Chapter 23 #2
I tiptoed through the thick tree line and low shrubs, disappearing from sight as I neared the pond.
A day of labor in the blistering June heat made my muscles ache.
I could have soaked in the bath with some Epsom salts, but that would have meant encroaching on Hayes while he moved his things into my room after dinner.
I dropped my backpack and stood at the water’s edge for a moment, taking in the serenity. I was going to miss this when I had to leave.
I unfolded the blanket that I’d carried down, stretched out on my stomach, and grabbed a paperback I had stolen from Hallie.
The crickets sang a summer serenade as I thumbed through the pages.
Evening light danced through the tree branches.
My arms ached as I propped myself up on my elbows.
I rolled to my back and held the book over my face, but the ache was still there.
I liked to think I was in great shape, but damn.
One afternoon of emptying a cabin and I was done for.
I abandoned the book, closed my eyes, and simply enjoyed the peace and quiet.
My lower back started to ache. The peace was completely shattered by an incessant throb in my shoulder blades.
The water looked pristine. A quick swim would take the pressure off my muscles and joints, but I really didn’t feel like trekking all the way back to the estate house for a swimsuit.
I glanced at the tree line. It was impossible to see through it. Levi was out of town. Mason had gone home for the night. Hallie and Zach were getting dinner in town. Lewis wouldn’t be caught dead experiencing the great outdoors.
I took off my shirt and shorts. But walking back to the house in a soaked bra and underwear would be gross…
Fuck it.
I stripped down to my birthday suit and jumped into the pond before I chickened out. Even though it had been in the nineties for a week straight, the mountain stream that fed into the shrouded pond was a full-body ice bath.
Once I adjusted to the temperature, I closed my eyes and floated on my back as the tension from the last few hours melted away.
“Fancy meeting you here.”
I shrieked, splashing in the water as Hayes snuck through the trees. His devious chuckle sent a tingle of excitement zipping down my spine.
“Don’t mind me,” Hayes teased, crossing his arms as he stood at the water’s edge. “Nothing I haven’t seen before.”
Since he was in a cheeky mood, I decided to match him tit for tat. I floated on my back, letting my breasts peek out of the surface. “You could join me, you know.”
“I’m still in my work clothes,” he countered.
“Come on, Hayes,” I begged. “You’re clocked out for the day. Enjoy it.”
“I’m enjoying the view. A lot.”
I laughed. “Do you know how much people would give to be stuck here like we are? Don’t you ever dream of a do-over where you’re sixteen again and you get one more magical summer?” I traced the ripples floating across the surface. “What did you do after work when you lived in Bethesda?”
He shrugged. “Dinner. Work out. Read.”
“And as relaxing as that sounds”—I let my fingers drift over the glassy surface—“it would be more fun if you jumped in with me. Or you could put on those faded jeans that I like and we could go on a ride.” I pointed to his designer button-up and slacks.
“Don’t get me wrong. I love Corporate Hayes.
But as good as your ass looks in those dress pants, it looks even better in blue jeans.
Put on those Wranglers, blow the dust off your boots, and feel the sunshine. ”
Hayes chuckled. “You’re a really pesky wife, you know that?”
“You gonna join me?”
“You’re not in blue jeans.” Hayes’s eyes raked over my body. “I don’t think you wanna go riding like that.” He smirked. “As enjoyable as that would be for me.”
“Blue jeans or your birthday suit. You can pick.”
There was a long pause as he watched me with that stern look that had no business being as sexy as it was. He let out a dramatically long sigh as he loosened his tie and began to unbutton his shirt. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he grumbled.
I pumped my fist, flinging water into the air. “Yes!”
Hayes stripped off his button-up and undershirt, then his slacks, with deft fingers.
“Keep go-ing,” I sang.
“That water’s gonna be so fuckin’ cold,” he muttered as he shucked off his boxer briefs and padded to the edge.
My god, he is a work of art.
Hayes gave the water a testing kick, then jumped in. I squealed as I was pushed away by the wave. A hand clasped around my ankle, dragging me back to him.
“You made me get in this cold-ass water. Now I need you to keep me warm.”
I splashed at him playfully, but I was not about to argue with that. Wide hands spanned my ass as he brought us chest to chest. I wrapped my legs around his waist, bringing us face-to-face. “Better?” I asked.
Hayes rested his forehead on mine. “Much.” His breaths were labored as he held me up in the water.
“You okay?” I whispered as his fingers flexed into my skin—like he wanted to touch me everywhere but was holding back.
