Ten

 

 

“DO YOU REMEMBER when we hiked here before?” Braden asked.

“Of course.” Melanie gazed across the lake.

That day eleven years earlier had been so similar. Sun and warmth radiated down their backs and baked the needles on the trees. The same trail was equally hot and dusty beneath their hiking boots.

“It was later in the season. The temperature of the water will be colder today than the last time we were here,” she said.

“But you’re strangely immune to variations in water temperature. I secretly think you’re cold-blooded like the fish,” Braden said.

“Your thoughts aren’t secret anymore,” she said with a laugh.

He eyed her conspiratorially. One brow lifted at the corner, accentuating his suspicions. “You may as well know I have strange thoughts about you.”

Melanie’s smile widened. “I am part fish. Everyone in my family has told me since I was a kid. And the stranger the thoughts, the better to keep you wondering.”

“I’m definitely wondering about a lot of things lately,” he said.

The path narrowed on a steep hillside. Braden stepped aside and half turned to let her go before him. Below them on the right, the lake shimmered in the midday light. Above them on the left, the tree-covered hillside angled sharply toward the water. The section of trail didn’t allow for walking side by side.

“Go ahead of me. You can set our pace,” he said.

She remembered Braden doing the same thing when they were teens, always letting her go ahead of him.

They headed to the rock slide where the north branch of the Independence River flowed into Granite Lake. Rock sliding was a favorite pastime for the locals, especially the teenagers, but this area was a two-mile hike farther than the other more popular spot for rock sliding. Melanie would be surprised if anyone would be there on a Tuesday. Excitement fizzed through her body and had done so since Braden mentioned taking the hike with her. She always thought of the place they were headed as their spot. The last time they were there, he’d all but promised to marry her. His exact words were, “Melanie, I hope you’re my girlfriend until I’m a crusty old fart and I can barely remember your name, or remember my own name. You know what I mean, don’t you? Till I’m old and senile and still have a hot babe for a wife.”

She had laughed. “This wife of yours has an equal chance of being old, saggy, wrinkled, and not hot.”

He responded by grabbing her butt. “She’ll be dead sexy at any age.”

Was this what Braden remembered about their last visit to the rock slides? Or did he only remember the fun they had playing in the water, followed by making out? Was he expecting a repeat performance of the past? Emotions gathered like a swarm inside her. Quiet introspection accompanied her along the length of the narrow trail. Melanie swallowed as she picked a careful path over tree roots crisscrossing the trail.

“I owe you the rest of the story,” Braden said.

“I’m not sure I want to know. I mean, I do, but I’m also worried that if you tell me now it will change this incredible day.”

“Alright then. You tell me when you’re ready and I’ll tell you everything.”

“Sounds like a deal,” she said.

“Good.”

They continued toward their destination without speaking for another few minutes.

“There’s something else you need to know.”

“Go on,” she said, hoping like mad he didn’t tell her about his foot fetish or some weird collection of Pegasus figurines.

“It’s about the reason why I’m back in Granite Lake. My current situation at work is case sensitive and I can’t talk about it. I want to be honest with you, but if I’m not being specific that is the reason why.”

“That’s pretty cryptic and vague,” she said, keeping her eyes forward and silently thanking the universe he didn’t want to wash her feet or lick her toes. She could handle an off-duty game warden who carried a side arm to go hiking and didn’t want to talk about his job.

“I know it is. You can ask me anything else about my life but not the reason why I’m living here.”

“Are we talking about top secret information or more like a witness protection program?”

“I’m not at liberty to discuss it,” he said.

She glanced over her shoulder to see his expression. The sunglasses he wore shielded his eyes and his mouth held firm in a straight line.

“Is this related to the reason you’re carrying a handgun, or do you always open carry?”

“It’s related. I don’t normally carry a gun with me except when I’m working. Does it bother you?” he asked. “I should have mentioned the gun before we left the truck.”

“My dad and grandfather used to take me shooting when I was a kid. I don’t own a gun, but they don’t make me nervous.”

“I wish I could tell you more, but I’m legally obligated to not disclose any information at this time,” he said.

“Okay, tell me this. Do you prefer hawks or eagles?” she asked randomly in an attempt to A, lighten the mood, and B, change the subject.

“Neither. I prefer owls. They have silent flight, superior sight and hearing, and can rotate their neck two hundred and seventy degrees. They’re also great hunters,” he said.

The trail widened and he stepped up so they walked side by side.

“You always had unexpected answers. I like that. You make me think of things in a new way,” she said.

“And your totally off-the-wall out of the blue interrogations took my mind off things I didn’t want to think about,” he said.

