Chapter Fifteen #2
She started to lower her body under the water, and Ria leaned forward to whisper in Lissa’s ear, “Don’t hate me.
” And with that, she leapt onto Lissa, wrapped her arms and legs around Lissa’s body and flung herself backward, knocking them both off balance.
They crashed into the water and sank beneath the gentle waves.
The shock of cold threatened to seize up Ria’s muscles, but she fought against the stiffness, forcing her body to pop back out of the water, dragging a sputtering Lissa along with her.
Bracing for the incoming wrath, Ria pushed the handful of curls that had escaped her bun off her forehead and turned to face the consequences.
Only there was no fury in Lissa’s eyes. She was…laughing?
“Oh, wow, you truly are insane, aren’t you?” Lissa managed to get out, half chuckling and half shaking from the chill.
Ria gave her an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry. I couldn’t resist.”
“That’s okay,” Lissa replied, moving closer to Ria. “Just means you need to warm me up now.” She slid her arms around Ria’s waist, pressing herself against the witch.
Ria almost went under again, her knees were shaking so badly. Shaking that had nothing to do with the chill and everything to do with the feel of Lissa’s peaked nipples rubbing up against her own chest.
Ria stared into Lissa’s eyes, searching for an uncertainty or disappointment that might have come from the ritual lessening the effects of her love spell, but she saw none of that. There was only heat in Lissa’s eyes, and she couldn’t help how her hands slipped around Lissa’s neck in response.
“How do you feel now?” Ria asked, her voice tentative and nervous.
Holding tight with one arm, Lissa reached the other up to pluck a bit of seaweed from Ria’s hair. Tossing it into the water, she said, “Honestly? Still cold. Though I think parts of me might be starting to warm up.” She leaned forward, but Ria shifted her face so Lissa’s lips only grazed her neck.
“No,” Ria protested. “I mean, how do you feel about me?” If the attempted kiss hadn’t been a major red flag her ritual had failed, Lissa’s next words solidified her fears.
“I feel like I’m willing to stay in this freezing water all night if it means I get to kiss you again.”
The words were everything Ria wanted to hear, and at the same time, the worst possible thing Lissa could have said. Because Ria felt the exact same way.
Lissa must have seen the weakness in Ria’s eyes, because she leaned forward and this time Ria didn’t pull away. She met Lissa’s lips with her own, sinking into the warmth of the kiss that made her forget all about the cold embrace of the Pacific.
A tiny voice screamed in the back of her head that this was wrong. That Lissa was under her spell. But when Lissa’s tongue swept into Ria’s mouth, she couldn’t help but flick her own out to brush against it, drowning in the taste of this incredible woman.
Ria’s hands slid up to grasp Lissa’s hair, her fingers twining among the silky wet strands. A soft whimper escaped from Lissa, and Ria gripped a little harder, scraping her fingernails along Lissa’s scalp.
With a deepening moan, Lissa arched her back, pressing her slick breasts even tighter to Ria. Her hand dropped away from Ria’s waist, slipping around the front to dip lower and lower until her fingers circled the witch’s navel.
Yes, Ria thought. Just a little farther.
Those curious fingers resumed their journey south, and Ria tensed, waiting for—
A rogue wave crashed over their heads, knocking them apart and sending Ria flying back to sink under the water once more.
For a brief moment, she wanted to stay there, letting the cold water seep into her skin and freeze out every bit of the desire thrumming through her body.
She’d been such an idiot to give into the kiss.
She knew Lissa was being influenced, and Hecate had clearly stepped in to put a halt to things.
Ria couldn’t imagine any other reason the wave would have knocked them apart just as Lissa was about to—
Stop, she ordered herself. Do not even think about where things might have gone.
She spent a few more seconds under the water, until the demands of her lungs overrode her own fear of facing Lissa.
Bursting up, she started wading toward the shoreline.
“Wait,” Lissa protested. “Where are you going?”
“Home,” Ria replied, flinging her head back and sending a spray of droplets everywhere. She didn’t even know what had become of her hair tie, but her bun was beyond salvaging, so it didn’t matter. “This was a mistake.”
