Page 19 of Drowning in Sins
“Steady, and then we’ll carefully walk back from the edge.”
She shook her head.
“So you want the current to take you out to sea? Are you that self-destructive?” I tilted her head back and looked into her eyes. How had I never realized how haunted they were?
“I like the rush. It reminds me I’m alive.” She sighed.
I nodded. “Come with me.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the end but farther from the gathering. She needed a distraction that wouldn’t be so dangerous.
There was a hidden cove just down the path. We stepped carefully up and over rocks before climbing back down the other side. I hadn’t been here in a couple of years, never had a reason to. I stumbled across this place by accident after an argument with my brother.
On the bottom rock, I turned and grabbed hold of her waist to help her down the steep end. The moon would no doubt be lighting up the tide pools behind me, but her eyes remained focused on mine until I stepped out of the way.
They grew to the size of saucers at the sound of the crashing waves hitting the rock wall, which carried around the hidden cove, amplifying it like a theater. Another large wave hit, coming through the cracks and keeping the area filled with water.
I slipped off my shirt and left it on the boulder before stepping down into the pool. I held out my hand. “Come on, trouble.”
She eyed me curiously at the nickname. Maybe it was the way she wanted to be close to the edge. Maybe it was the way her eyes fought to look at the ghost ship when we were out at sea. I didn’t normally like the trouble, but there was something about her. It was fitting.
Her eyes narrowed before she set her flip-flops down next to my shirt. She untied the wrap around her waist and let it drop before pulling her tank top up and over her head.
I helped her step down, pulling her closer and into the cooler water. She squealed as I backed away from her. Maybe I could take her to the hot ponds next time. The water here wasn’t too cold, but it was definitely a little warmer during the day, from what I could remember.
Her eyes flickered around the area. “How did you find this place?” Her gaze settled back on mine.
“Something I stumbled upon years ago. There are a few places away from the main road, if you know where to look.” I smirked.
She stepped closer to me. The tips of her fingers brushed mine before she laced ours together. “Thank you for bringing me here.” Her eyes moved up and around again.
Like in a cave with no ceiling, we were surrounded by water, black rock, and the night sky. The moon reflected onto the area just enough to see your surroundings and to climb back out of the bowl-like place.
I stepped back to sit on a smooth rock just under the water’s surface. “You’re welcome.” With her fingers knotted with mine, I pulled her to me until she was straddling my lap.
The water lapped around us as her body settled on mine. Her hands moved up my arms, her fingers grazing my shoulders before resting near my neck. I swallowed under her gaze before licking my lips and running my hands up her spine.
Heat flooded my body as my heart sped up. My eyes roamed across her features, wanting to engrave it all into my memory. The way her skin seemed to glow under the moonlight. How her eyes brightened when they focused on me. The freckles that scattered across her shoulder and down her arm, begging me to kiss each and every one.
Her lips parted as I rocked my hard length beneath her, and my lips greedily pressed to hers. I wanted to leave them swollen and marked. One arm wrapped around her waist to hold heragainst me while the other moved over her shoulder. I pulled her down, encouraging her to grind herself on me.
What started as a distraction for her grew into something I wasn’t ready to give up anytime soon. If ever. Feeling her get off on me was a drug I wanted to get addicted to.
For most of my life, since the accident, I refused to let fear lead me.
This was different. It was the fear that made me crave it. The woman coming undone in my arms could rip my heart out, and I would thank her. Whatever she wanted to offer, I would take it and then some.
We’re just getting started, trouble.
Chapter Eighteen
FREDERICK
This was a stupid idea.
Why had I chosen thepsychologistroute again?
Oh yeah. A psychiatrist could’ve prescribed medication, but I didn’t want to lose more of my mind than I already had over the years. I didn’t want to forget the truth of what happened that day. There were times, during all these years, when I doubted myself. Times I attempted to convince myself it was from having an overactive imagination.
It would be a lie to say that was the only part of my mother she left behind, the imagination we shared. I wasn’t artistic like her, but I was a dreamer. At least when I was little.
