They flowed faster now, over a shallow bed of rocks and onto the cusp of a miniature waterfall. “Here we go!” Memphis belted, a wide grin on his face.
Ty gripped onto her tube, watching as Memphis dropped onto the lower level just a foot or two down. It was her turn next, and as her tube spun on the rushing water, her feet dangling in the air for just a blink, her tummy did flips.
Swoosh!Down she went, the spray and wind at her face. “Woo hoo!” she echoed, the sentiment sounding a whole lot like Memphis’s. “That wasawesome!”
Memphis face was lit up with the excitement she felt on her own. “I’m glad you liked it, because it looks like there are a few more ahead.”
The rush of adrenaline shooting through her was entirely new. She didnotseek out things that made her feel this way, but she was so glad that Memphis had invited her. This was a younger side of herself. A side that had died the day Eric walked out on her and Lucas. And now, Memphis was bringing it back to life.
Maybe that’s what her soul had been searching for all along. Someone who could bring that part of herselfback to life. A burst of confirmation filled her chest. Yes, Memphis was good for her, and he was meant to be a part of her life at this time. However long it would last, what might happen from here, she couldn’t know. And she didn’t need to. Ty only needed to recognize that for this time, this moment, his friendship was a gift. And as they approached another drop from one level to the next, Ty lifted a prayer of gratitude to the heavens.
Memphis soaked in the wonder of Ty’s laughter, the sound of it giving him more joy than the river ride itself. It was so fun to see Ty let go and enjoy herself in such a way. He couldn’t help but assume that—had Lucas been with them—she wouldn’t have been able to relax and enjoy it for herself as much. That didn’t mean that Memphis wouldn’t want to bring him along next time. In fact, he mused that hearing that little guy’s laughter as he rushed over the small bumps and drops would please him nearly as much as Ty’s.
He turned back to shoot Ty a grin. “Got a few more drops up ahead, it sounds like,” he said, hearing an increase in the water’s volume.
Ty’s eyes widened as she pointed up ahead. “Memphis, watch out, there’s a branch!”
Memphis spun around and shoved the stick in his grip against the oncoming log stretched across the river. A sharp branch protruded from its side, ready to do its worst. Memphis narrowly avoided the branch. He spun back to help swing Ty’s tube away from it next, but the water was picking up speed.
A trace of heat moved down the top of his forearms as he tugged fast and hard, hoping it would be enough. He barely caught sight of the tube approaching the sharp tip when a suddenpopstartled him and Ty both.
And suddenly, her tube was gone! Vanished. The slack piece of rubber sucked beneath the current, and Ty was flat on her butt, working to support herself with her arms and legs as the water rushed over her shoulders.
“Hop on!” Memphis hollered, but she was too wobbly.
Memphis climbed off his own tube, steadying it with the stick in one hand, and helped Ty get to her feet. “You’re coming with me now,” he said, turning her to face away from him and wrapping an arm around her waist.
With that, he sank into the tube, bringing Ty with him, and pressed away from the bank with the stick. Ty made a stifled sound as her body tightened. He wasn’t sure if she was laughing or crying.
“You okay?” he asked, a spark of worry brewing now.
The sound got louder now, answering his question with a peal of laughter. “That was crazy!” she said. “I wish we had that on video so we could play it back.”
Memphis felt himself relax a notch. In truth, that had ruffled him up pretty good. “I wish we did too. That whole tube freaking vanished in thin air!”
“Seriously,” she said. “I figured if the branch got it, the tube would like, eke out air slowly andthensink. But no. It was here one minute and gone the next.”
“With a painfully loud bang, by the way,” he added, laughter coating the words.
“Right,” she said.
“It’ll be fun to tell Lucas about it,” Memphis added.
“Definitely.” Ty sighed, her body going limp as they came upon another lazy stretch of the river. It was the first time Memphis had been so aware of her…well, of her body against his. She’d been supporting her own weight as they moved over the rapids. But now, now she was soft and warm and everywhere.
“Thanks for letting me share your tube,” she said. “I’m not like, suffocating you, am I?”
He laughed and moved his mouth to her ear. It was so close he couldn’t resist. “Hardly,” he rasped, his bottom lip grazing her earlobe.
“Mmm,” she said. “That gave me chills.”
The idea caused delicious warmth to stir low in his belly. “What did, this?” With purpose now, he glided his bottom lip along the edge of her ear.
“Mmm,” she said again, sinking even further into him now. The new angle put her neck at his lips, and boy, did he want to sample the delicate slope. Something he probably shouldn’t do before they’d had their first kiss.
Why in heaven’s name did he have to drop that dang ice pack the other night? If they’d moved past that first kiss, he could give her a pretty good tease right now, grazing her flesh lightly like a blood-thirsty vampire ready to do his worst.
He covered a low groan. He couldn’t remember wanting to kiss a woman so badly in all his life. They’d come to an even greater lull in the water. This, he realized as he spotted the sign, was the place they could catch a shuttle lift back to their cars. After doing a bit of research, Memphis had found that there were too many nearby river-run competitors to make the addition a worthwhile pursuit for The Homestead, which was fine by him. Hopefully he would discover something better suited to him. For now, Memphis would simply enjoy the existing river runs and hope that, before it got too cold, he and Ty could bring Lucas.
