by Emily Bishop
Summer had finished her story this morning. I had caught her upside down, her head resting against the floorboard as her toned body shot up in one straight arrow.
I had witnessed it all, her yoga ritual, the way her body expanded and stretched, the beautiful serenity that engulfed her features as she balanced upside down with concentration.
I had startled her, and her eyes had met mine. After she came safely down, she told me her story was finished.
The dread had been instant. It had invaded my body and paralyzed me with fear. Questions separated us.
The fear of losing her, of the unknown, had rushed in that morning, and I had been unable to breathe.
As we neared the stables, I returned my focus to the present. I didn’t have all the answers, but I wanted to soak her up, to spend every minute left with her by my side. A plot formed quickly in my head. I was going to do something special for Summer. I was going to surprise her.
Smirking, I parked Tikko in his stables and then unsaddled him quickly. My movements were mechanic, my mind lost to the plan hatching in my head.
Everything clicked into place. I knew exactly where I was going to take her.
When I entered my house, the first thing I did was throw a basket together with a bottle of vintage white wine, fresh bread, raw peanut butter, jam, and fruit. Then I weaved my way across the house, basket in hand, and searched for the woman that made my heart go crazy.
I found her, in my library, her gaze fixed ahead on a mantlepiece covered in photographs.
Ah. I see she’s found what she’s looking for.
Clearing my throat, I startled her, and she jumped back in surprise.
I couldn’t help but smile. “Hey, beautiful. I thought I might find you here.”
“I wasn’t snooping,” she quickly said, her guilt-laden eyes connected with mine.
I shook my head. “Of course you weren’t.”
“James, I had no idea.” Summer paused, in her attempt to collect herself together. When she next looked at me, her eyes were watery.
Something inside me crumbled. I hated to see her like this.
I took a step towards her. “What’s wrong?” I asked, my voice softening at the edges.
Summer ran a hand through her mermaid braided hair and then shook it. “Nothing’s wrong…it’s just that, I had no idea how many projects you’ve set up overseas. Cambodia, Myanmar, Mali. From building an anti-sex trafficking shelter in Cambodia, to a school in Myanmar and an entire village in Mali… This is amazing.” Summer’s voice broke with emotion, and I closed the distance between us.
You’re amazing.
“And you’re crying because…?”
She met my stare. “Because you’re amazing. What you’ve done for these people…it’s mind-blowing, James.”
I had spent years giving back to communities in need. It never sat right with me, the amount of money that piled up in my bank account, while billions of people were either sold into slavery, starved to death, or given guns as children.
“Maybe I can take you someday to visit.” The words came out before I could stop them. The impact of my reply was heavy.
Will there be a future between us?
Almost instantly, the knots rose up in my throat again, and I dug my nails into my palms to prevent the anxiety from resurfacing.
A buoyant smile possessed her sexy lips, breaking through the tension, and my soul shattered into pieces.
“I would love that.” She beamed up at me, her eyes a hue of mountain green forestry.
My heart skipped a beat and I grabbed her arm, pulling her into an embrace so that her head was pressed against my chest. I planted a kiss at the crown of her head and inhaled deeply. Today she smelled like pine and oak, courtesy of my shampoo. There was something deeply arousing about that, a woman enveloped in my scent.
I changed the subject. “You’ve finished your story today, Summer. That’s big. I’m not going to let that slide easily.”
Summer perked up. She tilted her head back to catch my stare. “Meaning…?”
“I’m going to take you to my place today.”
“Your place?”
“You’ll see,” I said.
Summer pulled closer toward me and planted a quick kiss on my lips.
Heat shot up my cock.
“Maybe I’ll even let you read my story today. Who knows. Today’s full of surprises,” Summer teased.
“Considering I’m the subject of the story, I will read it,” I retorted.
Curiosity gnawed at me. I wanted to see her writing, the very thing that lit up her eyes in childish excitement, her love for journalism and storytelling. I wanted to soak up all of her and get inside that beautiful clever brain of hers. But first, I wanted to take her to the one place that made sense to me, the one place that stilled my inner thinking and sedated me into calm.
*
I had stumbled upon Dead Man’s Hole by accident. One day, when it had all been too much, I hopped into my car and drove out to the woods. After a long hike, I came upon the natural swimming hole, nestled in the back woods with a powerful waterfall and a spring-fed pool, with a shady cove that quickly caught my attention.
The cool and clear water hole, isolated by a cocoon of trees, became my spot when I needed to reflect on shit or make a quick getaway from the world.
And now Summer was part of it.
I turned around and studied her reaction.
She was loving it.
Her jaw dropped in awe, and she slipped out of her backpack hastily. Her eyes darted from me to the waterfall and then back to me again. Finally, a huge grin split open her warm face and she squealed out in delight.
“Are you fucking kidding me right now? It took you this long to show me this place?” Her voice rose an octave as the excitement rolled off her tongue.
I couldn’t help but shrug.
“There’s a right time and a place. Today is the day.”
