when the man of their dreams takes them dancing beneath the stars? This is the stuff of dreams.

  As our bodies meld against one another, I close my eyes, pressing my ear against his chest so I can hear the steady strong beat of his heart.

  I’m taken back to a different time, almost a different life.

  A little girl.

  It was my sixth birthday; the first one after David had left, yet before my mom began to blame me for his sudden departure. She had started drinking at this point and wasn’t usually very nice, but she didn’t show the obvious revulsion she has no problem expressing today.

  I came home from kindergarten, and when I got off the school bus, she has a present and a cake waiting for me. She shocked me. We had never celebrated a birthday of mine before—David was always too drunk, mom always busy working—so to see a cake and gift waiting for me confused my six year old self.

  Over the cup of coffee, I’m assuming contained more than just Folgers she told me, “Life is not a fairytale Marlena. Don’t you ever forget that. There are no happily ever after’s in real life. But life is sprinkled with these Cinderella moments. A handful of good times after all the bad.”

  I didn’t get it at the time, my mind too little to comprehend what she was saying, but now I see it.

  Held by Elias, dancing beneath the starry sky, letting myself fall in love after all the anger and pain I endured by my father, brother, mother, and Travis, I see it. My life is not a fairytale. It’s probably the farthest thing from it. However, with Elias, I’m surrounded by Cinderella moments. This is one of them.

  As the song winds down, I feel, rather than see, Elias leading me backwards. The cool metal of the car presses beneath my back as Elias leans against my front. I lift my head to look at him, and he drops his mouth to my neck, kissing the tender skin along my throat. The cold air and his wicked mouth rouse a shiver from my body.

  “Are you cold?” he asks, barely lifting his lips from my now heated skin.

  “No,” I reply, gazing into his darkening blue eyes.

  He fists his hand in my hair abruptly, tugging my mouth to meet his. We collide in a bruising force. Elias’s tongue swipes out to taste my lips, and I open for him, stroking his sweet mouth greedily with my own. His free hand snakes up, slipping beneath the hem of my shirt until he reaches the cup of my bra. His finger slowly trace the rounded edge of flesh in light, teasing strokes.

  I want more. I arch my back, forcing my breast into his hand, needing to feel him against my bare skin, needing to feel him everywhere. Elias groans as he slips his palm beneath the wire of my bra to cup my breast, his rough palm grazing my nipple in deliciously calloused strokes.

  After our heated encounter in the lake this afternoon, now finally letting him touch me, touching him, I moan into his mouth. My body is about to combust.

  “Elias,” I whisper, trying to control the desperation in my voice. “I need you. God, I need you now.”

  He rears back from my body, his warm palm leaving my breast heavy and wanting. His eyes glow like burning embers as the heat from them fills me up. “Babe, in the truck,” he half commands, half groans.

  My vision hazes as a bolt of need hits me between my thighs. I don’t want to leave. I need him right here. “But, please. I don’t want to wait,” I beg unashamedly.

  Elias cups my face in his slightly trembling palms, the control he’s exercising over himself evident. “Every time we’ve fucked, it’s been rough and dirty and spur of the moment. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved every fucking second. But it’s time I love you with my body. When I take you properly, it’ll be in your bed.”

  He needn’t say anymore. Without another word, I jump into his truck.

  The door to my apartment crashes open and we stumble through it. My body aches to climb Elias like a tree, but he grabs hold of my hand and gently leads me into my bedroom. We stop beside my bed, our gazes locked, and our chests heaving in tandem. He lifts his hand up to brush the pad of his thumb over my lower lip.

  My tongue darts out to trace the heated path his thumb only just created. Leaning down, he takes my lower lip into his mouth, sucking gently on the soft, warm piece of flesh, sending tingles shooting throughout my lower body. My breath catches, and without thinking about it I kiss him back, a gesture which has become s
econd nature to me. I kiss those soft pink lips of his with equal fervor, because I own those lips. Those lips are mine.

  The groan rumbling beneath his chest is purely instinctual alpha male. Our lips separate and he takes one easy step backwards. Staring through lust filled eyes, I watch as Elias slowly unbuttons his shirt and peels the material from his body.

  I drink him in.

  When he presses his naked chest to mine, I suck in a breath at the contact. His body is silk beneath my fingers, the light patch of chest hair teasing the overly sensitized skin of my palm.

  When he reclaims my mouth, Elias slows his movements. Each lick is deliberate. He nips carefully at my mouth. He sucks my bottom lip gently, running his tongue against the sensitive flesh, and repeats with my top lip. When I go to run my fingers through his soft blonde locks, he reaches behind his head to stop me. Pulling my hands between us and using one of his, he presses both of my palms against his chest, against his heart. Leaning back slightly, Elias strokes his calloused hand against the skin between my breasts, before resting his hand against my heart.

  I try to control the heaving of my chest. The cold room air is no match for the skin Elias has set to fire with his touch.

  “Do you feel that? My heart beats for you. It beats because of you. One look at you can send it racing, and one look from you can slow it down. I’ve never been a forever kind of guy, but Marlee, you make me want forever.” My heart speeds up as I listen to his words; soak in the depth of their meaning. Elias groans, his eyes taking on a brightened passionate look.

  “That right there, feeling your heart speed up because of something I said? I could spend forever making you feel the way you do right now. I want to spend forever knowing I’m the one who gets to hold your heart.”

  “You are,” I pause to swallow against the lump forming in my throat. “You make me feel things I’ve never felt before. You’ve shown me what it feels like to have someone’s unconditional love.”