“I’m not off-the-wall,” she defended.

“You once asked me if I was starving to death would I rather eat leeches or soylent green,” he said.

Melanie laughed. “No, I didn’t.”

“You did.”

“How do you remember that?” she asked.

“I remember a lot of things about you and our conversations. You would keep me up all night talking on the phone and I would be completely useless at school the next day.”

“Do the leeches contain the blood of their victims?” she asked.

“Did you just confess to remembering?” He shot her a playful but accusing look.

“No. I don’t. It just seems like the next logical thing I would think about,” she said.

“Well, you did ask me. And you must have asked every other question in the world.”

“Hmm. I guess that’s where Sienna gets it,” Melanie said.

“Your questions and your experiments helped keep me distracted in a good way.”

“Oh goodness! The experiments.” Her eyes widened and embarrassment sent a rush of blood to her cheeks. “I haven’t thought about those in ages.”

“The cooking experiments were interesting and slightly dangerous,” he said.

“Yes, they were! My mom just about murdered me when I ruined the oven with that exploding soda can.”

“Didn’t you kill the microwave, too?”

“I’m not at liberty to discuss the family microwave,” she said gravely.

Braden’s laugh shook his whole body. Melanie joined him. He reached down and took her hand in his.

“We had a good year.”

“Yeah, we did. My poor family suffered though,” she said. “By the way. Those kitchen experiments haven’t really stopped. You’ve been warned.”

“Good to know,” he said with a twitch of his lips.

Their hands swung gently between them as the rock sliding area came into view. Melanie anticipated cooling down in the water after the long hike.

“What was the answer?” she asked.

“To what?” he asked.

“Bloody leeches or soylent green?”

Braden laughed low under his breath. “The answer was pizza.”

Her laugh bubbled out of her. “And beer. I remember now! We argued for a long time because if you were starving to death, there obviously wasn’t a pizza shop open anywhere you could get one.”

“And I said, of course there would be pizza. The world could be coming to an end and some schmuck somewhere would still be hawking pizzas and beer to the desperate and deprived. I would be the desperate resourceful fool who would find the last pizza on Earth and do anything to have it.”

Melanie shook her head and reveled over the memory. She had so many good memories of Braden. That he remembered the random conversation made her feel special, and her skin tingled with secret pleasure.

“You’re not the only one walking around with a secret today, too,” she said.

“Oh yeah?”

“That's right.” She took a breath and set her shoulders back.

“If you share it then it won’t be a secret any longer,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze.

“This particular secret needs to be divulged. I agree that we should be honest with each other if we’re going to be friends again.”

“Go for it. Anything you say isn’t going to scare me.”

“Hmm...” She made a noncommittal sound. “It’s not scary. Not for you. This about me and my first summer alone.”

“Are you alone?”

“Yes and no.” She released his hand. “This is kind of hard to admit, so I’m going to just say it.”

The path was lined with spruce trees on their left and the water on the right. Melanie continued forward and the trail sloped downward and widened onto the beach. She stopped a few feet from the water. Braden kept his face neutral.

“I’ve never been by myself before. I lived at home with my family. Then I went to college where I had a roommate in my dorm. I met Dylan and have been with him until I moved here. Sienna has never been away from me since she was born until this summer. This is the first time I’ve ever been alone in a house.”

“How’s it going so far?” he asked.

“I’m a wreck sometimes. Other days it’s like nothing is different. That sounds like a crazy person, right?”

“Not at all. Besides, aren’t we all a little crazy?”

“Maybe. I’m telling you because I have to experience this summer as a single unattached person. I decided I need this. I need to experience some independence. Emmeline and Treasure agree with me. Emmeline keeps trying to convince me to date, but she also wants me to have this time in my life without Sienna.”

Braden pivoted so his body faced away from her. They watched the water for a moment before he said, “I’m sorry you haven’t experienced solitude before. That’s unimaginable for me. Since leaving the Guard, I spend more time alone than I don’t. You’ll learn a lot about yourself if you’re willing to take a look.”

“I think so, too. I already have in the last couple of weeks. It’s been sort of amazing. I miss Sienna like my heart is outside of my body, but I also get to watch want I want and it doesn’t have to be PG. I can shop without being nagged the entire time I’m in the store. I worked on my armoire until midnight and slept until nine in the morning. I didn’t have to worry about making too much noise and waking her up, or making sure she eats a healthy breakfast. This probably sounds incredibly lame and boring, but it matters to me, and what I’ll be doing over the rest of the summer."

“It’s not lame. I’m happy for you.”

