31. Chapter 31
Chapter thirty-one
Jonathan
“ L ucy, have I told you yet that you’re a brilliant angel sent from the heavens?” Jonathan smiled at the back of her head as her perky ponytail swayed with each sure-footed step.
“At least five times this morning.” Her sweet chuckle played over her shoulder as she glanced back at him. “You’d think I’d solved some worldwide crisis instead of just taking on half the weight of the pack.”
Before leaving camp, Lucy had fashioned a pouch out of the hammock and filled it with half of their supplies so Jonathan had less to carry. He had, of course, protested at first, but her logic that it would be better for his back was infallible. Using the ropes—and her new knowledge of tying knots—she’d crisscrossed the makeshift bag over his shoulders so the weight was evenly distributed.
It was lifesaving. Ok, perhaps that was overly dramatic, but it was extremely helpful.
Currently, she led the way to the lake she’d visited the day before so they could refill their water supply. Typically having difficulty relinquishing control, Jonathan happily trailed behind her, trusting her ability to lead them safely to their first stop of the day.
But then, at this point, he wanted to follow her anywhere.
They moved at a fast clip while still proceeding with caution to keep from overtaxing his tender back. The sharp stabs of yesterday had downgraded to a mild soreness, but he didn’t want to push it. He was determined to get Lucy back to town and didn’t want his stupid back to waylay them anymore than it already had.
One rub about their pace was that there wasn’t the opportunity to talk without throwing Lucy off track or stopping altogether. Jonathan was nearly desperate to talk with her about the night before. They’d decided it was best to cool it for the time being, but after a night to sleep on it, something about that path felt wrong.
When they got back to town, he’d ask her to dinner so they could talk it out properly. Most importantly, he needed to know if she felt whatever it was that was growing between them. That immense crackle of heat and desire. He respected her. Every moment, he was in awe of her. He’d tried to convince himself that it was merely circumstantial, that their shared trauma fueled them to seek comfort in one another. But the more he tried to persuade himself, the more he realized it was a bullshit excuse.
Lucy was incomparable.
And while it terrified Jonathan to contemplate sharing his life with someone again—allowing himself to be relied upon—it shook him to his core to consider letting her slip away without saying how he felt.
But exactly how did he feel?
Could he even describe how she’d awakened something inside of him? How could he explain that the part of him that was darkened, shadowed by the grief of loss, felt lighter? More bearable? It couldn’t be love. Not yet. He wasn’t so naive to think something so strong as that could spark that quickly. Four days. Jonathan had known Lucy for four days, and only one thing was certain.
Despite the clusterfuck of a weekend—getting caught in a torrential downpour, barely escaping a landslide, bushwhacking through the wilderness, losing all her stuff, throwing out his back—his world was better because she was in it.
Eventually, he was going to tell her. Then it would be her move. He couldn’t control how she’d take it, which was unsettling. But putting himself out there was better than living in regret, letting her go back to Seattle, thinking this was all some . . . opportunistic fling.
“We’re here!” Lucy’s excited squeal jarred Jonathan back to the present.
Lifting his proverbial blinders and looking beyond her for the first time that morning, he noticed the lush wall of trees and bushes. Excitement coursed through him. He couldn’t wait to see the lake Lucy had described the day before. Trailing her through the thicket, he stopped in his tracks on the other side.
She’d described an alpine oasis and hadn’t oversold a single aspect. The lake was stunning; he stayed there momentarily to take it all in. A gentle breeze coming off the water cooled the sweat on his brow. Despite their efforts to beat the heat by starting early, the temperature was already in the mid-seventies, and it wasn’t even ten in the morning yet.
Once he’d paid the area the proper reverential moment of silence, Jonathan untied the hammock cord crisscrossing his chest and pulled out the pump, bottles, and bladder to fill at the edge of the lake. He knelt, scooped up a handful of the icy water, and splashed it over his face.
