Chapter 4 #2
She looked up at him and nodded, and he hoped to hell he wasn’t lying to her when he said he wouldn’t let her get hurt. Because while he’d do his best to keep her from twisting her ankle or falling along the path, he had a feeling that he was the real danger, and not the risks she wanted to take.
The drive up took over an hour, and the two of them talked the entire way.
He was surprised at how easy it was to talk to her.
He felt like he could tell her almost anything.
Almost. There was no way he was going into his childhood or crap like that with her, but he felt comfortable sharing everything else.
He learned more about her work at the school and the fact that her best friend owned a bookstore—the same bookstore he shopped at when he was downtown, in fact.
He told her about his job and his coworkers who had become his friends over time.
They talked about his ink and the fact that he didn’t have a dedicated artist, but rather his body was a mural for the shop as a whole.
“And you don’t want a tattoo of your own, I take it?” he asked as they walked up the narrow path toward the hot spring. She was in front of him slightly so he could catch her if she stumbled, but she had been doing well on her own so far.
“Oh, I want one,” she said with a smile over her shoulder. Of course, because she’d taken her attention off the ground she stumbled a bit. He reached out and gripped her hip to keep her steady, and she let out a laugh. “Well, I’m surprised that didn’t happen sooner. Thanks for saving me.”
He squeezed her hip. “You just wanted my hands on your hips, don’t lie.” He held back a curse as the words tumbled out. Despite the fact that they’d kissed multiple times since they met, he’d honestly been trying to keep his distance. But, apparently, his brain wasn’t quite on the same page.
Or maybe it was his dick.
She shook her head at him, a small smile playing on her lips.
“Maybe.” She turned her head again, her attention on the path in front of her.
“As for a tattoo, I want one. I have for a while, in fact. But I don’t know what I want yet.
And since that’s kind of the important part, I’ve been holding off. ”
He let his hand fall from her hip and reached out to grip her hand.
Stupid Decisions: 156. Brody: 0.
She squeezed his fingers, and he let out a breath.
“Are you going to let Maya do it when you figure it out?”
Holly nodded. “Even if I didn’t trust her to make it perfect, I don’t think I’d have another choice.” She laughed. “Maya gets a little proprietary.”
“No shit,” he said with a chuckle. “Though I’m surprised that you and Maya are friends like you are.” He winced. “Sorry. That was probably an idiotic thing to say.”
Holly shook her head. “No, it’s a reasonable thought since she’s married to my ex.
I don’t know exactly how we became the friends we are, but when she was dating Jake, something happened, and I was there to talk to her about it.
And I guess we just became close after that.
It should be awkward, especially since I spend time at the house when Jake is there, but it’s not.
It just is. I’m grateful, though. Because not only do I have Maya as a friend but I also get the rest of the Montgomerys, as well as Jake and Border.
They’re good people, and I’m glad I get to be in their circle. ”
Brody nodded, though since her attention was on the path, she couldn’t see him. “They are good people.”
Before she could say anything else, however, they walked through a small clearing and found the hot springs.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
He squeezed her hand again. “I think so.” He wasn’t sure if he was talking about her or the hot springs though, and he knew he was in trouble.
Natural rocks had come together with the river on one side and trees and mountains on the other. Somehow, through vents deep in the earth, a perfect hot spring had been formed. This one was checked often by his friend to keep it safe for what they were about to do, and he was glad.
“You ready to take a dip?”
She looked up at him, her eyes bright. “So ready.”
“Then take off your clothes, babe, and get in.”
She snorted and raised a brow. “If that’s your idea of a line, you need to work on it.”
He shrugged off his bag and winked. “I’ll work on my lines for you, don’t worry.
But, really, I have my suit on under my clothes so I’m going to strip them off and get in.
My friend built a small hut on the other side of those trees if you want to change in there.
I don’t want you to do anything that will make you uncomfortable. ”
She just looked at him before letting out a breath. Then she gripped the bottom of her shirt and lifted it over her head.
He was going to die a very, very happy man.
She hadn’t worn a one-piece, after all. In fact, the black bikini top molded to the generous curves of her breasts perfectly. As she toed off her boots and wiggled out of her pants, her breasts jiggled back and forth, and he had to swallow hard before he came in his jeans like a hormonal teenager.
“Are you getting in with your clothes on?” she asked, standing sexy as hell in her black two-piece.
He quickly stripped down to his shorts and held out a hand. If he merely held her hand, he wouldn’t be tempted to grab for anything else like a lecher. This whole thing was so Holly could experience something new, not so he could ogle her.
But damn if he didn’t want to ogle her.
When she placed her hand in his, they made their way to the side of the hot springs.
He gave her hand one last squeeze before letting go and stepping in carefully.
The bottom had worn smooth over time but wasn’t slippery.
The natural minerals in the water tingled against his skin and he let out a sigh.
“Damn, this already feels good. You ready?” He held out his hand again, and she took it without pause.
“I am now,” she said with a small smile. He helped her get in and tried to hide his erection when she let out the sexiest moan ever.
“This feels divine.”
He sank into the water to his shoulders and nodded. “I freaking love it up here, but I don’t get a chance to come out too often.”
She rested her head on a rock as she soaked. “That’s a shame. I can’t believe I’ve never done anything like this before. And this isn’t even that adventurous.”
He moved so he sat by her without touching. He didn’t want to scare her away since hitting on her wasn’t what all of this was about. “If you haven’t done it before and it’s something you want to do, then it’s worth it to try. It doesn’t have to be death-defying to be on a bucket list.”
Holly winced. “I need a better term than bucket list.”
“How about Holly’s List? Simple and easy to remember.”
She looked over at him. “So what’s next on Holly’s List?” she asked. “I haven’t actually told you anything I want to put on it, you’ve just guessed.”
He sat up so he faced her and he could watch her expressions as she spoke. He didn’t know why he liked watching her like this when they talked, but it was as if he couldn’t get enough of her.
Again, his brain screamed that they were approaching dangerous territory, but he ignored it.
“I figured we’d slowly work our way up to grander things, but if you have stuff you want to do, we can.”
“That’s the thing, I haven’t done anything.
I’ve worked and read books. That’s it. So anything new is by far more than anything I could have thought up on my own.
” Her hands played with the ripples in the water, and she sighed.
“I know I’m putting pressure on both of us with this, but I’m having fun. Are you?”
“Hell, yeah. Despite what others might think of me, I don’t spend all my time doing reckless things and being an idiot. I’m usually working or at the gym. So doing things that are a little out of my routine is a nice break.”
Her fingers played in the water again. “As long as you want to do this, then I’m in.
I’m having fun, Brody. I never realized how…
staid I was before this. I do the same things day after day and research anything new endlessly before I do it, to the point that it’s not fun anymore.
It’s how I’ve always been. But maybe it’s time to change that. ”
“You’re already changing some of it. But Holly? I like you for you, you know. You don’t have to change everything.”
She turned so she was facing him, and his heart rate sped up. Hell, he needed to get a grip.
“That’s the nicest thing you could have said. I like me, too, Brody.” She paused. “And I like you as well.”
At her words, he did the only thing he could.
He kissed her.
And as the water splashed around them and their lips met between heavy panting breaths, he knew that Holly was one risk he shouldn’t take.
And the only risk he would.