by Elena Aitken
“Absolutely.” He loved it when a woman took charge. “Just tell me where to go.”
“Okay, but I think you might want me to drive my dad’s old truck. We’re going into the hills. You brought your bathing suit, right?”
Cal nodded. He had thrown his board shorts into the backseat; however, if Milena wanted to go swimming in the lake, he had full intentions of going skinny-dipping. “The lake isn’t in the hills.”
“I didn’t say we were going to the lake.” She winked. “Come on.” They left his convertible behind, and like the good sport he was, Cal got into the passenger seat of the beat-up truck.
The conversation was easy as they drove through town and out into the hills.
It had been years since Cal had been up the mountain and away from the lake. Cal had only been fourteen the last time he’d been in Cedar Springs. He’d missed out on a lot of the partying that took place up there. But he did know of one very special location in the mountains. “Are we going where I think we’re going?”
Milena glanced over at him, but her only answer was a smile.
“Because if we’re going where I think we’re going, I’m not sure why you asked me to pack my bathing suit.”
Her mouth opened in a mask of faux horror. “What kind of girl do you think I am, Cal McCormick?”
His hand slid across the seat and found her thigh. He gave it a quick squeeze and let his fingers linger over the thin material of her skirt. “I hope you’re the kind of girl who finds me as attractive as I find you.”
Her face went beet-red. She embarrassed so easily when he complimented her.
“You do know that I find you insanely hot, right, Milena?”
She didn’t take her eyes off the bumpy road and handled the truck like a pro. But she shook her head in protest. “I don’t know why you keep saying that.”
“Because it’s true.”
“Cal, I really like spending time with you—”
“I love spending time with you.” He interrupted her because he didn’t want her to say anything that would destroy what they were doing together. “And I can’t wait to spend more time with you. Alone. And you need to know that I’m not the kind of guy who takes that lightly.” He shifted in his seat so he stared right at her. “Milena, you are the most gorgeous woman I can ever remember having the pleasure of setting eyes upon. I’m not sure why you don’t believe that, but I intend to make you believe it.”
She shook her head. “Please don’t get me wrong,” she said. “I really enjoy spending time with you too. I mean, a lot. But it’s so hard for me, because you’re…well…you’re you.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’re a model, for God’s sake, Cal. You are absolutely the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. You could have any woman you want.”
“And I want you.”
The words hung in the space between them. They didn’t speak for the rest of the short drive. And when Milena finally parked the truck and turned the key in the ignition, leaving them in silence, Cal knew there was only one thing left to do.
He was going to show her exactly how he felt. Actions always did speak louder than words. It was time that Milena understood exactly how he felt about her. Even if he didn’t fully understand it all himself.
“You’ve been here before?” Milena couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that Cal might’ve been to the natural hot springs before. They were one of Cedar Springs’ natural treasures, and kind of a protected secret among locals. Not that it was a huge secret. After all, the fancy Springs resort that had gone in a few years earlier and breathed new life into the town was based completely on the therapeutic waters of the natural hot water that came out of the mountains. But there were still undeveloped, hidden pools in the hills. And the ones that Milena had brought Cal to were her favorite. They were a little more secluded, a little more private, and they’d become her special place to hang out.
When he’d said he wanted to go somewhere quiet, it was the first place she’d thought of. It was the only place she thought of.
“I don’t know if I’ve been to these ones,” he said. They walked together down a small path through the trees. The smell of sulfur grew stronger as they got closer to the pools. “And to be honest with you, I may have only been up here once or twice when I was a kid. So it’s almost like I’m seeing this for the first time.”
He smiled at her so genuinely, she melted a little bit. It was stupid, she knew. But there was something about the way Cal spoke to her, the way he looked at her, the way he just seemed so genuinely interested in her, that made her feel unlike anything she’d ever felt before. And the fact that this was only their first date, even if it was part two, made it all even crazier. Because the feelings that she was starting to have for him were strong. Maybe a little too strong.
Cal is nothing like Michael.
She needed to remember that. She refused to be one of those women who soured all future relationships based on the actions of a shitty ex. No, she wouldn’t overthink it; she was just going to let it happen.
“Well, in that case,” she said, “I hope you like your first time up here. It really is one of my favorite places. So relaxing, so private.”
Cal reached for her hand and squeezed it. “It sounds absolutely perfect.”
Only a few minutes later, they arrived at what Milena like to call the Fairy Pools. There were three of them. The hottest one was at the top, followed by the middle, with the cooler one at the bottom right next to the river.
Milena had brought supplies, so while Cal spent a few minutes looking around and commenting on the pools and their surroundings, she got busy laying out candles on the rocks for when the sun went down, and a small picnic on the big flat rocks that would serve as their table.
“Looks like you thought of everything.” She’d just set the bottle of wine down when Cal came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, spinning her gently so he could place a kiss on her lips. It was soft and sweet, but it held the promise of so much more. “It looks delicious.” Cal gestured to the little picnic. “But if it’s okay with you, I feel like maybe we should get wet first.”