“Good god that feels—” His words were cut off when a frigid wave doused half of his body. Startled, he choked on a gasp.
What the bloody hell just happened?
Jonathan looked up to see his lakeside assailant splashing around happily. Lucy’s joyful laughter was tinged with a slight wobble, presumably because the water was so flipping cold.
“Come swim with me,” the alluring siren beckoned. Sun sparkled off her wet skin and hair as she treaded water a few feet away. The crystal clarity allowed him to see she was wearing just a bra and panties.
Jonathan licked his lips then shook his head. “Nope.”
“Aww, why not?” She made a playful pout and sent another little wave his way. “You’re already all wet.” He put his head down and returned his focus to filling the bottles. They really didn’t have time for this. She swam a little closer and flicked more droplets at him.
“Lucy,” Jonathan scolded, feeling much like a teacher giving a final warning.
Paddling to the lake’s edge, she pulled herself up to sit beside him. “I see you’ve reverted to being a grouch—what gives? Is your back hurting again?” She wrung the water from her hair, inadvertently arching her breasts up in the process. Jonathan’s eyes swept over her glistening body. Perched on the granite slab beside him, she looked good enough to eat. Or touch. Or lick . . .
He dragged his stare away and resumed his task. “My back’s good. If we want to get to town soon, we shouldn’t dillydally.”
“Dillydally? Ok, grandpa.” Lucy chuckled as she rose to a stand and then plodded away toward her discarded clothes. Jonathan glanced over his shoulder and watched her go, full hips and ass swaying seductively. Twin dimples peeked out over the top of her sensible black underwear. His fingers itched to trace each one. Was she trying to tempt him, or was it all in his imagination?
They really needed to talk. But not there. That conversation would be best had once they reached civilization. Maybe over a beer. Or in bed. For now, they needed to focus on the final leg of their journey.
Once the last bottle was filled, Jonathan returned everything to his bag. Lucy walked back to the edge of the lake as scantily clad as she was before. “I thought you were getting dressed,” he said with a little more strain than he meant to.
“I’m going to clean up first.” She turned to him and popped a hand on one hip. “You should too.”
“We’ve been through this.” Jonathan groaned and marched closer. “We aren’t at a spa. That isn’t a pool. We’re almost out of food and need to get back ASAP.”
“A few more minutes won’t hurt,” she debated. “It’s not like we’re going way out in the middle, just away from the shore a few feet. Think about how good it’ll feel to wash all that sweat and grime off your body. Plus, won’t the cold feel great on your back? It might soothe the muscles a little.” Her arguments and single arched eyebrow wore him down.
It would be fucking incredible to feel clean again. And if they stayed close to shore, there wouldn’t be much risk. And the biggest bonus was a nearly naked Lucy.
“Ok, fine. Five minutes.”
“That’s all I ask,” she said with a giggle. “Now strip.” Her arms crossed over her chest, shifting her breasts up, producing even more cleavage.
Sweat beaded on Jonathan’s forehead.
“Can you turn around?” He hoped his words came out more teasing than agitated. Taking his clothes off while she watched felt a little more erotic than he could manage at the moment. The last thing he wanted was to sport a semi while standing there mostly naked.
Fortunately, the icy water would remedy that real quick.
Lucy bit her lip to hold back a grin but complied with his request and turned.
Shirt and pants removed and neatly folded, Jonathan figured the best plan was to get it over with and jump. If he eased in, he’d never make it beyond his knees. And with any luck, he’d be able to pay her back with a splash of his own making. After a few silent breaths, he worked up the nerve and leapt.
Ho-ly shit!
The water was beyond cold. It felt like his balls sucked up into his body, and any partial erection he had earlier was long gone. Breaking the surface, he spotted Lucy on shore, eyes and mouth wide in shock and dripping wet all over again. Mission accomplished. Jonathan couldn’t hold back a laugh, which was short-lived.
