Chapter Twenty-Three #2
They emerged at the top of a small rock outcropping that jutted out over the water, and off to the left a rather treacherous-looking trail wound down the steep slope toward an enclosed, pristine beach.
Surrounded on all sides by tall rock faces, the sand remained untouched by any human presence—no footsteps, no remnants of sandcastles, no trash littered about—a perfect little cove hidden away from the world with clear blue waves lapping softly at the glistening sand.
Ria felt Lissa’s hand land on her shoulder, but she couldn’t stop staring at the natural beauty surrounding her. The Oregon Coast was always gorgeous but this… This was next level. At some point, Lissa must have dragged her through a wormhole, and they popped out on a remote island in Fiji.
“Do you like it?” Lissa whispered into her ear.
Ria shook her head. “No. Like doesn’t even come close to describing it. This is incredible, Lissa.” She finally pulled herself away from the ocean to twist around in Lissa’s grasp. Leaning forward, she pressed her forehead to Lissa’s. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
Lissa kissed Ria on the temple and pulled away. “If this is how you react to seeing the beach, I can’t wait until you see what else I have planned.”
“There’s more?” Ria squeaked, wondering what could possibly make the day even better.
“Right this way,” Lissa said with a wink, pulling Ria toward the edge of the cliff.
“Wait, isn’t the trail down to the beach back there?” Ria asked, tossing a longing glance back toward the rocky path that led down to the sand.
“That’s one way,” Lissa replied.
“Umm… I kind of think it’s the only way,” Ria protested as they reached the edge, and she glanced down at the long drop below them.
“Not quite,” Lissa replied, removing the backpack and pulling off her shirt to reveal a pink bikini top that matched her hair color.
Ria was so focused on the large breasts practically spilling out of the bathing suit she missed whatever Lissa said next. “I’m sorry,” she apologized, shaking off the thick cloud of lust that had settled over her. “What did you say?”
Bending over to untie her shoes, Lissa replied, “I said, it’s time we lived a little. You told me you wanted to be more adventurous, right? Here’s your chance.”
Ria glanced from Lissa to the deep blue ocean below. “I’m sorry, but you want me to jump? Like, fling my body over the edge and hope I survive? That kind of jump?”
“I do, yes,” Lissa said, pulling off her shorts. “We can come back for our stuff later. I’ve got a picnic lunch packed in here, but I want to show you something first.”
Ria arched an eyebrow. “Something that requires me to leap off a cliff like a crazy person into freezing water?”
“Technically, we could get there by going down to the beach and swimming around,” Lissa admitted, “but where’s the fun in that? And it’s not as cold during the day with the sun shining. Come on, little witch. Surely part of you wants to throw caution to the wind?”
Chamomile, Chickweed, Chicory…
Who was Ria kidding? She could recite every known herb backward and forward, and it wouldn’t be enough to calm the fear that ratcheted through her every time she glanced over the edge. “And it’s safe?” she asked hesitantly, shocked that she was even considering it.
“One hundred percent,” Lissa confirmed. “I used to do this with Daria all the time. I even checked the tides. The water level is perfect for cliff diving.”
“I don’t know…” Ria’s lips were going to need some serious shea butter therapy with the level at which she was worrying the skin away.
Lissa took Ria’s hand. “Do you trust me?”
Gazing into Lissa’s eyes, Ria could see there was more to the question than feeling safe about jumping off a cliff. There was something deeper there, some other kind of fear inside Lissa that she desperately needed Ria to ease for her.
“Okay,” Ria said, feeling a warmth bubble up inside her that confirmed, yes, she did trust Lissa wholeheartedly. “Let’s do it.”
She shucked off her clothing, wishing Lissa had told her about wearing a bathing suit. At least she’d chosen her sexiest lacy purple bra and thong in the hopes the date might progress in a direction where she’d be showing it off. She just didn’t know it would be so early on.
Not that she was complaining. It had been dark the first night she got to see Lissa naked, but now with the sun beating down?
It didn’t matter Lissa still had her bikini on.
Ria was getting an eyeful of luscious breasts and a round ass she couldn’t wait to get her hands on.
She briefly wondered if they could postpone the whole jumping thing and skip straight to the good stuff.
She’d definitely never had sex in broad daylight on the side of a cliff, but she was getting a strong pulse of heat between her legs just thinking about it.