“And I’m not ready for any kind of serious relationship until I have more time to myself.” There. She said it. The whole point of her speech was to get to the part about her not being ready for a relationship. Her heart pattered against her ribs like butterfly wings. They’d only just reconnected and she had no idea what his thoughts or plans were. Did he have plans? But she needed to get those words out of her mouth as much for her own well-being as for the future of their friendship.

His chest rose and fell as he breathed. “I don’t know how long I’ll be in Granite Lake. I’ll be moving at some point. I can’t say where because I don’t know yet and I can’t talk about the current circumstances that brought me here. But I’m glad you’re here.”

“And I'm glad you're here," she said.

“Would it be okay to just have today? Old friends going for a swim.”

“Sounds perfect.” She loved that he understood and didn’t pressure her. To her relief, they seemed to be on the same page. This summer was about letting go of pressure and motherly expectations. This summer was going to be about reclaiming Melanie.

Pine trees glistened beneath the afternoon sun. The heat of the day reached its peak and Melanie was ready to swim. A chipmunk barked orders at them as Braden set their daypack down on the deserted shore.

“Cheeky little guy,” she remarked as the chipmunk scurried to a nearby rock and perched on his hind quarters. His beady eyes lasered in on her backpack.

“They’re adorable until you feed them a peanut or a chip and they bite your finger. Being rushed to the emergency room for a rabies vaccination isn’t fun for anyone.”

“Well, Warden Keehn, nice of you to show up,” she said with her own dose of cheekiness.

“Ma’am, if you’ll refrain from feeding the wildlife, we won’t have any problems here today,” he said with an ounce of drawl, a dash of authority, and a healthy shot of sexiness.

Melanie’s insides hummed with pleasure at the sound of his voice tinged with humor.

“Got it,” she said with a mock salute. “You don’t have to worry about me and rabies shots today, or any day for that matter. I try not to encourage friendly relations with the wildlife. Keep the wild in the wild, right?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a grin.

He had to be the sexiest man who’d ever smiled at her. Her heart skipped and she looked away. Melanie bent down and unpacked her towel and laid it out on the ground. She slipped out of her shorts and T-shirt. The swimsuit she wore wasn’t one she used for coaching. They were all one piece and modest. The bikini had been too cute to pass up, but after she purchased the two-piece suit, it sat in her dresser untouched. Today was the first time she’d worn it. Melanie tried unsuccessfully to put aside her self-consciousness. Her body had changed since she was eighteen. Would he notice that her hips were wider than they used to be? Having a baby altered her figure. Her breasts were larger and so was her backside. Dylan never said anything about her body before or after Sienna. Their dating period included the entire pregnancy where every month brought changes to her appearance. If Melanie could go back in time and tell herself one thing, would it be the words “avoid that party like the plague”? No. She would never tell herself that because if she hadn’t gone to the party she wouldn’t have Sienna now. Perhaps she would have told herself to not marry Dylan, but that too would be taking Sienna’s father from her daughter’s life and she wouldn’t do that either.

No regrets. She shut down that line of thinking and slipped on the water socks she’d brought to wear in the lake. Melanie kept her gaze on anything but Braden as he removed his shirt. She’d seen him without it before and knew what the sight of him did to her. She focused on the chipmunk and thought she would rather take a rabies shot over obvious excessive salivating, or worse, unconsciously fondling her old boyfriend because those pecs and abs were making her want to taste test him. Who had she turned into?

Never in her life had she wanted to pet a half-naked man. Considering how much time she spent at the pool in a swimsuit, she’d seen plenty of men, but only Braden gave her these urges. Treasure would probably salute her and tell her to go for it. She wasn’t like Treasure. She’d never hit on a man, much less seduced one. She did however find it fascinating that a bare chest and stomach could induce so many sensations and wondrous thoughts about another person.

Melanie gulped down her fantasies and reminded herself that she and Braden were only friends enjoying a hot afternoon, and nothing more. That she once loved him with her whole heart was something that lived in the past. It was time to live in the present. She stepped forward so Braden was out of her peripheral vision. Being a good friend was something she would continue to strive toward. His abs would have to take the backseat—or be stuffed in the trunk out of sight...and let’s not think about his trunk either.

Melanie waded in until the water was deep enough to swim. Braden joined her and they made their way over to the natural water slides.

“Rock sliding probably isn’t the best activity for your injury.”

He gave a one shoulder shrug and grinned. “Water therapy is supposed to help.”

She shoved forward and slid down the slippery rock, a smile wider than the Mississippi river gracing her lips. She couldn’t believe she was here doing this like she was still a teenager. Melanie plunged into the lake, went under, and swam away from the deeper water. Braden followed. He looked a little awkward holding his injured arm close to his body, but he laughed as he careened over the slick rocks and into the lake.

