He licked the delicate shell of her ear and gently nipped her earlobe. She gasped, her back arching enticingly. The already clingy, wet fabric of her bathing suit seemed to stretch even tighter across her bosom. He sucked in his breath, yearning to touch.
One of Mattie’s hands moved from the back of his head, her fingers drifting down the bare skin of his arm. Like her, Leo wore a ribbed suit with straps over his shoulders. Yet it felt like no fabric separated themas they clung together, their heat combining with the already intense humidity of the cave.
Mattie’s fingers closed around his. As he watched with tensed muscles, she guided his hands to her breasts. When he cupped the soft weight, Mattie threw her head back, her lips parting with the most wonderful, guttural sound. He kissed along her delicate neck, feeling her throat muscles shift and slide as another of her moans bounced off the rock walls. The cave seemed to catch and amplify not just the sounds they generated but their emotions too.
Arousal.The perfection of the word struck him. Never before had he felt so awakened. Every bit, everyfiberof him burst with kinetic energy like a machine at full throttle. After years of feeling grounded, rooted to the earth, Leo soared.
Mattie gasped, her fingers now spread against his back, some of them on his suit, some touching his bare flesh. His mouth skimmed over her body, his hand touching where his lips did not. Their already labored breathing grew shallower. Mattie’s skin tasted salty against his tongue, cool yet also burning up. His hand slid over her chest, and Leo could feel the frantic fluttering of her heart echoing his own desperate beats.
He pulled back. Mattie made a mewling sound of protest at the sudden loss of physical contact. Gently, Leo framed her face with his hands. Her skin had flushed rosy, and her hair stood up in a wild mass of flames.
“We’d better move to the private cooling room next door that Vera arranged for us.” Leo brushed his thumbs against Mattie’s temples, not able to keep from touching her.
Mattie coyly traced the scooped neck of his swimsuit, leaving a blaze of fire in her wake. “I like the heat.”
“So do I.” The words came out in a groan.
Mattie’s mouth moved less than a quarter of an inch away from his. “Then let’s generate more.”
Now it was his turn to rasp out a deep moan. Her lips captured the sound, her hands sweeping across his chest. But her forehead felt clammy against his, and he knew they had to move to a lower temperature.
“Wouldn’t it be more of a challenge to create fire in cool water?” Leo asked.
Mattie leaned slightly back, her golden-green eyes intrigued. “Well, when you put it that way...”
“Vera did tell us to give each other massages.”
“Hmm. That does sound tempting.” Mattie’s hand moved from the top of the swimsuit to dance over his chest and upper torso. “I’m eager to explore your muscles.”
“Given how I feel about your curves, I completely understand.” Leo swore his voice sounded like it was being squeezed through a mechanical grinder.
“The touching will continue?” Mattie asked, her tone almost impish.
“Oh yeah.”
“Then I accept your dare.”
Carefully, the two of them slid around the stone seat that encircled the natural spring water. When they burst into the cooler private room built outside the cave, Leo saw Mattie shiver. He wrapped his arm around her trembling shoulders and held her close as they made their way to the pool of water in the center of the small room with a ceiling made of rough-hewn pine logs. He had never been in a bathhouse back East, and he supposed that this sanitarium was more rustic than those in the big cities. But to him, the place was classy. The small pool, just big enough for two people to dip in, was sunk into the floor and lined with cobalt-blue tiles. After the steam of the cave, the water beckoned, promising a bastion of welcoming coolness.
“My teeth are going to chatter.” Mattie regarded the octagon-shaped depression with a hint of suspicion.
“You like a challenge,” Leo pointed out.
Mattie laughed. Although the cooling room didn’t echo as much as the rock alcove, it still was mostly hard tile, with little softness to absorb the sound. Her mirth, light and airy, sang through the enclosed space. “I do indeed.”
With no more hesitation, Mattie tugged Leo toward the water. She didn’t even test the temperature. Instead, gripping his fingers tighter, she slipped into the coolness, bringing him with her. The cold shocked his system—but in a wonderful, refreshing way. The pool had a bench they could rest on, and Leo took full advantage of the seat. He stretched out his legs, enjoying the gentle slosh against his calves and thighs.
Mattie’s teeth did click together, but she made no move to climb out. Leo pulled her onto his lap. When she wiggled closer, he sucked in his breath, closing his eyes against the sweet delight that stabbed him.
After crossing his arms around Mattie’s torso, Leo rubbed his hands vigorously over her biceps. Her soft flesh had risen into goose bumps, but under his administration, he could feel her relax.
“Hmm,” she murmured, her breasts shifting against his forearms as she sighed. “I could get accustomed to being warmed this way.”
He kissed the curve of her ear. “I fully recommend it.”
“Based on how good this feels, I cannot wait for my massage. Vera says they feel absolutely divine.”
“Vera definitely knows her divine,” Leo joked, but he had a feeling he would agree with Vera this time, even if he never would have chosen that word.
