51. Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty
Trick
This whole day has been like some kind of fever-dream, and now I’m alone in a jungle with my future mate, taking in our surreal surroundings and trying not to get too distracted by how beautiful the woman I’m with actually is.
With that golden-blonde hair and those long, tanned legs, she’s the kind of woman who would turn any guy’s head. I have no doubt she gets a lot of attention wherever she goes.
I love how she looks, sure, but there’s more to this attraction than that.
It runs deep, and it doesn’t matter that we’ve barely known each other for a few hours.
Every cell in my body knows she’s the only woman I could ever fall for.
When she smiles, it’s like she’s lighting up from the inside out.
The way she embraces life, like when she rushed to the water right after we got here, and the reaction she had to the baby shark right next to her, that’s part of what makes her so irresistible.
She’s like a force of nature, and all I can do is bend to her will.
That’s why I had to say yes when she asked for this walk.
There was no other answer I could have considered.
“Oh my God!” she murmurs, tugging at my hand.
“Huh?” I ask, not sure what she’s excited about.
“Over there,” she says, pointing with her free hand. “Is that …”
“A waterfall?” I blink as I spot it through the trees.
“We have to go see!” She’s already letting go of my hand.
I rush to catch up. “Not so fast! We don’t know what’s out here, remember?”
If she hears me, she doesn’t show any sign of it.
I curse under my breath as I run faster through the forest, stumbling over my flat-bottomed sneakers, barely able to keep her in sight.
These things were not made for running, that’s for sure.
How the hell is she moving so fast in that dress?
It’s practically painted on.
She had to sit down so delicately in it.
Now she’s running like she’s a long-distance sprinter.
I’m way more used to sweating under stage-lights, not from physical exertion.
This place might just kill me, but if it does, at least I’ll die with a smile.
“Sapphire!” I call out, as I chase her deeper into the forest, where the sound of running water is getting louder and louder.
I’m probably being drowned out by it now, but at least I’m catching up.
Finally, she slows down, not quite stopping.
The waterfall is running into a lake that she’s standing on the edge of now, taking her heels off.
I gasp in a breath as I watch her drop them to the grass.
Oh fuck. Is she doing what I think she’s doing?
She turns with a bright smile. “If you’re shy, you might want to turn around.”
“Uh …” I mumble, completely at a loss for words.
She turns back to the water and strips out of the dress, while I stand a couple feet behind her, frozen in place. All I can do is stare as she pushes the navy material to the ground.
The red lace underneath is as unexpected as her sudden undressing, and I’m still trying to work out if I really saw a hint of red ink on her side when she jumps into the lake.
My eyes widen as I rush forward. “You can’t do that! What if there’s something in there!”
She takes the tie out of her hair and throws it toward the grass. “Give me a second. I’ll check if the water’s clear!”
She goes under and I put my hand over my mouth while I try to make myself wait.
The instinct to dive in after her and save her from the unknown comes and goes.
She’s not worried.
I shouldn’t be either.
I hope.
When she surfaces, a tense two minutes later, she smiles brightly.
“No scary monsters here. It’s pretty well contained, actually, and it’s not even that deep. You’re probably tall enough to stand at the bottom of the lake without your head going under the water.”
She swims closer and stops near the edge to shake her wet hair back, a grin on her lips.
“It’s been so long since I got the chance to swim. Are you coming in?”
If anyone else was asking, I’d say no.
It’s a little more shaded out here, with the trees and everything, but it’s still crazy-warm.
But with Sapphire looking at me as if she’ll be hurt if I say no, I take off Riley’s shirt and step out of my sneakers and socks.
I only hesitate when it comes to my jeans.
It’s probably not smart to be in nothing but my boxer briefs around her, especially when I’ve barely started to experience lust, but even so, I don’t want to disappoint, so I strip down and try to think about anything other than how good she looks in her underwear.
She swims away from the edge as I stare down at the water.
It takes a few seconds to convince myself this isn’t a crazy thing to do.
Then, I jump into the lake, gasping as I sink into the cold water.
It’s a nicer feeling than I expect.
Kind of refreshing after sitting around in the unbearable heat for so long.
Those night swims alone in the resort’s heated pool were not the same. Not even close.
“You good?” Sapphire calls out to me.
Turns out she wasn’t wrong about how deep it is either.
I can stand on the rocky bottom of the lake, and my head and shoulders are above the surface.
“It’s cold!” I call back.
She laughs. “You get used to it.”
She swims toward the waterfall.
I swim toward her, wanting to stay close.