He surfaced and dog paddled toward her.

“Does it hurt?”

“No. Feels great.”

He still wasn’t moving his shoulder much and she wondered if he were being honest. She swam closer to the shore until her feet met the bottom. They stood looking at one another in the waist deep water.

“My shoulder is fine,” he said again.

“I want to believe you,” she said.

“Then you should. My physical therapist recommends swimming as rehab for the muscles.”

“But it’s the tendons that take even longer to heal.”

“Okay, nurse Melanie,” Braden taunted.

“I’m a mom first. It’s hard to turn off.”

“You don’t have to turn off anything. I like that you’re a mom.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Melanie swished her hand back and forth in water. “Are those new scars on the back of your leg?”

“You saw them, huh?”

“Yes,” she said.

“I was shot at the end of last summer. I was lucky the bullet didn’t hit any bones.”

“I would think being a game warden is even more dangerous in some ways than being a cop.”

He shrugged with his good shoulder.

“You’re alone most of the time in remote areas and you confront hunters about their activity. These people have guns on them, don’t they?”

“They do.”

“You don’t get scared?”

“No.”

“I would,” she said. The admission to being shot less than a year ago gave her chills. His brief answers reminded her that he already mentioned he wouldn’t talk about his job. She let it go, and asked, “Want to go again?”

“Hell yeah.”

They slid down the natural rock slide until Melanie thought her skin was being sandpapered off. Sideways, backward, feet first, head first. It was more fun than she remembered. Melanie met Braden in the shallows and inspected her elbow. She was certain she wouldn’t have any skin left if she went again.

“Best natural exfoliator I’ve ever tried,” she said as she inspected the pink skin.

“Yeah, I need to exfoliate regularly. Otherwise I start to have man skin.”

She giggled and lifted his arm to see his elbow. There wasn’t a pink or raw spot on him. “It’s not fair.”

“Fair is subjective. You need softer skin.”

“I do?” she asked, completely perplexed by the statement.

“Yes. I need a tough hide to work outdoors all day.”

“That doesn’t explain why I should be soft,” she said.

Braden ran a hand over his head sending a spray of water droplets over his back. “Hell, I don’t know.” He reached toward her and brushed his fingers along her jaw and down the length of her neck to the top of her shoulder. “Just makes sense that a woman is softer to the touch. Would you want to look more like this?” He glanced at his shoulder and arm.

He invited her to look and she couldn’t stop herself. The bulge of his deltoids and biceps met corded forearms. The dark hair covering his skin was sleek with lake water. Long fingers were in proportion to his strong hand. The hand that rested on her shoulder.

“Maybe,” she challenged and arched a brow.

“Steroids might help,” he said, the side of his mouth twitching. He understood her humor, which made it more fun.

“I’m thinking about growing some facial hair, too. I’m still considering how to make Tweeny treat me with some respect.”

“That would be a real shame to cover any part of your face,” he said. He watched her eyes, but his fingers toyed with the strap of her swimsuit.

Melanie stepped in closer. Could she be more like Treasure and go with the flow? Enjoy a sexy man for the thrill of it and not read anything deeper into their rekindled friendship. She considered trying it out. She wanted to experience life in new ways. Her hand moved to his chest. He slipped a finger beneath the strap.

“I thoughts beards were in style,” she said.

The twitch on the corner of his lips spread into a grin. “On men.”

“Men. Women. Does it make a difference?”

“It would if you wanted to join the circus.”

“Oh, right,” she said as if just now realizing bearded women weren’t perfectly acceptable in society.

“I wouldn’t be able to do this if you were covered in fur.” Braden bent down and placed his lips below her earlobe. He made sure to rub his five o'clock shadow against her jaw. A low vibration purred out of him as the tip of his tongue touched her skin. He sucked lightly on the delicate spot before pulling his head back.

Her eyes were closed but she didn’t remember shutting them. Every fine hair on her body rose to attention from his kiss. Her eyelids flickered and closed again, not wanting to let go of the new feelings taking charge of her body.

“I’m sorry. Did I cross a line with you?” he asked.

“No.” Her hands moved north over the hard planes of his chest. “Is this okay with you?” she asked.

He answered with a sound like a growl before his lips landed against hers. As if she hadn’t already been lost in sensation, the sound he made sent her into a new spiraling orbit. As if she rocketed back in time, she suddenly felt the overwhelming need to be with him just like she had when she was eighteen. Somehow, eleven years of separation increased the intensity of feelings, and nothing but rediscovering Braden mattered. She opened her mouth to him. Their tongues met and circled. A rush of memories flooded her entire being. Kissing Braden transported her to a place where nothing else mattered. It had been this way since their first kiss and she was suddenly seduced by her body-memory coalescing with the present time.