Hayes swallowed. His eyes lowered to my mouth. “How complicated does it make things if I said I wanted to kiss you right now. Just us. No one watching?”
I smoothed my palms up and down his chest. “Why do you want to kiss me?”
His exhale was sharp and frustrated. “Do you want the right answer or the real answer?”
“The right answer,” I said, taking him by surprise.
The tension in his temples drew down with disappointment. “Because I was fucking worried when Lewis had you cornered earlier. I need to feel that you’re okay.”
I brushed his lips. “Now tell me the real answer.”
Hayes slanted his mouth over mine. “Because I really fucking want to.”
“I like complicated,” I said with a smile before sealing the kiss.
Hayes snaked his hand up the back of my neck, tangling those long fingers in my hair. Goose bumps skittered across my arms. “Cold?”
“Yes.” My nervous whisper was a dead giveaway that it wasn’t just the chilly water making me come alive.
“Don’t lie to me, Cath,” he murmured against my lips. “What happened to all that bravado from just a minute ago?”
I tightened my grip around him, feeling the serpentine slide of his skin against mine.
Hayes tipped his head to the side, nipping at my ear before kissing down the side of my neck. “I don’t know about you, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that night—our wedding night.”
His teeth sank into my throat, taking me back to the day he had invited me over for lunch and said he didn’t bite.
Hayes in the flesh was even better than the fantasies I indulged in to get me through the nights when he was absent from my bed.
He scraped his teeth down to my shoulder. The low burn was soothed by the cool water as it lapped at our bodies. My nipples tightened. I arched into him, desperate to relieve the ache.
He smiled like Lucifer—beautiful and damning.
His dark laugh was just as devilish. “You’ve been thinking about it too, haven’t you?
” His hand tightened on my ass, fingers digging into my flesh.
“Tell me something,” he murmured as he shifted my body until his thick shaft was trapped between us.
How Hayes was hard in frigid water was beyond me.
“Why have you been thinking about it instead of doing something about it?”
“Because I didn’t want to complicate things,” I lied.
“Bullshit,” Hayes said as he pressed his forehead to mine. “They’re already complicated, sweetheart.”
I licked my lips, feeling absolutely parched for him as he held out, teasing me by staying just a breath away.
There were things I never wanted to admit out loud, but I had admitted them to Hayes.
How much I hated my father but still wanted his approval and attention.
How much I resented my mom, but that I was also grateful for what she had done and would give anything for five more minutes with her.
And then there were things I could never admit to anyone, not even him.
How I had always wished I was a Wilder.
How I wished I was really his.
Hayes circled my nipple with the tip of his finger. “You know what’s not complicated?”
I tipped my head to the side as I kissed around the outside of his ear. “Hm?”
He smirked. “How good it feels when I slide inside of you.” His hand trailed down between my legs, teasing my entrance. “And I think if anyone deserves to feel good, it’s you.”
I groaned as he slowly pushed two fingers inside me, then added a third. The intrusion and stretch was exquisite.
“Attagirl,” Hayes whispered as he pressed his thumb against my clit and curled his fingers inside of me.
No amount of cold mountain water could dull the fire burning inside me. I clung to him as he lazily toyed with my body. Hayes wasn’t rushed or hurried. He took his time kissing and exploring.
He let me float away just long enough to turn me so that his chest was pressed against my back, then held me against his torso as one hand cupped my breast and teased my nipple while the other nestled between my legs.
“That feel good?” he murmured as he kissed the crook of my neck. “Even in the water I can feel how slick your tight little pussy is.”
I gasped for breath. My head and shoulders were above the water, but I was drowning in him. Hayes’s cock throbbed against my ass, but he paid no mind to his own needs.
My feet scraped against the rocky riverbed as erotic desperation nearly drove me mad. I tried to find my footing, but it was too slippery.
“I’ve got you.”
“But—”
“Trust me,” he said as he edged me closer and closer. “Just float. Trust me and let go.”
Gravity took hold, and my feet rose from the smooth rocks. Hayes kept me tethered to his chest as he curled and flexed his fingers inside me in steady strokes.
“H-Hayes—”
“Don’t hold back. Not from me.”
I couldn’t if I tried. The world went silent. The trees closed in around us and, for a split second, it felt like Hayes had snapped his fingers to suspend time.
I floated in his arms as ripples of ecstasy raced through me like a lightning storm. Hayes set my body ablaze, and I was happy to be consumed by him.