It’s crazy how comfortable she’s been out here.
Almost like it’s right where she’s supposed to be.
I guess it is, because it’s where we are.
She stops close to where the water is raining down from above.
I stop close to her, and my feet can still reach the bottom of the lake.
It’s too loud to talk, but her smile is enough to tell me everything.
She’s happy here. It’s her kind of place.
I wouldn’t have said it was mine, but standing here next to her, I can see the appeal.
She uses her hand to splash water at the stream, and it only splashes back out at her.
Shaking her head back, she laughs before she takes off swimming again, away from the roar of the waterfall. I take in the little cave to the side of the falling water, before I follow her back to the body of the lake, where the sound is a bit less of an assault on my ears.
She swims out to the middle of the lake, and I’m surprised to find out the water isn’t any deeper in the middle. My feet can still touch the bottom while my head and shoulders are above the calmly rippling water.
“How perfect is this?” she asks.
“Almost too perfect,” I admit.
“It’s not like any natural waterfall I’ve ever seen, but I’m not gonna complain.”
“Yeah, no complaints from me,” I agree, gazing at her in wonder.
Her eyes were made to sparkle.
They’re the perfect shade of blue.
Not Sapphire, like her name.
Something brighter and prettier.
Azure? Turquoise? Aquamarine?
I’m not sure a color exists that matches the vibrancy.
“What are you thinking?” she asks, floating a little closer.
“Uh …” I start, trying to think of anything else other than how pretty her eyes are. “Red looks good on you.”
Considering I can only see the straps of her bra, it’s a weird thing to compliment her on, but she only smiles back at me.
“You think so?”
“It’s your color.”
There I go, doubling down.
“Then I guess we have something in common,” she says, reaching out and pushing a strand of my wet red hair back. “We both look good in red.”
I might be new to this, but I’m pretty sure hair touching is a flirty thing.
“You were right about me being tall enough to stand on the bottom of this lake.”
“I’m always right,” she murmurs, hand moving back while her gaze stays fixed to mine.
I lean in closer, testing if she’s as interested as she seems.
She doesn’t back away.
Her gaze moves down a little, and I could swear she’s focused on my lips.
My heart is thundering in my ears as I slowly dip my head down, getting close enough to kiss, and hesitating only long enough to make sure she’s into it.
Her arms wrap around my neck.
I don’t think signs get any clearer.
Closing my eyes, I press my lips to hers, still taking it slow, even as I put my hands on her body under the water. She flicks her tongue against my bottom lip, and I open my mouth, letting her take the lead. The second I give her control her legs wrap around my waist under the water.
I move my hands to her ass to pull her up a little, in part to keep her from noticing how turned on I’m getting.
It’s just a kiss but it feels like something more.
I’m breathless when she breaks away, moving back a little and resting her head against mine while we both gasp in air.
She’s wrapped around me tightly, and I don’t want her to let go.
I don’t know what’s going to happen if we keep going, but I know I don’t want to stop.
I turn my head and dip down to kiss her damp shoulder.
“Mmm,” she murmurs, turning her head to expose her neck at that side.
A raw, primal urge rushes through me when I gaze at her throat.
Her skin is unmarked, flawlessly smooth.
She’s so ready to be bitten.
My teeth tingle as I press my lips to her throat.
Her heart is pounding so hard when I run my tongue over her pulse point.
It’s not the right time to mark her, when we haven’t even told her she’s meant to be ours, but I can’t ignore the desire to scrape my teeth over her soft skin, lightly scratching without drawing blood.
She lets out a stifled gasp and holds onto me tighter as I drag my sharpening teeth over the skin of her throat.
A mating mark is made with intention behind it, and I feel beyond ready for that, but I don’t know if she’s feeling the same way, at least not until the sweetest, sexiest scent I’ve ever inhaled starts to pepper the air around us.
Breathing it in gives me a high that’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before.
Like I suspected, she’s an Omega.
Her perfume’s been triggered.
I made that happen.
What a perfect moment.
I’m never going to forget it.
I move back and gaze at her pretty face.
She smiles back at me, her eyes sparkling even in her lustful haze.
“Well?” she asks.
“Well?” I echo back.
She licks her lips. “Are you gonna kiss me again?”
“As much as I can until you want me to stop,” I admit.
She presses her body against mine, and I kiss her like I promised I would.
Whatever happens from this moment on, I know nothing can knock the wind from my sails.
My true mate may not have asked to be marked yet, but it doesn’t matter.
She’s mine. I’ve already felt her accept it.