“I’ve always wanted to jump off a cliff and into a waterfall!” she exclaimed.
Easy there, honey. That ain’t happening on my watch.
“Considering your clumsiness and aptitude for having bad shit happen to you, I think I can confidently say that that is a terrible idea.”
Summer threw me a pout. Not waiting for my reply, she began peeling her sweat-soaked shirt and leggings off.
Shit.
My erection stood up at the mere sight of her bare skin shimmering against the Texas sun. Only her sports bra and underwear remained.
I swallowed hard.
Thankfully, I found my voice again. “What are you doing?” I growled.
“If you want to stew in your own sweat, be my guest. But I, my friend, am going to jump off that cliff and into that deliciously-cool looking water.”
The only delicious thing here is you.
There was no winning with Summer. She was strong-willed and stubborn, kind of like me, and once she made up her mind about something, that was it.
I stretched my arms overhead and smirked as Summer trailed her gaze down to my arms and bit her lip suggestively.
Finally she spoke again. “Are you coming or what?”
I waved her away. I was in for the show. “I don’t want to miss you hurling down the cliff. I’ll be right here.”
To catch your fall.
Summer shrugged, as if to say “suit yourself,” and then she ran up the cove, climbing her way across the precarious-looking rocks.
I watched her like a hawk, assessing her every move.
Holy fuck, her ass.
It was so tight, so perky and smooth against the gleaming ray of sun that I practically fucking drooled.
I was going to meet her in the water. Slipping out of my T-shirt and shorts, I stripped to my briefs and then dove into the crisp clear water.
Absolute bliss.
The water hugged my hot body, cooling me instantly.
In a broad stroke, I crossed over to the waterfall, and then stood on a bou
lder, rising half-way out of the water. My eyes trailed all the way up, up, up until I finally found my target.
Summer.
She looked so goddamn beautiful standing tall against the merciless sun. Her silky olive skin deepened in the light, giving her a sex-goddess aura.
My breathing hitched.
“You ready for me?” she yelled against the roaring waterfall.
“Always,” I replied.
Smiling, Summer stepped back and then ran forward until she free-fell into the water a couple feet away from me. She dove in safely, making a neat splash ripple around her.
She was so fucking fearless. She hadn’t even flinched when she hurled over a cliff.
Wait a second.
My heartbeat halted.
Summer still hadn’t broken through the water.
“Summer?” I called out.
This can’t be happening.
A cold draft washed over my back, and a lead weight settled like a rock in my stomach.
I sprang into action and dove back into the water, swimming in desperate strokes to get to her in time.
I fumbled around the water and screamed out her name.
Where the fuck is she? Where the—
“BOO!” A voice screamed from behind me, and I jolted in the water.
Arms wrapped themselves around me from behind, and a chuckle murmured its way into my ear.
“Summer?”
She laughed. “Caught you. Did you think a shark got me?” Summer teased and then she bit into the side of my ear playfully.
What the actual fuck?
She was going to pay for this.
I swung around until I was face to face with her. Her eyes widened, and she pursed her lips. “I take it you’re not a fan of tricks?”
“Not when it comes to your safety, no.” I replied coolly.
“It was just a joke,” she retorted.
“Am I laughing?” I cocked an eyebrow at her.
She bit back a smirk. “You don’t have to be so serious all the time.”
Oh, I was going to show her serious.
I swam closer to her, and her breath caught in her throat. This time I smiled.
“Do you know why I brought you here?” I asked, changing direction.
“This place means something to you.”
“Ten points for Gryffindor.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “What! You’re a Harry Potter fan and you never said anything? That’s just cruel!”
There were a lot of things she didn’t know about me, including what I was about to do to her.
“I may or may not have read the first four books,” I admitted.
Summer gasped in horror. “You stopped after The Goblet of Fire? That’s worse than not having read any of them at all.”
“I can think of something that’s worse for you,” I retorted.
She arched her eyebrow at me. “Oh really? And what is that?”
“Being completely helpless to the most earth-shattering orgasm,” I said, dead serious.
A small yelp escaped Summer’s throat and her shoulders stiffened in the water. She stared up at me meekly. “Wait, what?”
“You didn’t think I brought you all the way here, in front of a waterfall, only to not then make you come in front of the waterfall?”
A slight smile teetered at the corner of Summer’s lips, and then she licked them. She fucking licked them.
I reached over and brushed her wet lips with my fingertip.
That was all.
One touch, against the patch of her skin, and Summer quivered.
In a flash, I wrapped my arms around her and hauled her out of the water and across to the waterfall, until we were under the spurt of water.
I slipped my hands underneath Summer’s sports bra and ripped it open, without mercy.
Her wet breasts were ready for me, and her nipples perked underneath my touch.
Summer whimpered and squeezed her eyes shut.
I crashed down into her and kissed her, the sweetest, deepest part of her, and my vision blackened for a fraction of a second.