Before she could even answer, he pulled away and had taken his shirt off, exposing his bare chest. Milena had to look away so she wasn’t completely overtaken by his hard muscles. After all, she still had to form basic thought. And Cal had a way of making that very difficult.
“You realize I have no intention of putting those board shorts on,” he said right before he shucked his pants. He turned away so quickly, Milena only caught a glimpse of his hard, perfect, very bare ass before he stepped quickly into the coolest pool. The sun was starting to set just enough that his body cast shadows under the water. But not enough that she had any intention of taking her clothes off in front of him.
Milena had come a long way in regards to body confidence since she lost weight, but she was far from confident enough for that yet.
“What are you waiting for? The water is great.”
“I’ll just go put my suit on.”
“To hell you will. Milena, get in here. The water is way more therapeutic on bare skin.”
He was right, of course. And the idea of being in the water naked with Cal McCormick was more than a little enticing. If not totally terrifying.
“Okay,” she agreed. “But you need to turn away.”
With a grin on his face, he complied. Milena didn’t waste any time pulling her sundress over her head. She made a neat little pile with her bra and panties before she slid into the safety of the water herself. The second he heard the splash, Cal turned around. His smile took over his face, and set all kinds of butterflies to dancing in her stomach. She sat up against the rock, but it was clear Cal wasn’t interested in any distance. He stood, water droplets glistening off his skin, and made his way across the pool toward her.
“Remember when I told you I was going to make you believe how gorgeous you are?” His hands found her arm
s under the water and slowly caressed up and down. “Remember how I told you that I thought you were the most attractive woman I’d ever seen?” He leaned in and pressed his lips to her neck. She closed her eyes and a small moan escaped her lips as his mouth went to work on her sensitive skin there. “Do you believe me?”
She nodded.
“I need to hear you say it.”
Milena nodded again, searching for her voice. It was crazy—she did believe him. There was honesty in his touch and in his kisses. And the chemistry between them—she was positive she was not the only one feeling it. “Yes,” she said. “I believe you.”
The moment the words were out of her mouth, his lips were on hers, kissing her with an intensity that was new to them, but felt exactly right at the same time.
His hands were on her, sliding through the water over her body, cupping and squeezing each breast until the only sound she could make was a moan, begging him for more. Milena gripped his back, but soon that wasn’t enough. She needed more. She needed to feel him too.
She moved her hands down his hard back to rest on his ass. She squeezed and kneaded his flesh, eliciting a response from him that only increased her desire for more.
“Damn, Milena.” Cal gasped out the words. “You’re incredible and—”
He pulled back so unexpectedly, there was a splash of water in his wake.
“What’s wrong?” Instantly, she dipped down to be sure the water was covering her. “Did I—”
“You didn’t do anything.” He reached for her but stopped himself. “It’s me.” He shook his head. “I’m so incredibly attracted to you and I want you…dammit.”
It took her a moment to realize what the problem was. He was afraid of moving too fast for her. The realization floored her.
He looked away and it was Milena’s turn to reach for him. She wanted his touch as much as he wanted to touch her, and she was going to make sure there was no miscommunication about that.
Heedless of exposing herself, she stood and crossed the pool, turning him to face her. His eyes immediately dropped to take her all in. She forced herself to stand there, exposed to his gaze, vulnerable. But the hunger in his eyes gave her all the encouragement she needed.
Gently, Milena took his hands and placed them on her body. “Cal,” she whispered into his ear before she nibbled the sensitive skin of his neck. “I want you, too.”
He groaned and all hesitation was gone as he grabbed her and pressed her up against the side of the pool again. She could feel his desire, hard against her stomach. The knowledge that she turned him on caused her own passion to flare.
Cal reached between her legs, and she almost exploded on the spot. “Damn, Milena. You’re so…”
“I want you, Cal,” she said again. “Now.”
He looked into her eyes as if to seek confirmation and then he spun her around, so he sat on a rock in the water, with her straddling his lap.
She kissed him and pressed her breasts into his chest. The wait was killing her. It had been a long time since she’d been with a man, but even so, everything with Cal felt fresh. New.
With his mouth still on hers, he lifted her by the hips and brought her down slowly, filling her.
She closed her eyes and breathed through the intensity of their joining.
“Okay?”
She nodded. It was more than okay. It was perfect.
Cal started to move Milena’s hips back and forth. The combination of his touch, the sensation of him inside her, and the water caressing their skin was the most erotic thing Milena had ever experienced.
“You feel amazing,” he murmured into her ear and increased their rhythm. The feeling was more than mutual but even if she wanted to, there was no way Milena would be able to find the words to speak what she was feeling.
It was sexy. It was amazing. It was everything.
Soon, Milena felt a tingling sensation and a tightening in her core that she’d never felt before. She paused, stilling him, and the feeling subsided.
She wanted it back.