Actually, she’d never had sex in the daylight, period.
She was more of a “lights off in the bedroom so she didn’t have to feel uncomfortable about her body” kind of person.
Something about the way Lissa looked at her, though, didn’t make her feel awkward.
It made her feel sexy and desired. It made her feel like she wanted this woman to see every inch of her.
Sighing, Ria shoved the mix of erotic thoughts into the back of her mind. If Lissa wanted to jump, she would jump. She could do this. Lissa would never do anything that might hurt her.
Clutching Lissa’s hand tightly, Ria approached the edge of the cliff, took a deep breath, and together as one, they leapt off, plummeting into the cool ocean below.
The water hit Ria like a freight train of sensations all at once, the adrenaline pumping through her veins heightening everything around her.
The thrashing sound of churning water, the shock of cold that pulled her under, the swirling maelstrom of blue that filled her vision when her eyes finally popped open.
Something in the back of her mind shouted at her to move, to swim, but her brain had forgotten how to talk to her limbs, and she sank deeper into the depths.
Before she hit the bottom, there was a tug on her arm, and she felt herself being pulled upward. Her senses came back to her gradually, and she began to kick, sluggish at first, then harder as she made her way toward the sparkling light above.
Bursting through the surface of the water, she cried out, “Holy shit!” Her brain couldn’t decide if she should cry, laugh, or scream, so it landed on something in between—a demented giggle-cry combo.
“Ria? Hey, Ria, baby, are you okay?” Lissa was shaking her by the arms, and the concern on her face was enough for Ria to rein herself in, calming the intensity inside that was bubbling up and out of her like a volcano of crazy.
“That was…” She brushed the water from her eyes, not sure if the salty sting was from her tears or the ocean. Probably both. “That was incredible!” she gushed. Gripping Lissa’s shoulders for balance, she whipped her hair back, sending an arc of water spraying out behind her.
Lissa eyed her cautiously. “So you’re okay?”
“Okay?” Ria gasped out. “I’m better than okay. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so alive in my life. Even the chilly water is invigorating. You seriously do stuff like this all the time?”
“Not lately, since I’ve been so wrapped up in work,” Lissa replied with a strong undercurrent of sadness in her voice. “But yeah. What’s the point in being alive if you’re just going to stare at a computer every day?”
Ria cringed a little. Lissa wasn’t wrong. She was a witch with magical powers yet had chosen a lifestyle where she spent her days parked in a cubicle and her nights planted in front of a TV. She wasn’t living, merely existing.
And she was done with that crap.
“Thank you,” Ria said, pushing Lissa’s pink hair off her forehead. “Thank you for showing me how incredible it feels to stop overanalyzing everything and just live in the moment.”
Lissa tightened her arms around Ria’s waist. “Like I said, I knew there was a wild girl in there somewhere.”
“Yeah, well, I guess you know how to bring her out,” Ria replied, her lips grazing the shell of Lissa’s ear.
“In that case, let’s see just how wild you want to get. I need you to follow me one more time.” Lissa released her grip on Ria’s midsection and began swimming back toward the cliffside, veering off to the left of where they had jumped.
“You mean there’s more?” Ria asked, dog paddling after Lissa. She knew how to swim, but her heart was beating too fast to focus on easing into smooth strokes. “I’m not sure you can top jumping off a cliff.”
“Maybe not,” Lissa called over her shoulder. “But I still have one more surprise up my sleeve.”
Ria chased after her, swimming around the sharp corner of the jagged cliff face, and gasped as the mouth of a small cave was revealed. A shock of excitement jolted through her, and she picked up her pace, fiercely paddling like a corgi chasing after a floating toy.
She watched Lissa reach the edge of the cave mouth and pull herself up onto the ledge. Hand outstretched, Lissa waited for Ria to reach her, then helped her from the water.
“What is this?” Ria panted, trying to suck in a proper lungful of air as she glanced inside the darkened space.
“What would Secret Beach be without Secret Cave?” Lissa asked with a grin.
“Secret Cave? Seriously?”
Running a hand along the cave wall, Lissa shrugged.
“I actually have no idea what it’s called, or if it even has a name.
There’s a lot of these little hidden caves along the coast. You just have to know how to find them and when to go.
I’d say we have about an hour or so before we need to leave.
When the tide changes, this place fills with water, and it comes in fast and heavy. ”