Chapter 21 - Callie #2
Jensen moves behind me as she directed, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me flush, my back to his chest. In the name of keeping things simple, we’ve barely touched these last few weeks.
We’ve hugged a time or two, held hands, and even briefly brushed our lips together, but we’ve been holding back—and I think we both know it.
But here, now, we don’t have to do that.
It feels so incredibly good being this close to him, and I place my arms on top of his and lean into him. He dips his head, almost as if on instinct, his nose skimming the shell of my ear and the soft skin of my neck.
I’m vaguely aware of the clicking of Mabel’s camera, but the pounding of my heart is much louder. Even though the air is thick with humidity, goosebumps break out along my skin.
It’s not the same as before, though. This isn’t the sweet nerves of a first meeting. This is magnetic. Voltaic. It’s a geyser of boiling water about to erupt .
Without waiting for instruction from Mabel, I flip around, wanting, no, needing to see his face. His arms tighten around me as I wrap my arms around his neck, the movement so natural it feels like I’ve done it a thousand times before.
Jensen’s eyes are on mine, all wild and stormy like usual, but there’s a softness there, too, a vulnerability that I’ve only ever seen a handful of times before.
I step on my tiptoes, wanting to be even closer, and I squeal a little when Jensen lifts me off my feet. Our faces are level now, and I smile as I press my forehead against his. “Hi,” I whisper, grinning at him.
“Hey, pretty girl,” he murmurs, and I swear every nerve-ending inside me ignites, sending a wave of heat over my entire body. The desire to kiss him overwhelms me, but Mabel pops up next to us, talking animatedly about the shots she’s already captured.
“These are amazing,” she gushes, flipping the camera around so we can see a few previews.
“And we’re only just getting started.” Her eyes are wide and bright, and it makes me smile to see how happy this is making her.
But admittedly, there’s a part of me that wishes she weren’t here.
That it was just Jensen and I in this place, with nothing but the waterfall.
Mabel directs us through several more shots on the bank. Jensen and I aren’t saying much to each other, but there’s something crackling between us. It’s electrifying and wild, and every time he touches me, I feel it zipping through me.
“Okay, so I have an idea, but it would require you to get a little wet.” Mabel looks at me and then Jensen for approval. “What do you say?”
“I’m fine with it,” Jensen replies, his eyes sliding over to mine. “I mean, if Callie is.”
I nod quickly, forcing myself to tear my eyes away so I can make eye contact with Mabel. “You’re the boss, Boss!”
“Great!” Mabel squeals with excitement and then leads us over to the water’s edge and points just beyond it. “The water is shallow right here, and I think it’s pretty sandy at the bottom. Can you both walk out into the water?”
Kicking off my sandals, I lift my skirt with one hand and put my other one in Jensen’s outstretched palm. We carefully maneuver ourselves out into the pool, using each other for balance and laughing when we both slip once or twice.
“Easy now,” Jensen murmurs, tightening his grip on me when I lose my footing and almost fall. “I’ve got you.”
I know he means he won’t let me fall in the water, but it’s the second time he’s said it, and somehow the words feel like they mean more. My heart pounds in response.
Will you fly with me, Jensen?
We walk out until Mabel tells us to stop. The fabric of my skirt is floating on top of the water, pooling around my thighs, where the water is hitting me. The spray from the waterfall floats on the breeze, coating our skin and hair.
“Okay, Jensen, I want you to dip Callie backwards, and Callie arch your back just a little.”
One of Jensen’s hands grips my waist and the other lifts to hold me securely across the shoulder blades, dipping me low enough that the tips of my hair skim the surface of the water. I lean my head back, enjoying how incredible it feels being held like this, so secure and safe, and freeing.
Mabel squeaks her approval, but it isn’t her praise that has me lifting my leg. Jensen’s hand moves automatically to cup me just below the knee before he deepens the backward arch of the dip.
We stay like that for just a moment, and then he slowly begins to lift me back up, keeping me steady. He releases my leg, and then we’re standing pressed against each other, chest to chest.
“If you want to kiss her, that’s totally okay with me!” Mabel calls out, and it makes us both laugh.
But then Jensen gives me one of those rare smiles as he reaches up to the side of my neck, lifting my chin. “You don’t have to tell me twice. I’ve been wanting to do this all day.”
Then his lips are on mine, and everything around me fades to nothing. There is only the feel of his mouth, the heat of his body warming mine, and the sweet swirl of his tongue. He kisses me like it may be the last time he ever does it, every touch, every caress reverent, yet wild.
And then he dips me again, his lips never leaving mine. Mabel’s camera clicks and she shouts something, but my brain is much too busy to decipher her words.
Jensen lifts me into an upright position and slowly pulls back, leaving us both breathless. His eyes lock on mine and there’s so much swimming in them, that’s it hard for me to understand what that look means. If it’s anything close to the thoughts in my head, then we’re on the same page.
Fly with me, Jensen. Fly with me.
Mabel wastes no time. “Okay, walk back over here.” She indicates a sandy bank just a few inches away from the shore, where the water laps the ground. Her tone has shifted a little, she’s more focused now. “Jensen, I want you to sit in the water there. Callie, I want you in his lap.”