Chapter 4
FOUR
WADE
The drive is short but it feels like my heart’s pounding the whole damn way.
My date sits next to me, her hands folded in her lap, her bare legs stretched out just enough to keep catching my attention.
The whole truck smells like her—like orange blossoms with a hint of honey and fresh air.
As I pull off the paved road onto a rough dirt track, she gives me a curious look. “Okay, do I need to be worried? You’re not taking me on a hike, are you?”
I frown. “Don’t you like hiking?”
I could have sworn her profile said she loves hiking.
“Not in these shoes.”
I chuckle low in my throat. “No, we’re not hiking.”
“Then what are we doing?”
“You’ll have to trust me.”
After another minute, the trees open up to a wide clearing. Steam flows up from a pool tucked into the rocks, misting the cool night air.
Good. It’s still here. The semi-secret hot spring.
Her bright eyes widen. “It’s gorgeous.”
“It’s a local secret. Most weekend nights it’s packed with high schoolers looking for a place to canoodle.”
“And on week nights.”
I make a sweeping gesture with my arm. “As you can see, the coast is clear.”
“Sometimes it pays to be a grown-up.”
Once again, I laugh. I’ve done more of that tonight than I have in years. It’s all thanks to this woman who has paused on a boulder at the springs ledge with a brow furrowed.
“I didn’t pack a swimsuit.”
Oh. Shit. In my excitement to bring her here, I didn’t exactly think about that.
“Well.” I scratch the back of my head. “We could go in wearing our underwear.”
She arches an eyebrow. “Have you forgotten where my underwear is?”
I can feel my cheeks burn hot. Sheepishly, I reach into my pocket and hand them to her. Our fingers brush as I do. A jolt of hot electricity shoots through me.
“Thank you.” She twirls a finger. “Now turn around so I can have a little privacy.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Much as I’d like to get a good look at this gorgeous woman, I’m a patient man. I can wait until we’re in the springs.
I take the opportunity to remove my own clothes. When I hear a small splash, I turn toward the spring, wearing only a pair of boxer briefs.
My breath catches as I take in the sight.
Fuck.
A black lace bra hugs her curves. Her skin glows in the moonlight, every inch of her looking so soft, so beautiful it’s a good thing there’s a nip in the night air. Otherwise, I’d be pitching a tent in my boxers.
Momentarily stunned, I can’t move. I can only stare in appreciation. “Have I told you how beautiful you are?”
“Not in a few minutes.” Her lips twitch. “Are you going to come in before the water gets cold?”
Shaking my head with a fresh smirk on my lips, I slide into the water. The warmth envelopes me, sinking into my body.
As if I wasn’t already hot and bothered just being in this woman’s presence.
“So,” she tilts her head playfully. “Did you bring your first-date cards for this too?”
I bark out a laugh. “Unfortunately, I left them in the truck."
“That’s a shame. I guess we’ll have to improvise.” She grins wickedly. “Truth or dare?”
I groan dramatically. “That’s just asking for trouble.”
“Oh, are you a chicken?”
My eyebrow arches in challenge. “Never."
I settle back against a warm rock and nod. “Alright, hit me.
“Truth or dare?”
“Truth.”
She taps her chin thoughtfully. “What’s your biggest fear?"
Damn. She doesn’t pull punches.
“Biggest fear?” I repeat, stalling. I exhale. “Living a life that doesn't matter to anyone."
Her face softens. “That’s… not what I expected.”
“What did you think I’d say?”
“Spiders.”
She laughs, and the tension breaks a little.
“My turn.” I move my arms through the water. "Truth or dare?"
She lifts her chin defiantly. "Dare."
I smirk. “Come sit next to me.”
Without hesitation, she glides through the water and settles beside me, close enough that our shoulders brush. Electricity shoots through me at the contact.
“Your move,” I murmur.
“Truth or dare.”
“Dare.”
Her lips curve up. “Put your arm around my shoulders.”