His hands explored. Her nipples tightened. She pressed them against his chest. The bikini top became a traitorous piece of clothing separating her bare flesh from his. As if sensing what she needed, he moved his searing lips lower, down her throat, and to her breast. He pushed aside the triangle of fabric and took her taut bud into his mouth. At that exact moment, Melanie was done for. Thoughts of responsibility, modesty, or embarrassment ceased to exist. She stoked down his back and around the curve of his ass. Her hands moved to the front of his shorts and lingered on the bulge of his erection.

“What are we doing?” he asked before claiming her mouth once more.

He pulled his lips away to let her answer.

“I don’t know, but let’s keep doing it,” she said. Urgency to have more of him, all of him, fueled her passion. She slid her hands into his swim shorts.

Braden lowered his mouth to her other nipple as his hand slid over her stomach to the center of her heat. His finger slipped beneath the thin fabric and into her slick folds. Melanie’s head fell back and she gasped. Braden stroked then teased her pulsing nub with skilled and purposeful movement. He dipped a finger into her center, and her core clamped down and drew him in. A throaty moan rose from her throat when he added a second finger. His tongue and lips savored her tender breast as he fingered her. The need to have all of him overpowered reality. Melanie pushed his shorts out of the way and freed his eager member.

Braden’s fingers coaxed and had her whimpering with need. He slid them out of her before sliding his hands over her hips and hoisting Melanie up. She wrapped her legs around his waist, loving the strength of his hold on her. His lips found her pulse and he nipped before sucking her sensitive neck. He maneuvered his hand to hold the narrow slip of her swimsuit aside then eased the head of his erection into her opening. Melanie shifted her hips and pressed down to take all of him into her.

Their bodies moved together in a swaying rhythm. The sun warmed their bare skin while cold lake water chilled their backs. They were surrounded by nature as human nature overpowered everything in its wake.

With Braden deep inside her, her body trembled from the center of her core and radiated outward. Braden’s grasp on her backside tightened as he met her with his own shudder.

“Did you feel that?”

“Mm-hmm,” she whimpered.

“Christ, Melanie.” He placed his lips against hers and his body trembled again. “It’s never been so intense for me before.”

“Me, either.”

“Good.” He breathed the word against her skin. “I wouldn’t want to experience that alone.”

She smiled. He was still rock hard inside her. Braden kissed her, deep and unrelenting, before stepping out of the water. He carried her to the towel she’d laid out earlier. With the utmost care, he pulled out and lowered Melanie to her feet.

“I need more of you,” he said.

Indeed, he did. She could feel his need pressing against her stomach.

Braden cupped her chin and captured her mouth with his. His tongue plunged inside and swept over hers. Braden’s hands roved over her back and around her backside. Fingers slipped into her swollen, heated core and she moaned. His desire for her intoxicated her mind and body. She’d barely come down from the previous peak of sensation but her yearning for him was already cresting again.

They sank to their knees and Braden eased her back, never parting lips, until Melanie lay flat on her back.

“I’m going to taste every inch of you.” He moved to her jaw line, then down her neck. Her collarbones were explored by the tip of his tongue before moving lower to the swell of her breast. Braden caressed one with gentle strokes as he savored the other nipple with lips and teeth. Lake water dripped on her bare skin and the sun warmed her face, but Melanie’s body shivered from the exquisite torture of sensory overload and Braden’s careful attention to detail.

He moved across her stomach, alternating warm kisses with sucking on her delicate skin. He kissed her hip crease and brushed heated hands down her legs, followed with kisses and back up again. Braden guided her legs apart and kissed her most sensitive flesh. Melanie bit down to keep from crying out. She gripped the towel beneath her and held on as the ride of her life flew off the tracks and took flight.

Braden pulled away and rose above her. He slipped the tip of his member against her hot center and let it glide over her swollen heat.

“Open your eyes, Mel.”

She did. She stared into him and saw something she couldn’t name. Something she’d never seen before, but then she remembered. And the connection slammed against her heart. He’d always looked at her like this. Like she had nothing to hide. He saw her for exactly who she was and more. He saw something in her she couldn’t even see herself. And Melanie saw a man who only wanted her exactly as she was.

With hands at his waist, she lifted her hips, and wrapped her legs around him. Braden didn’t need any more encouragement. Her womanhood was slick as he buried his length to the hilt.

The waves of pleasure started again, small at first, then growing to swells, and finally tumbling over her. Braden lowered his mouth to hers, connecting them from head to toes, as she lost herself and found herself again.