I devoured and conquered her, and Summer responded with equal thirst. Flinging her eyes open, she roamed her hands across my chest and let out a moan.
“Sculpted like granite. Holy fuck, I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to this,” she panted.
I responded by exploring her body with greed, with a necessity, as if she were oxygen and I would drown without my lips against her skin.
My fingers finally rested on the thin fabric that separated her bare pussy with cloth.
What was one more rip?
I did it. I tore off her panties, and Summer moaned again.
Small hands found mine and tugged until my briefs came down.
This time, Summer took the full length of me in her hands and stroked with precision.
Fire danced in my vision, and I tossed my head back, groaning.
I was delirious with desire when she took me in her mouth and sucked at the base of my dick.
Her eyes never left mine.
As I slipped inside her mouth, she swirled her tongue over and over again in gentle loops. The momentum built up until I couldn’t bear it any longer. I was melting in a paradise of warmth and wetness and softness and holy fuck it felt good.
Goosebumps spread up my skin at the sound of her deep-throated moans.
I had to have her. Now.
Pulling out of her mouth, I hauled Summer back up in one quick stroke and claimed her.
Our breaths broke out in short, hot pants, as if we were running a marathon together.
Pure ecstasy shot through me, and it almost set my head on fire.
I slid down behind Summer’s thighs and then lifted her effortlessly, until she slotted in between my legs.
As I penetrated her drenched wet pussy, everything fell into place.
She brought me to the present, to the now, and everything else was just background noise. As I rocked into her, with the waterfall spraying us with cool droplets, the very essence of her filled up my cock with love and longing. Enveloped in Summer’s warmth, there was nothing else but me and her and this moment.
As we came together under the waterfall, I was complete.
*
Summer's head rested snugly against my stomach as we lay down on the grass and watched the clouds pass us by in an unhurried daze.
What an afternoon. It had been filled with love-making and leisurely swims, followed by a drawn-out picnic lunch, another heated game of identity quest and now this, Summer's story.
I hadn't expected her to whip out the printed papers from her backpack, ready for me to consume at a moment’s notice. But I had. I re-read her story over and over again until it settled into my mind and the ranch was brought to life.
Seeing myself portrayed as this heroic, ethical, animal-loving man tugged something deep inside me.
And then it clicked into place. Summer saw me this way, and that is the only thing that mattered.
I placed the document down on my side, and my belly stirred with unwanted memories, memories of a time when I had been brutally cold and anything but ethical in the way I dealt with legal cases and people.
It was crazy how Summer knew the deepest darkest parts of me and she was still here by my side.
Summer's warmth brought me back to the present. “You've been reading that for the fourth time now, John.” Summer retorted as her fingers trailed down my skin, leaving fresh Goosebumps in its wake.
“You couldn't have picked a better incognito name for me?” I replied, with an edge of cynicism.
“John like John Doe. Seems fitting.” Summer purred.
“You've got raw talent, Summer. And it's a great story. What can I say? I guess I never really thought of my ranch that way, until you put it into perspective.”
I threaded my fingers through Summer’s damp locks and fiddled with her hair. Her arms sagged by her sides.
“Mmmm, my mom used to do that
to me. I love it. But also I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for trusting me to write this story, for letting me in. After everything you’ve gone through, James, all the lies, deception, and betrayal. Despite it all, you still opened up, and you’re even more beautiful than I thought. You are so fucking beautifu,l James, don’t ever let anyone destroy that part of you.” As Summer finished speaking, I let the full brunt of her words seep in.
You’re thanking me?
I should have been the one to thank her, for her courage, her passion and heat, her appetite for life, and her ability to see right into people and still pull out something good in them amidst the chaos and the flaws and the baggage people carried.
I rolled over onto my side until I was inches away from Summer’s lips. I caught the intensity of heat surging through her eyes and I lost myself in her.
“You fixed something broken inside me. And that’s not even why I love you.”
I stopped speaking after that, because words were just words in the end. I wanted to show her just much she meant to me, so I did. We made love for the second time that lazy afternoon.
Chapter 15
Summer
A large yawn enveloped me, and I rubbed my worn-out eyes. I was definitely not a morning person.
It was early, like I-shouldn't-be-awake-at-this-hour early, but I had decided to grab some fresh clothes before settling into James's ranch for a day of wild passionate sex and Juanita’s famous vegan curry. We had three precious days left together. Three days until I was supposed to be back in New York and hand in my story. While I was one to live in the present, the uncertainty between us loomed ahead.
Questions continued to lay unanswered. We loved each other, but was that enough? And my story. I had finally submitted it to Discover, and the stakes were high. To go back to a cubicle covering Kate Hudson’s Pilates regime, or to report on real news…that was the question that still hung in the air.
What happens now?
My least favorite question on the planet wormed its way into my brain. There was a contradiction to the question alone, a clash between the future and the past.
As my mind hovered dangerously close to anxiety territory, I attempted to suck in a sharp breath to still my racing heart but that didn’t work.
