The idea came to me after Davey mentioned extreme sports. Jumping into a river isn’t exactly an extreme sport, but from this height, it’s not child’s play either. We’re at least twenty feet up from the surface of the water.

Amelia shimmies out of her jeans, tossing them aside, stern determination possessing her features. She tosses her cardigan aside, too, wearing only a long tank top. I have to suck in my breath at the sight of all that smooth, glowy skin. This was a bad idea. I’d forgotten how good she looks without her clothes, and I’m as struck by her as I was that day on the beach. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to focus on jumping when I can’t stop thinking about all the things I’d like to do to her.

Her shoulder brushes against mine as she moves toward the edge, and I grab her hand. “Those are not granny panties.”

“Yeah…about that. I lied.” One corner of her mouth lifts, and she winks.

I groan, trying not to stare at her ass as she pulls me to the edge of the cliff.

We stand there for a long time, unmoving. Just staring. Contemplating the jump. At least that’s what I assume she’s doing. I’m busy trying to get my mind out of the gutter.

“What are you thinking?” Anything to distract me.

“Right now?” she says, letting out a slow breath. “I’m thinking about this concert I wanted to go to when I was fifteen. Gran wouldn’t let me go because it ended at midnight, and I wasn’t allowed to stay out that late on a school night. I told her how unfair it was because all my friends were going. Wanna know what she said? She asked me if I’d jump off a bridge because all my friends we’re doing it. If she could only see me now.”

It’s kind of funny how Amelia’s nerves are making her talk really fast, and the way her eyes keep darting down the river as if she’s expecting the Loch Ness Monster to appear at any given moment.

“She’d be proud of you.”

“I doubt that. Gran was all practicality. This kind of thing would freak her out.”

“Well I’m proud of you.”

“That’s because you’re the lunatic that talked me into this.”

I laugh. She reminds me of myself the first time I went skydiving. I went with Davey, who had the fucking calm of Buddha compared to the meltdown I went through on that plane. My stomach was all twisted up in knots, I felt like I was going to be sick, and at one point, I thought I might chicken out. Once I actually made the jump, all that anxiety went away. My blood sang, and my heart raced as I fell through the air, wind whipping all around me. It was one of the most incredible moments of my life. Davey would be pissed if he knew I was here making the Devil’s Jump without him—a nickname I won’t tell Amelia about until after we’ve made it safely into the river. He’s still sleeping off a hangover back at the château.

“Shout something,” I suggest. “It helps.”

“What do you mean? What do you want me to shout?”

“Something that will make you hold onto the excitement and let go of the fear. My go-to line for making big jumps is ‘Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker!’ You can borrow it if you want. It’s a classic.”

The tension in Amelia’s face relaxes a little. She looks over at me, holding out her hand. “On three?”

I nod. “On three.”

Interlocking our fingers together, we step closer to the edge. Dirt and pebbles fall from the ground, floating down into the river below.

“This is crazy,” Amelia says, closing her eyes for a short moment. She squares her shoulders, steeling herself. “One.”

I don’t take my eyes off her, not wanting to miss her reaction. “Two.”

She bites down on her lower lip, squeezing my hand. She has to be the one to call three. I want her to feel like she’s in control. Several seconds pass. I swear I can almost hear her heart beating wildly from here.

After a shaky breath, she says the word we’re both waiting for. “Three.”

I tighten my hold on her hand.

We jump.

She shouts, “Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker!” in a voice that’s several octaves higher than her usual one.

Time slows down for a split second as we free fall, millions of teeming emotions crossing her face all at once. Fear. Excitement. Shock. It’s incredible to witness. My own stomach rises into my chest, that roller-coater feeling flooding through me.

We hit the surface.

Water splashes all around us as we sink into the river. Somewhere under, I lose hold of Amelia’s hand. We both fight to resurface. When I do, the sound of her laughter hits my ears, driving straight through to my heart. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her laugh. At least, not like this. The way she sounds right now—like she’s experiencing pure joy.

“That was amazing!” she says, blinking water out of her eyes. The current isn’t strong, but it slowly floats us slowly downstream. “Let’s do it again. We’ll backflip this time.”

Words I never expected to hear.

She smiles, a wide smile that highlights the golden flecks in her eyes and makes my heart beat faster than it did while we were jumping.

I reach out and grab her by the waist, drawing her against me. Lost in the moment, my lips find hers, like it’s happening from somewhere outside of myself. Her whole being is like a magnet for my mind, body, and soul. It’s why I’m here in France, when I should be back in New York. It’s why I’ve been dreaming about doing this since that night in her hotel room. And it’s why as hard as I try, I can’t stay away. I don’t want to.

My heart races faster and harder than it has in years. Nothing ever excites me anymore, but she does. Time is slowing down again. I can’t focus on anything but her. It’s like all of my senses come to life when she’s around, making me notice every little detail. Her lips are soft and warm, and when I find her tongue, I groan against her mouth, wishing we were alone instead of out in the open surrounded by people. She seems as surprised as I am at first, but instead of questioning me, she kisses me back, molding her body to mine, and allowing me to feel every single one of her curves inside the cover of the water.

Fuck. This was a really bad idea.

Or a really good one. I’m still not sure which.

I deepen the kiss, exploring every inch of her mouth. She tastes like goddamn heaven, everything about her keeping me planted right there in the middle of the river. I lift her, and she wraps her legs around my waist beneath the water.

Forcing myself to tear my mouth from hers, I exhale a raspy breath, trembling beneath her hands which are digging into my shoulder blades.

“Mila, I…” I don’t know what to say. I’m running out of excuses, even the ones I tell myself. There’s a storm brewing between us, and I can’t stop it any more than I can stop myself from taking my next breath.

“Don’t say anything,” she says in a slow, dazed voice. “Let’s take the pressure off. Like you said earlier, we’re here to enjoy the day, right? So let’s do that.”

She’s trying not to ruin the moment, and I can’t blame her. It’s an incredible fucking moment. But at the same time, I want her to know what she’s in for. “You’re going to regret me,” I promise, knowing myself well enough to at least give her the benefit of a warning.

“Maybe, maybe not.”

She will though.

The minute I start to feel antsy, I bolt. As much as I hate to admit it, she wasn’t completely wrong when she accused me of abandoning her. Part of me knew I’d be back, because, well…it’s her. But part of me always searches for an exit.

In a lot of ways, I’m just like Davey. Except I don’t delude myself into pretending I have what it takes to be a stand-up guy, the kind that sticks around through everything, the good and hard times. The kind of guy Amelia deserves.

“Mila—”

“I’m not listening.” Her legs still wrapped around me, she leans back into the water, sinking just deep enough to cover her ears. “We’re. Enjoying. The. Day.” She closes her eyes, floating there peacefully.

I can’t help but grin. “Yeah, I guess we are.”