“Why?” Lissa demanded, following closely behind. “Because a wave interrupted us? Pretty sure that’s a thing that happens in the ocean. I’m down to move this indoors, but that doesn’t mean we need to stop.”
Ria glanced back, taking in Lissa’s goose bump covered skin and the shivers wracking the woman’s body. Shaking her head, she resumed her march to get back on dry land. “I’m sorry, Lissa. I’m so sorry.”
“About what?” A strong hand latched onto her shoulder, halting her in knee-deep water.
Slowly, Ria turned back around. “Everything. This never should have happened between us.”
Lissa threw up her hands in exasperation. “Why? And don’t you dare say that fucking spell again. That’s a bullshit cop out. I know you like me, Ria. So what’s the real reason we can’t be together?”
“That is the real reason,” Ria cried, dashing back onto the sand and snatching up her panties. Fighting the soul-deep shivers that promised she might never again know the feeling of warmth, Ria yanked the underwear on, then grabbed her top, forgoing a bra in her haste to get out of there.
“No, it’s not,” Lissa argued, coming up behind Ria to grab her own clothing. “Is this about your ex? Are you just scared to be with someone right now?”
Ria opened her mouth to protest, to try once again to convince Lissa that she was under a spell, but her brain quickly leapt on the safer way out.
Make her fall out of love with you, Jess had said.
Ria would rather jump back in the freezing water than break Lissa’s heart, and yet it seemed more and more like that was the only option left.
“Yeah,” Ria forced out, snapping the sand from her shirt and refusing to look at Lissa. “That’s the reason. My ex cheated on me, and I don’t trust anyone anymore.”
Lissa stumbled in the loose sand, her black boy shorts halfway up her legs. After a second, she sighed, yanked her underwear up, and straightened. “And that includes me?” she asked bitterly.
Ria stared at the pink buttons on the shirt in her hand. They matched Lissa’s hair almost perfectly. A subconscious choice on her part when getting dressed? Or a bigger sign from the universe?
Didn’t matter. It wasn’t right for Ria to take advantage of Lissa while her emotions were being manipulated by magic. So she offered a quick nod of confirmation, the only thing she was capable of since she was technically still lying to Lissa, even if it was in her own best interest.
“That hurts, Ria,” Lissa replied, her voice colder than the ocean. “I thought we were really getting to know each other.”
Hearing the pain in Lissa’s voice, Ria forced herself to look up. “We were. Are. Whatever. I just… I just can’t be with you right now.”
Lissa closed the clasp on her bra and tucked her breasts into what had to be generous C cups. “So when can you be with me?” she asked, something like resignation replacing the chill in her tone.
“I don’t know,” Ria replied, tugging on the sleeves of her blouse, her wet skin fighting the tight fabric. “Maybe never.”
Lissa yanked the purple tank top over her head. “That sounds like a bullshit answer if I’ve ever heard one.”
Flinching at Lissa’s words, Ria focused her attention on getting her second arm through the sleeve without tearing the soft fabric. “I’m sorry. I need to go home,” she said quietly.
“Wait. Would you please stop for a second?” Lissa took a deep breath.
“You told me earlier you wanted to be friends, yeah? Well I’m willing to accept that if it’s the only thing on the table.
Just come back to my place. I live right over there.
You can take a shower and get warmed up.
Then if you still want to go home, I won’t fight you. ”
Ria took her time buttoning up her shirt, needing a moment to think.
Would it make things worse if she tried to be friends with Lissa?
Friendship wouldn’t necessarily help her plan to get Lissa to stop liking her.
On the other hand, Ria was fairly certain she couldn’t simply cut Lissa out of her life.
They’d only known each other for such a short time, yet the thought of never seeing Lissa again had Ria’s insides twisting.
“Okay,” Ria agreed. “A hot shower does sound nice.”
Slipping into her skirt and picking up her strappy heels, she let Lissa take her arm and guide her toward a white cottage nestled into the tree line a few hundred yards away.
It was just a shower, nothing more, and afterward she’d ask Lissa for a ride home.
Then she would spend the entire night pouring through every book in her mom’s collection until she found some way out of this mess.