Milena started to move on top of him again. This time with more purpose than before, grinding her hips into his.
The pressure built again with more intensity.
“Oh my God.” The words came out on a moan. “I don’t…I can’t…” The explosion that rocked her body radiated out from her core, through to the tips of her fingers. She squeezed her eyes shut and her fingers dug into his back. She was vaguely aware that she was making a noise somewhere between a scream and a groan, but she didn’t care.
The intensity faded, but her body was left vibrating against Cal’s. He held her tight and stroked her hair. When she was finally able to, she opened her eyes.
Cal watched her, a grin on his face. “I would ask how you enjoyed that, but…”
“I’ve never…I don’t even know…” She wiped her hair back from her face, and tried again. “What just happened?”
He laughed and kissed her nose. “Sweetheart, I think you may have just had an earth-shattering orgasm.”
Milena pushed off his lap and sat back against the rocks next to him.
An orgasm? She’d never before experienced anything like that with Michael. And before him, well, there hadn’t been anyone before him. It’s not that she’d never enjoyed sex; she did. But it had never been anything like what just happened.
She let that roll around in her brain for a moment before she had a horrifying realization. “And what about you?”
What if it had been terrible for him? What if he’d hated having sex with her? What if he was turned off by her reaction? What if—
“It was amazing.” Cal moved through the water until he stood only inches in front of her. “You were a little wrapped up in what was going on, but trust me, sweetheart.” He kissed her cheek, once on each side before meeting her lips. “That was every bit as incredible for me. You are incredible. And I can’t wait to try it again. But first…” He looked over to the spread of food and wine she’d put out. “What do you say we go warm up in the next pool and enjoy a snack? After all, we have all night.”
Chapter Five
It was perfectly cliché, but Cal didn’t care. He definitely had a little extra pep in his step the last few days. The best part about his extra energy on his morning runs wasn’t that he was faster and covered more ground. It wasn’t even that he was leaving his older brother, Declan, in the dust. It was that the whole reason he was feeling so good was because of one woman.
Milena.
They’d spent every free moment of the last few days together. Basically, every moment they could spare. In truth, it wasn’t a lot of time considering their schedules were both so busy, but as far as Cal was concerned, it was quality, not quantity.
And time with Milena was always quality.
“Slow down.” Cal heard his brother croak out the words on a breath somewhere behind him. Feeling a little guilty that he’d gotten too far ahead, he slowed to a walk and stretched his arms over his head.
A moment later, his brother joined him. “What…the…hell…” Dec managed to get the words out. But just barely. “Are you taking drugs or something? When did you get so fast?”
Cal laughed. “No drugs, brother. Not unless you count the drug of love.”
“Love?”
It should have stopped him, or even caused him pause. After all, they hadn’t even been dating a full week. And it wasn’t as though Cal was going to run around declaring it or anything, but yes, he was definitely starting to fall in love with Milena. No doubt about it.
He shrugged. “What can I say? When you meet the right one, you just know it’s right.”
Declan shook his head and stopped walking altogether to stretch out his quad. “Hey, I don’t begrudge you that for a second, Cal. It’s just that…Milena seems like a really nice girl.”
“She is. Why is that a problem?”
“It’s not that it’s a problem.” Declan switched legs, letting out a small groan as he felt th
e stretch. “It’s just that how do you really think that’s going to work? You’re getting set to star in a show that could become big. Do you really think she’s going to want to live a celebrity lifestyle?”
He hadn’t thought about that. Well, not with any seriousness anyway. The thought had crossed his mind that they’d have to work something out when it came to traveling and photo shoots, or whatever else he did. Maybe she’d be able to quit her job and travel with him? Maybe she could join him some of the time or they could move to Los Angeles? Obviously there were still a lot of details to work out.
“We haven’t really discussed the logistics of things yet.” Cal started to walk again. He didn’t want his muscles to cool down too much. There was more running to be done. “I mean,” he continued, “we just started dating.”
“You’re the one talking love, man.” Declan caught up with him and fell into step. “Let’s go get a coffee from Dream Puffs before going back.”
“Okay, but then we’re running back.”
“Deal.”
“Oh, and I’ll race you there.” Before Dec could answer, Cal took off sprinting.
They only had a few blocks to go, but Cal beat him easily and was lounging against the side of the building when Dec finally joined him. Walking.
“You didn’t even run?”
Declan shrugged and opened the door to the bakery. “Why bother? You were going to win.”
“Still.” Cal followed him in, shaking his head. Dec always was the practical one. Calm, level-headed, pretty much the nicest man any of them ever knew. He was the brother they were all the proudest of. The one out saving the world. But still, he was incredibly aggravating when he wanted to be.
“Hey!”
The brothers were greeted by their older two brothers, Ian and Mitch, and their significant others.
“What time is it?” Cal looked at Declan in confusion. They’d risen early to get their run in and whenever they did stop for a coffee, they’d never before run into their brothers. “Shouldn’t they still be in bed?”
