Page 70 of Anywhere with You
“I can’t sleep if you don’t sleep,” she said, passing out almost instantly.
I sat for a few minutes, listening to the night.
I didn’t know whether this night with Cara was the start of something or whether it would stand alone, one wonderful memory in a time of my life when everything else in my life was falling apart. Either way, I was grateful. I might lose Strings & Things, but my world was bigger and more interesting than it had been in a long time.
Also, there’s nothing like a night of great sex in a hot spring to help the breakup recovery process. I didn’t miss Bridget. I had been too angry to miss her. But even the anger was growing more distant. I had better uses for my energy. And my hope.
Soon, I slept, too, and woke to bright sunlight.
I sat up and stretched, looking around just in time to see a gray-brown tail slither out of sight. I didn’t know what it was, but I was going to choose to believe it was not one of Arizona’s thirteen species of rattlesnake.
Cara was still asleep, mouth wide open, curls tangled.
I would sure as hell not be telling her about that wildlife sighting.
I checked the rest of the area for creepy crawlies, took one long moment of appreciating the feel of her body against me, then woke her gently, and we groggily stood and started making our way down the very visible path back to the house.
We split the barely edible peanut butter granola bars and the last of the water on the way, and it wasn’t long before the cactus garden appeared.
Cara opened the door and turned to me in the doorway. “This was perfect.”
I laughed. “I’m pretty sure that we just slept on rocks all night.”
“No,” she said, pulling me close and placing my arms around her waist. “It was perfect. I mean it. That whole night was magical and unbelievably romantic. I will remember and fantasize about kissing you in the hot springs on a regular basis, for the rest of my life. I don’t think you understand how amazing you make everything, how much better you make every adventure.”
I didn’t have anything to say to that. For some reason, tears filled my eyes.
She kissed me before they could fall, then pulled me to the closest bedroom, into bed, and curled her body against mine as we slept.
* * *
Lane had left dinner for us in the fridge yesterday, with a note:Hope you’re enjoying the springs. Call if you need anything.
“Yes, we are,” I answered the note out loud, lining up the takeout cartons on the counter.
“Cara! I made lunch,” I shouted.
She came in, hair in a towel, and rolled her eyes at the cartons. “You’re quite the chef.”
“Only the best for you, Care Bear.”
She cringed, laughing. “Thanks, Honeybun.”
“No problem, Caramel.”
“I hate you a little bit.”
I laughed out loud. “Good. I’d hate to think that I messed up our friendship with my incredible hot springs skills.”
I ran my hand across her lower back, and she gave a delighted shiver.
We ate together at the table, then finally sorted through our luggage, putting everything away in the two nicest bedrooms. Cara arranged all the lotions and makeup bottles that she hadn’t bothered to unpack when we were driving somewhere new every day.
I found a bottle of aloe in the cabinet, and we treated each other’s mild sunburns, or attempted to. It turned out that putting our hands all over each other made us want to…put our hands all over each other.
We spent the rest of the afternoon in bed, which was much more comfortable than the hot springs, though a bit less adventurous. The absence of snakes really tipped the scales, though.
I could not get over her breasts, and she laughed at how long I could just stare at them adoringly, then take the weight of them in my hands and sigh with pleasure.
