Chapter 25
ALEX
Six months later
“Come in the water, Alex.” He applied a gentle pull on the chain linked to the collar entrapping my neck.
I cowered at the edge as water lapped my toes, buck-naked. The sun blared heat through the trees, and though Rafe said the water wasn’t icy cold, I wasn’t so sure about that.
Of course, that wasn’t the reason I didn’t want to go in.
“Don’t make me do this,” I pleaded. And make me, he would, unless I was able to convince him not to drag me in by that chain. My hands were cuffed behind me, leaving me helpless to his will.
“You’re coming in this water. Question is, do you want in the easy way, or the hard way?”
“No way,” I said, then bit my lip.
“Sweetheart,” he said with another tug on the chain. I braced my heels on the ground. “You’ve gotta conquer this fear. One of these days, we’re gonna go back to the island. I want you free of fear. I want you to fucking trust me.”
A sob tried bursting free, but I held it in and took a tentative step forward, sinking my toes in. The floor of the lake was sandy, soft, and it settled under my weight.
“Good girl.”
I’d barely taken a step, but his approval warmed me more than the sun ever could. Another step brought me fully into the water, just up to my ankles. Rafe stood hip deep several yards in front of me.
“Keep walking towards me, babe. I promise, when you get here, I’ll make it worth your while.”
A delicious shiver trailed down my legs. I took another step, then another, certain my heart would burst from my chest. I glued my gaze to him, afraid to look anywhere else.
His eyes roamed over my puckered nipples, and he licked his lips. “You’re doing great.”
“I really hate you right now.”
“Get your ass over here, and I can guarantee I’ll have you declaring your love for me to God and anyone else in earshot.”
No one else was out here, which was the point. We’d found a place so secluded to set up camp, I wasn’t sure even Bigfoot could find this place. I spanned the last few feet and stood before him, collared, my hands useless, and waist deep in water.
This was a test of trust, in addition to pushing me beyond my phobia. He unhooked the chain from my throat and tossed it to shore, then he cupped his hands in the water and released it over my breasts. The cool drops dribbled over my nipples, and I whimpered.
Giving me a lopsided grin, he brushed his thumb over one aching bud before sliding his palm down my stomach. His fingers slid between my thighs, circling my clit.
“Oh God…Rafe…”
He hoisted me in his arms, pulling my chest flush with his, and stepped backward.
“Rafe?” I shrieked.
Deeper. He was taking us deeper.
His mouth claimed mine, hushing my objections.
At some point I stopped fighting altogether, too caught up in the skill he used in fucking my mouth with his wicked tongue.
We kissed for years in those few seconds, until we parted in the midst of heavy breathing that seemed so loud, it was difficult not to imagine our desire echoing off the mountains.
“Are you scared now?”
“No,” I said, only now realizing how the lake rose to my shoulders. One slight dip, and we’d go under.
But he held me tight in his embrace, effectively trapping me without the use of even my arms, and I’d never felt safer or more treasured. I gazed at him in awe, in wonder, certain I’d burst with this feeling…whatever this feeling was.
Love was too weak a word and did nothing to encapsulate the degrees of our bond. I loved him, I did, but I needed him. The stark realization made my blood sizzle. As crazy as it sounded, my life and my soul were connected to his.
“What’s wrong?” he asked in a whisper that teased my lips.
I blinked several times, trying to hold back my tears even though I wasn’t supposed to. These tears I didn’t want to shed. They were drops of…God…drops of sick happiness because no one in their right mind should rejoice at experiencing such an all-consuming possession.
“Nothing,” I said, blinking the salty drops down my cheeks for him to eat up. “Nothing at all. I’m just so fucking…”
“Happy?” The word rumbled from his mouth with a groan. Grabbing my ass in his strong, capable hands, he hiked me up, his arms straining with the incredible strength he exerted in keeping me from tipping backward. I wound my legs around his waist and gripped him with my thighs.
“Baby,” he said, grunting as he plunged into me, “I’m gonna fuck some more happiness into every piece of you, right in this fucking water.” He bit my lower lip, tugged on it, and let it go. “This water can’t touch the bravery in you.”
I could hardly believe I was in the lake with him, and I wasn’t scared. He gripped my hips and pulled me onto his cock over and over again. Not scared at all.
Delirious. I was delirious as I tilted my head back, closed my eyes, and lost myself to his thrusting cock, to the sway of the water around our interlocked bodies, to him dragging his tongue down my throat.
How we got to the shore with him on his back, his hands guiding me as I rode him, I didn’t know.
Floating in a headspace that transcended time, I gave myself over to it.
As his mouth sucked my nipple deep, he freed my hands, and I flopped onto his chest, boneless.
We rolled, our skin caked in mud from the lake and the ground we fucked on.
It was dirty, primal, and I never wanted it to end.
Being with him hurt so good. We cried out in synchronized agony then clung to each other as our breathing slowed.
He shifted, so I sprawled halfway on top of him, one filthy leg trapped between his.
“I’ll never fucking get sick of this, babe.”
“Mmm, me neither.” Despite the hard ground. Despite the way my skin itched from dirt, rocks, and leaves. Even knowing I’d have to go back into the water to clean up didn’t extinguish the fire burning in me.
“It’s weird being back,” he said, a trace of sadness sneaking into his tone.
We’d spent months hopping from place to place, meeting new people, experiencing new towns.
Every so often, he’d pick up a fight here or there to work off some steam…
in addition to what he worked off with me.
We’d found our slice of heaven in the simple act of not belonging anywhere. We only belonged to each other.
Maybe someday we’d go back to living the way normal people lived, though our version of normal was pretty damn skewed. Rafe talked about the island frequently, and I knew his desire to return was strong. If either of us had a home, that piece of land was it.
“What did your brother say when you called him?” I asked, lifting my head to meet his eyes.
“He was pissed that I disappeared for a year, to say the least.”
“What about the island?”
“He and Jax are taking care of it. Plans to rebuild are already in progress.”
“Do they need you there for it?”
He didn’t say anything for a moment. “I’m not ready to go back, babe.” He rolled until he propped over me. “I’m content just to stay here with you forever. Let’s just…be.”
“I’m good with that plan.”
“How about a real test? You ready for that?” He gave me a grin that was so full of mischief it made my spine stiffen.
I pointed at the lake. “That was the real test, Rafe. No doubt about it.”
His gaze traveled up and down my body, roving over the dirt on my skin. “But now we’re filthy.”
“We’ve always been filthy.”
“Don’t I know it.” He tweaked my nipple into an aching pebble, renewing the warmth between my thighs. Without warning, he jumped to his feet, and as he hauled me into his arms, I let out a startled cry.
A terrified cry.
“No!” I told him, pounding his chest as he cradled me against him.
He marched toward the water, the heated glint in his eyes already warming me up. Oh God. He was going to do it. We were going in over our heads.
“Hold on, babe. Close those gorgeous eyes and just let go.” And with that, we took the plunge. Diving into darkness never felt so good.