She doesn’t have to ask twice. Sliding my arm around her, my body comes alive at the light contact of her smooth, slick skin against mine.
I clear my throat. “Now you.”
“Truth," she says after a beat.
“Most romantic thing you’ve ever done?"
She flushes, looking down at the water. “I once baked a guy his grandma’s chocolate chip cookies and left them on his doorstep, along with cold milk, after he had a bad day.”
My chest squeezes. “That's pretty sweet.”
She shrugs, embarrassed. “He didn’t deserve it.”
I want to ask.
I want to know everything about the guys who let her down. But right now, I just want her smiling again.
“Okay. My turn. Dare,” I say before she can get too lost in whatever memory she’s fighting.
“Okay," she says, her smile returning. Her voice dips low, teasing but serious. “I dare you to kiss me like we only have tonight.”
Thank God.
I shift closer, cupping her jaw in my hand. Her skin is warm, damp from the steam, and she leans into my touch like she’s been waiting for it.
For a heartbeat, we just breathe each other in. Her lashes flutter closed. Her lips part ever so slightly.
Then I kiss her.
Slow. Deep. Savoring.
Not like a drunk teenager pawing at someone in the dark.
Not like I’m checking off a box on what to do on a first date.
But like she’s the last, best thing I’ll ever have the chance to taste.
Her mouth is soft and sweet, opening for me as my thumb strokes her cheekbone.
She sighs into me, and the sound sends a shock straight through my bloodstream.
Years of loneliness, of quiet nights, of pretending I was fine — it all cracks wide open with one kiss.
She tastes like sparkling wine and springtime.
I slide my other hand around her waist, pulling her closer until she’s practically in my lap. The water sloshes gently around us, warm and slick against my overheated skin.
Her hands find my shoulders, then my chest. I growl at the contact.
Her fingers rake through the hair on my chest, lightly scratching me.
My hands trail down her back, tracing the arch of her spine, until they find the curve of her ass under the wet lace.
She gasps into my mouth, her hips jerking slightly against mine. I growl low and desperate, gripping her harder.
God, she’s perfect.
Her legs wrap around my waist under the water, and I almost lose it right there. My cock throbs against the thin barrier of fabric between us.
My hand slips lower, under the line of her panties, and I find slick, bare skin. She shudders, whimpering into the kiss as my fingers dip between her thighs.
She’s wet. Not from the spring. For me.
I break the kiss, resting my forehead against hers, both of us breathing hard.
My fingers stroke her gently, slowly, coaxing soft little moans from her lips that make me dizzy.
“Jesus, you’re unbelievable.”
Her nails dig lightly into my shoulders.
“Wade,” she breathes, her hips rocking into my touch.
It’s the hottest, most intimate thing I’ve ever felt.
And it’s not just about sex.
It’s not just about wanting to be inside her so badly I hurt.
It’s her .
I kiss her again, swallowing her whimpers, my free hand roaming freely now— mapping the curve of her ass, the dip of her waist, the trembling line of her thighs.
I want to tear her panties off and lose myself in her right here, right now.
I want to know what she tastes like everywhere.
But just as I start to slip the lace aside, just as her hand slides down my chest toward the waistband of my briefs?—
A loud whoop shatters the night air.
We both freeze.
Voices. Laughter. Footsteps crunching gravel.
Teenagers.
Three of them, maybe four, stumbling through the trees with flashlights and backpacks, all arguing about who was supposed to try to buy beer.
She jerks back from me, cheeks flaming. I sink lower into the water, dragging her protectively behind a rock just in time.
We exchange a look—part terror, part laughter.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she whispers.
I shake my head, fighting a groan.
We stay crouched there for another long second, hearts pounding, trying not to burst into giggles.
Finally, she leans close, her lips brushing my ear. “I think we should move this party to another location.”
“Oh.” I like the sound of that.
“I have a hotel room in town,” she says. “It has fresh towels and a shower where we could clean up and warm up.”
I really like the sound of that.
“It also has a freshly made bed just begging to be messed up.”