37. Millie
CHAPTER 37
Millie
Did he just say eels?
The world around me seems to stop spinning and become the eye of the tornado all at once. Visions of thick, gunky bodies wrapping around my ankles and pulling me underwater flood my brain. Before I can think about what I’m doing, I’m leaping in Caden’s direction, throwing my arms around his neck and clinging to his hips with my thighs.
Anything to keep my feet as far away from the bottom of the lake as possible.
“Get me out!” I scream, kicking at the water, hoping to ward off any vicious beasts lurking below. “Get me out of this lake right now, Caden!”
He throws his head back in laughter, stumbling a little as he takes the full weight of my body against his, my boobs pushing awkwardly against his chest, just above the surface of the water .
“Settle down, I’m joking.” He gasps between bursts of laughter. “There aren’t any eels in this lake.”
“Are you fucking joking me?” I try to land a hard slap on his bicep, but he barely flinches at the contact. “We’re supposed to be friends.”
He doesn’t respond to that.
Instead, his gaze trails down my body, taking in the unfortunate position we’ve found ourselves in, and all of the places our bodies are connecting where they shouldn’t be.
My breath hitches as he moves his hands lower, pulling my legs tighter around his waist.
“Friends?” He runs a calloused thumb across the scalloped edge of my bikini bottoms. “This doesn’t feel like friends to me, Millie.”
Heat rushes to my core as my eyes desperately try to avoid his. The icy water bites against my skin. We’re so close to each other and yet my body is screaming at me to close the gap between us.
“You’re right,” I choke, taking in his broad chest. I run my fingers through the wet hair, allowing myself to believe he wants this – if even just for a second. “This doesn’t feel very friendly at all.”
He moves his mouth over my collarbone, lips brushing over my skin.
“Tell me you want this, Millie.” His voice is a low rasp as he nips my ear lobe between his teeth. “I need to know you want this as much as I do.”
Pulling back, he locks his eyes on mine in challenge.
I do want this.
I want it more than I could ever have imagined.
I dip my lips towards his, giving him what he’s asked for .
“I want you, Caden.”
At that, he loses all composure, pulling me into him, tasting me for the first time. The kiss is hungry, filled with want, like we’ve been starved of each other for far too long.
It’s not enough.
I rock my hips over his, needing to feel more of him.
Without breaking away from my lips, Caden tightens his grip under my butt, moving through the water in slow, deliberate steps towards the shore.
The warmth of the sun dapples our skin as the lake water runs off our bodies.
My legs fall over his thick thighs, feet dangling above the ground, as he presses his weight into me, propping me up against the nearest tree.
Breaking the kiss, he pulls back, taking me in now that we’re out of the water. I’m suddenly conscious of my body, aware that all of my flaws are on show for him to see. Releasing my hold from around his neck, I let my arm fall across my front, hoping to hide the way my stomach folds in this position.
“No.” Caden grabs both of my wrists in one hand, holding them above my head against the tree bark. “Don’t you dare hide from me, Millie. I’ve been dreaming of this moment, I want to see all of you.”
He bites his lip as his eyes fill with dark heat. With his free hand, he traces the contours of my body in soft, gentle strokes. So slight that I can barely feel the movements, a contrast to the tight binding he has around my arms.
His index finger runs along my collar bone, then down further until he reaches my chest. He labours over my breasts, moving in slow, rough circles before pinching each peaked nipple between his fingers.
“I like the way your body puts on a show for me, Millie.”
He dips his head forward, running his tongue over the thin material of my bathing suit. My head falls back, a tiny moan escaping my lips as he feasts on me.
“Fuck.” My words don’t come easy. “You’re… killing me.”
“I’m just getting to know all the parts of your body that I’ve been missing out on. Now that we’ve agreed that this—” he gestures between us, “—could never have been ‘just friends.’”
My back scrapes against the rough bark as he continues to tease my body, but I don’t care. Everything about this moment feels right, the perfect blend of pleasure and pain.
Caden’s palm moves across my belly, his fingers trailing over each silvery stretch mark one by one. Finally, he moves his attention to the place where our bodies meet, his thumb rubbing against me with intentional, steady pressure just at the right spot.
“Perfect, Millie.” He drops my arms, bringing one hand up to cup my chin as his eyes lock on mine. “You are perfect.”
He closes the space between us, encapsulating me in the fevered pull of his kiss. I don’t ever want to know a world where I can’t remember what it feels like to have his lips on mine.
He drives his hips upwards, letting me know he’s as turned on as I am as his hard cock rocks against my clit.
I try to hold it, but a small laugh escapes me, killing the moment like only I could .
“What’s so funny, Adams?” he whispers the words over my swollen lips.
“Um, respectfully…” I move my hand over his shorts, attempting to measure his length against my fingers. “I don’t think that’s going to fit.”
He pulls back, his breathing laboured as his jaw tenses.
“Respectfully,” he mirrors my words back to me, “you were made for me, Millie. I can already feel how wet you are, even with all of this material between us.” He lets a finger slip under my bikini bottoms, dragging it through my arousal. “Believe me, we’ll make it fit.”
Suddenly, I’m not laughing anymore.
The humour is gone, leaving behind pure desire. I curse the layers between us. I want to feel him against my skin, rough and raw.
I pull him back towards me, biting his lip as I draw him into my kiss.
He’s no longer taking his time, his hands moving over my swollen breasts with insatiable need as he tugs them free.
I’m aching for him, grinding my hips over his cock when Doug’s bark interrupts us.
Caden’s glare is pained as he drags his head away from my chest. “Shut it, Doug,” he snarks, digging his hands into my ass.
“Hey, don’t speak to him like that!” I’ve come to be as protective of Doug as Caden is.
“Sorry, baby,” he replies on a deep exhale. “Doug, if you wouldn’t mind – a little peace, we’re trying to fuck over here.”
I tilt my head to the side, refusing to laugh at Caden’s attitude. Oh, fuck . My attention is quickly snatched away from anything Caden is doing, slamming right back to reality with a thud.
“Umm… Caden.” My breathing is stilted as I push him away from me, and it’s no longer anything to do with how turned on he’s got me. “Look.”
His gaze follows mine, eyes landing on the same four-hundred-pound grizzly bear that caught Doug’s attention.
“Fuck.”
“What do we do?” I whimper, nerves causing me to shake in Caden’s grasp.
“Just stay calm,” he replies, taking a deep breath as he shakes his head.
Stay calm?! I’m about to be eaten alive.
Caden moves slowly, keeping me tight against his waist as he retreats from the tree towards the truck.
I fold myself back into my bathing suit, not thrilled by a wild animal of that size seeing so much of me on display.
“Hey bear,” Caden says with more assertion than I could ever muster in this situation. “Sorry to bother you. We’re leaving right now. You just stay where you are.”
He doesn’t drop his line of sight as he moves on an angle towards the tailgate, untying Doug’s makeshift leash with one hand.
The bear seems to settle, satisfied that we’re on our way out, and goes back to scuffling around in the leaves and broken branches.
Caden places me down softly on the passenger seat, prompting Doug to climb up beside me.
“We’re not done.” He fastens my seatbelt across my hips. “This doesn’t end here. That’s a promise.”