The trees opened, and the lake spread out before us, even more unreal up close. The water was so clear smooth stones shone beneath the surface, sunlight breaking into shards across the ripples. The mountain loomed on the other side, sharp and bare and impossibly tall against the wide blue sky.
We picked our way across the shoreline until we found two flat stones jutting out just enough to sit comfortably. He lowered himself first, then held out a hand to help me as I sat beside him. Our thighs touched, and neither of us shifted away.
The breeze skimmed over the water and lifted the ends of my hair. Somewhere across the lake, a bird cried out, the sound echoing faintly off the stone. We stayed silent for a while, enjoying the moment.
Cormac leaned forward, forearms resting on his knees, hands dangling loosely between them. His T-shirt stretched across his back, the cotton pulling slightly.
“Is now later?”
He turned his head toward me, brow furrowing. “Later?”
“You said maybe you’d show me your backpiece. I said maybe I’d ask later.” I tilted my head. “I’m asking.”
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “Now’s fine.”
I shifted off my rock and slipped behind him on my knees, the heat from the sun-warmed stone seeping through my jeans. My fingers hovered at the hem of his shirt, suddenly aware of how close we were.
Of the breadth of his shoulders.
The steady rise and fall of his chest.
“Ready?” I murmured.
He nodded once, and I slipped my fingers under, slowly lifting, the cotton sliding over his skin. Inch by inch, the ink came into view—dark lines and intricate shading stretching across the expanse of his back.
The world narrowed to the curve of his spine beneath my fingertips and the art etched into his skin—the lake and mountain before us fading into nothing but light and wind as I took my first full look.
It was our favorite spot on the ranch, laid out in shades of black and gray. The river…and the stacks of pebbles we always left on the shore to mark our visits. Sagebrush and cottonwoods, rocks tearing through the earth to reach for Heaven. Mountains loomed like giants, the sun beating down on all of them.
Before I could really think about it, I traced the lines with my fingertips. Cormac’s spine stiffened, but he stayed utterly still. Tears pricked the backs of my eyes, and I couldn’t have explained why if anyone asked.
It was beautiful. Like someone had drawn a dream from my memory onto his skin. I wanted to study it. The way it moved with him when he breathed, when he reached, curled, waved.
“Cormac,” I whispered, pressing my cheek against a mountain peak. “I love it.”
Through his back, I felt him rumble. He reached around, clutching my knee, and I wrapped my arms around his chest, hugging him tight. My eyes squeezed shut as I rubbed my cheek back and forth then touched my lips to his sunshine.
I hadn’t meant to do it. And probably shouldn’t have. But I couldn’t help it or stop myself.
His heart skipped under my palms. Mine thumped against his back.
“Come here,” he gritted out. “C’mere, Zara.”
He pulled, and I let him move me. Then I was in front of him, crawling onto his lap, and we held on to each other, my face in his neck, his in my hair.
“I missed you.”
His arms tightened, and he inhaled sharply. “Missed you too.”
I pressed my lips to his skin, holding them there for a few fluttering heartbeats. His fingers wound through my hair, stroking slowly, making me melt into him. Then he tugged my head back to look at me.
I stopped breathing and stared back, knowing he could see how wet my eyes were. How flushed my cheeks must have been. And probably everything I was thinking and feeling too.
He lowered his face to mine, missing my mouth to touch his lips to my cheek, lingering there for a long time. And then his rough scruff scraped along my cheek, his mouth stopping beside my ear.
“That freckle. Glad it never faded.”
I sucked in a shuddering breath, squeezing my eyes shut. “I have a freckle?”
