Page 189 of The Illicit Play
“You know where you’re going, right?” I duck under a branch, watching my footing as I follow his line.
“Yeah, baby. Trust me.” He slows his pace, and I catch up easily, tuning into the sounds of the forest and smiling at how full my soul feels every time I dive into nature.
I can’t believe I’m only just discovering it all now.
Pausing on the trail, I lift my camera and line up a shot, then take a few more before framing a gorgeous oneof my man hiking away from me. A shaft of light illuminates the leaves around him, and when I pull the camera back to study the shot I just got, I feel that sense of gleeful pride skipping through me.
“Damn, that’s a good photo right there,” I whisper with a grin.
“Come on, Bee,” Grady calls to me, and I hurry after him, careful where I step.
He waits for me with a patient smile, and as soon as I reach him, I start gushing about the photo I just captured and how I’m going to frame it for his bedroom wall.
“Nice, baby.” He reaches back for my hand and I take it, smiling as the sound of flowing water starts to register.
“Oooo.” I grin, and he glances back with a smile.
“You’re gonna love it.”
And he’s right.
As we clear the trees, a perfect little oasis opens up before us. Like a hidden treasure, this small waterfall dropping into a swimming hole is the most idyllic scene.
“I can’t believe there’s not a marked trail leading to this spot.”
“I know, right?” Grady slips the bag off his shoulders. “But I don’t want to tell anyone, because I kind of like how secret this place is.”
“Yeah, for sure.” I smile at him, this blooming sensation growing in my chest as I slip off my bag and camera, carefully setting them down before stepping up against him. “Thank you for bringing me here.” I swing my arms around his neck, and he lifts me off my feet.
My legs wrap around him as he grins at me, then beckons me forward with a soft “C’mere.”
I go without hesitation, crushing my lips to his, myinsides buzzing with anticipation. I instinctively know what’s coming next, and I am so here for it.
As his hand splays across my back, sliding up to my neck, I slip my tongue into his mouth and sink into a mind-bending kiss. It’s all I can do not to tear his clothes off. The energy between us is potent and addictive.
It’s… cosmic.
Is that what he meant when he was trying to tell me he loved me?
I’ve been meaning to ask him, and why not throw it out there now?
“What…” I suck his tongue between my lips. “Did you mean…” I nibble down the edge of his jaw. “By the whole…” Pressing my lips to his neck, I inhale his luscious scent before finally finishing. “Cosmic thing?”
“Mmmm.” He sighs before letting out a low chuckle. Squeezing me against him, I grin at the feel of his shaft growing harder by the second. “It’s just something Teah said.”
My insides coil.
“She was talking about her and Mac.”
My insides relax.
“About how they had this cosmic connection. It was overpowering and unstoppable. And it made me think of you.”
I grind against him, peppering kisses back up to his lips.
“We’re…” He kisses me deep before murmuring against my lips, “We’re like that, baby. From the second I saw you in that bathroom, I couldn’t stop thinking about…” His tongue dips into my mouth again. “You. I wanted you so bad.”
“I wanted you too,” I pant against his neck, my body starting to catch fire.
