Page 78 of Courage, Dear Heart

“There’s an old family tradition. When you find your one true love, you bring them here and together carve their initials on the stone.” I point at the letters. “I’ve forgotten who some of them are. But I remember these.” I trace each pair of letters.

E + J

M + M

G + J

E + H

“Elisabeth and Joseph, my great-great-grandparents.Mary and Michael, my great-grandparents. Grace and James, my grandparents. My sister Elsa and her husband, Hudson.”

She flattens her palm on the stone, silent. A lonely tear runs down her cheek, hiding between the water drops still clinging to her skin. “This is beautiful.”

I look at her, lost for words. It’s too soon to say anything. Too soon to trust the embers flickering in my heart will turn to fire or that she feels the same way I do. So I say nothing and hope she understands that if she gives us a chance, our initials might one day join these too.

Jillian blinks rapidly and a shiver takes her entire body.

“Cold? Let’s go back and get dried. Sit in the sun for a bit.”

She nods silently and takes my hand as we wade back into the water and through the fall. Swim the short distance to the shore. I wrap a towel around her shoulders, rubbing her arms up and down for a little extra heat before grabbing one for myself.

She sits first, pulling off the towel to dry her hair, then drops it over her lap. I sit next to her, leaving a few inches between us and second-guessing myself. Was it the wrong move to show her the cave?

I drop my own towel over my lap. “You okay?”

Jillian stares at the water for several seconds before turning to me. “Yes. I’m fine.” She smiles. “Truly. Just taken aback by the beauty of this place and its significance. How important it is to your family.”

I return her smile. “The tradition is for the parent to bring the child. You probably noticed I didn’t mention my parents. That’s because my father never brought my motherhere. Or me and my siblings. Grandpa brought us when it became clear my father had no intention of doing so.”

“That must have been hard.”

“At the time, I was nine and it didn’t really hit until many years later. It’s harder now because of my mother—her knowing about it and be excluded.”

Jillian shakes her head. “Your father is an asshole. And I’m not apologizing for saying that.”

I burst out laughing. The curse word coming from her is so unexpected. I don’t think I’ve heard her cursing before. “No apology needed. He is an asshole.”

And now we’re both laughing so hard, there are tears streaming down our faces. The laugh, a much-needed release. When we finally stop laughing and our eyes meet, all mirth evaporates, leaving the keen awareness of our proximity, how far away from prying eyes we are, and how little we’re wearing.

The always present low simmer of our attraction heats up, bubbles up to the surface, simmers between us. My mouth goes dry and I lick my lips. Her gaze drops to my mouth and stays there. “If you keep looking at me like that, I might give in to temptation.”

Her eyes find mine again. “Yeah? What kind of temptation are you talking about?”

“Jillian.” Her name comes out in a hushed breath.

“Tell me.”

I swallow. “I want to kiss you. To taste your mouth again. I want to wrap my hand in your hair and gently pull your head back and expose your neck to me so I can lick that pulsing spot below your ear.” I shift to face her and brace myself on one hand. My knee brushes her thigh.

She releases a shuddered breath. “What else?”

“Keep asking me questions like that and I’ll need to go back into the water to cool off.”

She slides her hand on the blanket until it’s touching mine. “Perhaps there’s an alternative to cooling off. You could kiss me instead.”

I hold back for another moment, reading her, making sure she really means it, and then go in. My lips brush hers, the most gentle of caresses, a barely there touch—I give her every chance to pull back. She doesn’t. She opens up for me, her tongue coming out to taste me. I can’t hold back any longer. I dive into her, taking over, deepening the kiss.

We kiss like the world is ending and this moment is all we have. I make good on my promise and tangle my hand into her damp hair. Tug her head back gently, guiding as she exposes her neck to me. I trace the curve of her neck with my lips, leaving a trail of kisses and nibbles. Her skin pebbles under my touch. I’m so hard it’s painful, but I know there’s no release for me here. Not until I’m alone in the shower and then I can take care of myself while I replay every second of this moment.

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