Page 9 of Saving Emily
After inching back, I pull my long-sleeve shirt over my head. The front of my shirt has a picture of Jim Morrison, the lead singer of The Doors on it. Noah’s eyes shoot down to the black bra that’s holding my small yet enough-to-dry-his-mouth-while-he-glances-at-them breasts. My bra is silky and it has a little bit of lace on the top.
While hopping foot to foot, I remove my cropped boots. I slant my head to the side to hide my smile when Noah’s eyes bounce along with the jiggle of my breasts. I gaze at him seductively while undoing the button on my jeans and sliding down the zipper.
With our eyes locked, I shimmy the rigid material down my thighs. My mouth waters when Noah’s boxer shorts fail to hide his reaction to the meager pair of panties I’m wearing. They’re black and lacy, and appear to have the ability to set his heart racing.
I give him a few seconds to drink in my thanks-to-the-sun complexion before cocking a hip and arching a brow. “Like what you see?”
With my confidence at an all-time high, I slide my hungry gaze to Noah’s boxer shorts, which are showing he appreciates the view. When I giggle at his quick adjustment of his crotch, the expression on his face shifts to leering.
My grin is wiped from my face when he grasps my hand in his before he hotfoots it to the track he climbed earlier. I thought I had all my ducks lined up in a row. I didn’t. I’m terrified.
“You go first, then I’ll follow behind you,” Noah offers, peering at me condescendingly. “If you fall, I’ll catch you.”
Certain I’m being played, but having too much fun to care, I breathe out, “Okay,” before taking a very hesitant first step.
By the time we reach the peak of the waterfall, Noah has adjusted himself numerous times, and I’m on the verge of a panic attack. It’s a lot higher than I realized.
After carefully shuffling to the edge of the boulder, I peer down.
It’s definitely higher than I realized.
As my eyes stray to Noah, the panic on my face becomes unmissable. “I don’t think I can do this.”
He moves to stand next to me before gently clasping my hand in his. He doesn’t say anything. He just patiently waits for me to decide what I want to do. The fact he doesn’t push me eases my hesitation.
“Are you sure it’s safe?”
Noah nods. “I promise it’s safe. It is freezing, but it’s safe.”
I glance down at our tightly woven hands. “Will you jump with me?”
“Yes,” he replies without hesitation while slowly walking us closer to the edge.
A shiver runs through my body. I’m unsure if it’s fear or from the smile Noah is giving me. It could be a combination of them both.
“Are you ready, Em?”
I suck in one last breath before dipping my chin.
“On the count of three, we’ll jump.”
I stupidly nod again.
“One, two, three!”
As soon as Noah reaches three, we leap off the cliff edge. My squeals echo through the dense rainforest, only stopping when they’re swallowed by freezing cold water. As the last snippet of air in my lungs is released, Noah frees my hand from his so we can swim to the surface.
The water is so cold, the hue my cheeks have held the past twenty minutes is a thing of the past. Noah surfaces out of the water just before me. Although I’m shivering from the top of my head to the tips of my toes, I can’t help but smile. That was scary, yet exciting at the same time.
“Oh my god, it’s freezing!” I squeal before swimming toward Noah.
When I curl my legs around his hips, he locks his lips with mine. While he carries me out of the water, he peppers kisses across my jaw, and down my neck. When he kisses the bare skin at the base of my neck, I close my eyes to relish in the tenderness of his embrace. For his gentle and slow pace, the friction is unbelievably delicious.
Once we reach the section of dirt our clothes are dumped on, Noah withdraws his mouth from mine so he can wrap me in the towels he brought with us. Once I’m as snug as a bug in a rug, he lowers his glistening dark brown eyes to mine. “You did it, Em,” he declares proudly.
My pout shifts into a smile bright enough to compete with the sun. “I did… although I’m certain I am seconds from going into hypothermic shock.”
Laughing, Noah gathers our clothes before guiding me back down the track we walked only thirty minutes ago. My teeth can’t stop chattering, but there’s a friskiness impinging the air that makes their chatters less noticeable.