“Cannonball!” Lucy hollered as she launched herself toward him, landing mere inches away and submerging him in the resulting wave. Both sputtered and coughed as they splashed frantically at each other. Lucy swam around and dunked Jonathan from behind. He retaliated by looping his forearms under her butt and launching her up and back a few feet. Out of breath and shivering, Jonathan made his way back to the edge and snagged the soap so they could wash. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d bathed that quickly. In less than two minutes, they were out and lying side by side, face up to the sun.
“Aren’t you glad you listened to me?” Lucy released a contented sigh.
“As much as it pains me to admit it, you were right.”
“Ahh. Now that’s the stuff.”
“Don’t let it go to your head, sunshine,” he crooned.
“Never.”
Rolling to his side, Jonathan propped up on his elbow, gazing down at Lucy, who looked as serene as could be with her eyes closed and hands resting on her belly.
“I could lay here all day,” she hummed.
“So could I.” But it had very little to do with the scenery. Sure, the lake was glorious. And the solitude was a welcome change from the crowds in Leavenworth during tourist season. But the real beauty and draw came from the woman lying next to him, cheeks awash with a rosy glow and freckles.
She must have sensed his gaze because she wasn’t surprised to see him looking down at her. In the glowing sunlight, her emerald eyes were especially brilliant.
“What?” she asked breathlessly.
“You are extraordinary.” It didn’t do her justice, though. That word, extraordinary. She was beyond that. From the hair on her head to the tip of her toes, inside and out. Her laugh. Her heart. Her inability to quit. In his eyes no one could compare.
“You’re ridiculous or drunk.” Lucy sat up and pulled at his shoulder exaggeratedly to look behind him. “Are you hiding an extra beer back there? And if so, why aren’t you sharing with—”
She stopped as he sat up and took her wrist, bringing her fingers to his lips. He placed a single kiss on each one and lowered her hand to the middle of his chest. “Don’t,” he implored. “Don’t diminish how impressive you are. You, Lucy O’Malley, are one of a kind.” His heart pounded wildly like it might burst from his chest if he didn’t confess his feelings—whatever they were—for her. “I don’t know what this is, but you must feel it. There’s no way you don’t.”
Damp waves curled about her face as she focused on where her palm met his bare chest. Once merely warm from the sun, his skin was now ablaze from her touch. He was branded. No matter what came of this, he would bear the mark of her.
“I’m . . .” Lucy trailed off, still not making eye contact.
“What is it?” Jonathan cooed. “Tell me.”
“I don’t know. Maybe I’m a little scared,” she confessed, nibbling on her lower lip.
So am I.
“Of what, sunshine?” He reached up and cupped his hand along her jaw, sweeping a lock of hair behind her ear. She leaned into his touch. Jonathan’s mind jumped back to the moments following the landslide. Lucy had been afraid then too. The memory made his heart ache. He never wanted her to be unsafe again. The urge to protect her was primal.
“Of what this could be,” she said quietly, finally looking up at him. “I’m afraid because this is all so much so fast.” Her words flowed quickly. “I’ve never felt attraction so intensely before, and I’m worried that it’s because of this disaster we survived. Last night, I wanted you—I still want you—but now I’m not so . . . clouded by lust.” She released a self-effacing chuckle. “What if it’s all a ruse, and when we get back, we come to our senses? What if this is a mistake?”
“But what if it’s not? I’m scared too. I haven’t opened myself up to someone since Cynthia. But with you, the same clarity keeps circling back around and I imagine us together and it makes me brave. Think of how good it could be.” Jonathan linked his fingers with hers but kept them pressed to his chest as though he needed her to feel his unconscious reaction to her touch. “Lucy, take the risk with me.”
Her eyes darted wildly between each of his, searching for . . . what? Reassurance? Truth?
“Jump with me, sunshine.” His voice was a hoarse whisper.
Lucy closed the distance between them and crushed her lips to his. Jonathan let out a grateful moan and pulled her close against his chest. Her heart beat just as wildly as his, and he rejoiced at the discovery.