Page 36 of When The Mountains Held Us

Is she as intrigued by me as I am by her? The way her nipples harden under my stare gives me my answer, and I bite back a growl of satisfaction.

Without a word, I turn and follow the ledge towards the waterfall. The little splat splat splat of her wet feet on the rock lets me know she’s following without having to look back and see it for myself.

I don’t stop until we reach the edge of the waterfall, the thundering sound drowning out any possibility of conversation. I give her a smirk over my shoulder before slipping beneath the torrent, emerging a moment later into the small cavern behind the falls.

It’s dark behind the falls, but at this time of day, the sun hits the water in a way that sends thousands of tiny rainbow prisms against the stone. I’ve always loved this spot the most. Sure, the view from the top of the falls is gorgeous, but there’s something about the quiet of this space, in the midst of the roar of water, that has always soothed me. It feels like I’ve stepped into another world, another time, another dimension, without ever having to leave my backyard.

A small gasp sounds from behind me, and I watch Oakley take in the sight before her. A fresh wave of water rolls down her skin, dripping from her hair and down between her breasts.

I guess there wasn’t a point to us drying off. She blows out a breath, her hands on her hips as she narrows her eyes at me.

“I’ll bet you take all the girls here.”

I start to laugh, thinking her words must be a joke, but I stop short when I catch the apprehension in her eyes. I take a step towards her. To her credit, she stands her ground.

“Oakley.”

“No, I can see why. Really. I mean, look at this place.” She flaps her hand around her head matter-of-factly. “It’s gorgeous.”

“Oakley.” Another step.

“And secluded. And—” She spins around, making a show of taking in the cave, her head bobbing as she seems to make up her mind. “Yup. Romantic.”

“Oakley.” Another step. I’m standing right in front of her, close enough that when she turns around, her body will be a hair's breadth away from mine.

“Plus, it’s loud. There’s no way anyone could hear the way you make them—” She whirls around to face me, nearly colliding with my chest, and I wrap an arm around her waist to steady her, unable to keep from touching her anymore.

“The way I make them, what, darlin’?”

“Moan.”

That last word is breathless, uttered so quietly I almost miss it. My cock instantly hardens against her. Her pupils widen, shrinking the blue-gray to mere slivers as she feels me pressed against her stomach. Hesitantly, as if she doesn’t know if this is okay, she presses herself a little further into me.

Where did her boldness come from? Is it the adrenaline from jumping off the cliff, or something else? I bite back a groan.

“I wouldn’t know.”

She scoffs and rolls her eyes, looking away, but I grip her chin with my free hand and tilt her face up until my lips hover a fraction above hers.

“I’ve never brought anyone here before.”

If I shift even a fraction, the distance between our mouths will close.

All at once, that thought is the only thing I can focus on. My eyes dart down to her plump lips, at how they’re parted and trembling, and I want to catch them with mine. I want to pry her open and taste her tongue as it tangles with mine.

One fraction of an inch forward is all it would take.

“Levi!”

The breath catches in my lungs as she exhales sharply, her breath fanning over my lips in a tempting caress as Justin inadvertently cockblocks the fuck out of me. The moment is broken, but she slumps against me as if my arm around her waist is the only thing keeping her upright.

“OAKLEY!” Jessie shouts, and I sigh.

“We should probably get going before they have half the town crawling the place looking for us. Trust me, they can be a bit dramatic when prompted.”

A chuckle shakes her small shoulders before the warmth of her body is gone, and I’m watching those swinging hips disappear through the torrent of water on hurried feet.

I give myself a moment to calm my racing heart, to slow the blood still rushing to my dick at the prospect of having my hands on her body. She is intoxicating. If I let my thoughts continue down this path, my cock will be the first part of me emerging from beneath this waterfall, and the last thing I need is the humiliation of that.