Sweat trickled down my back, my sides, between my breasts, and I swiped some off my forehead as I sat on a rock. The sounds of nature were like a hymn I hadn’t heard in too long, and I rested my head on James shoulder to close my eyes. Our trip through the wild park had taken some serious detours, and after an hour off the trail, we found a lake I didn’t even know was here.

“Do you want to hop in? The water looks fine.” I barely even looked at the water yet; all I knew was it was sparkling and had the potential to feel amazing. Against my cheek, James’ shoulder shifted slightly, and his breath ruffled my damp hair.

“Sure.” Standing carefully to shirk off all of my clothes, I didn’t need any more confirmation than that one-word answer. James hand cupped my butt cheek, caressing and squeezing while I took my time figure out how dangerous it would be to jump. The water below wasn’t very clear, but there was a buoy in the middle of the lake with the number 75 on it.

“Want me to jump first?” Glancing over my shoulder as James palmed my thigh, my mind went black for a few seconds. He stared at my face with searching eyes, ignoring the fact that I was completely naked before him.

What I want is more important to him than sex. The thought rushed up to blind side me, and I blinked hard before James stood up to take off his shirt. He dropped his jeans, but like him, I couldn’t look away from his eyes.

“Let’s jump together.” Grabbing James’ hand, the spell I was under slurred my words, and he nodded silently. Tearing my eyes off him, I squeezed his fingers tightly and took a deep breath. His grip made my fingertips tingle, and I twitched my pinky before the world suddenly stopped.

Running off the short, makeshift pier, I fell in slow motion as my heart beat fluttered. My mind moved at the same speed it had the first time and only time I smoked weed. Staring down at the water that seemed to come at me at a snail’s pace, my eyes rolled slightly as goosebumps washed my skin. Adrenaline was absent in my veins, and even my blood didn’t roar in my ears like it should’ve.

There was nothing but James’ hand in mine as we plunged into the lake.

The water hit me like a cement wall, and I jerked wildly as it engulfed me in its cool embrace. Kicking out my feet, panic welled inside me when I couldn’t feel the bottom. Squeezing James’ hand hard, I flailed my arms as air bubbled up in my throat to escape my nose.

Pulling me to his chest, James wrapped his arms around me tightly to propel us to the surface. In just a few, powerful beats of his legs we crested the water, and I took a huge, gasping breath as sunlight skewered my eyes. Shuddering as my hair clung to my shoulders and back, I heaved for air as reality came crashing back into my scope of comprehension. Hanging limp in James’ embrace, I let my head fall back while he kept me from drowning.

“… Do you believe in destiny, James?” Asking quietly, my low voice echoed across the water in all directions. My heart finally started to react to what had just happened, and I lifted my head to stare at James from under heavy eyelids. Slowly, arduously hooking my legs around his waist, I sniffled hard before he opened his mouth.

“I believe in you, Caroline.” I couldn’t wrap my mind around the phenomena that I’d just experienced, but James’ confession; I could understand that. Smashing my lips on his, I gasped when he squeezed the air from my lungs. His tongue caressed mine sweetly, hands dipping under the water to slide down my body and grip my ass.

Grinding against his abs as pure need radiated from my center, I wrapped my arms around his neck with a guttural moan. The pure, radiant passion I felt towards James in that moment was overwhelming, and I let myself drown in it. Suspended mid-water, I depended on him to give me his very breath as we gyrated together.

Our kiss turned ravenous, and James held my tightly to him to thrust even while he treaded water. The tip of his cock burrowed between my folds, burning my sensitive flesh only to disappear and allow the cool liquid cocooning us to soothe me. Nothing could penetrate the needy fog in my mind, and I dug my heels into the small of his back to allow him to slip inside me.

Gingerly James’ length caressed my inner walls, and I whimpered into his mouth. Tightening around him, my abdomen ached and trembled as he stretched my cavern. Gasping when he lifted me to thrust, I squeezed my eyes shut and buried my fingers in his hair.

With each thrust the water threatened to swallow my chin, but James never let me sink below the surface. His grunts and groans were music- the only thing I could hear beyond the loud roaring of my blood in my ears. Against my chest his heart beat in erratic sync with my own, and I surrendered myself to him completely.

This wasn’t sex- it wasn’t even love-making. I wasn’t sure there was a word for this, but just as soon as the thought bubbled up, it was gone.

Our togetherness was short, intense, and mindless, and I couldn’t tell if I had an orgasm from the way my entire body reacted to his. Goosebumps washed my flesh, and James paused our kiss with his lips still connected to mine to breathe shaky, shallow breaths.

“Don’t let me go, Caroline.” Whispering tenderly, James’ gravelly demand sent a jolt through my chest, and I automatically squeezed his body. Nodding shakily, I kissed him deeply, thoroughly, as I tried frantically to come up with a response. My tongue was heavy; my brain refused to do any work, and in the end, all I could do was kiss him hoping it portrayed what I couldn’t say.

I couldn’t remember the swim back to shore, but I could feel James’ hard body underneath mine. The bank was littered with small rocks and twigs, and tears welled in my eyes at how thoughtful he was. His muscles flexed under my cheek when he reached to take off my ankle brace with one hand. Softly, gently, he started to massage my leg as I stared along the bank through blurry vision.

“We should go before the mosquitos find us…” Closing my eyes to relish the feeling of James’ voice vibrating against my face, I only sighed in response. A tickle of a memory slithered into my narrow scope of comprehension, and he ran his hand down my side heavily before I found the energy to open my mouth.

“We met because of them.” Mine was such a simple confession, but I felt like it explained a lot. When I blinked, I could see James smiling, and he stroked my upturned cheek with a heavy exhale of his own.

“I’ll carry you. You look exhausted.” In my dark mind, I could focus on James as he moved and shuffled his way to his feet. Still holding me in his arms, every bit of strength he had was mine to examine. “We left the water in the car… you’re probably suffering from the heat.”

Cracking my eyes open as James carried me to the rock that tabled our clothes, I reached up sluggishly to touch his chin. His eyes were instantly on mine, and I smiled at the concern I found there.

“I’m not suffering.” He looked like he didn’t believe me, but I didn’t press the issue. Setting me down carefully, he touched me like I was a china doll as he helped me into my clothes. Each scrap of fabric was finished off with a short, simple kiss to my lips, and I curled around my knees when his hands left me. Slapping out my brace, he wrung the water free and tugged on his jeans and boots before stuffing the object in his pocket.

James left his socks and my underwear behind, and I held my camera against my midsection as he did just as he said he would. There was no trail to help his way, and he was overly careful not to jostle me. Resting my head against his shoulder, I couldn’t think past this moment.