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Grinning at how happy it made her, I approached the water’s edge and watched how gently the stream ran by. “Careful on the slippery rocks.”
Willow waved me off absently as she continued to rockhound, more than enthusiastic about the activity. “I’m a professional.”
I had the gut feeling that her professionalism would only do so much for her in that situation, and I stood as close as I could without getting wet.
“There are so many beautiful crystals around here,” she said, beaming nearly ear-to-ear when she pulled out a translucent one. The sunlight streamed right through it. “Quartz, hematite, amethyst—”
In the blink of an eye, Willow lost traction on one of the bigger rocks beneath the water, losing the air from within her chest at once.
My arms flew out to grab her before she could fall, and with her eyes clenched shut, anticipating hitting the water’s surface, she carefully peeled them open and looked up at me.
Willow blinked back at me as she caught her breath again, relaxing from the relief.
My sense of urgency eased into pure attraction, stunned by how gorgeous she was. The bond within my chest had grown exponentially for her, brimming with admiration for her.
Holding her like that sent a wave of contentment through me, and I could’ve sworn she shivered ever so slightly.
Unable to fight back the urge inside me, I leaned in and pressed my lips against hers.
She overcame the initial shock, melting further into the embrace.
Pleasure rippled from our connected lips and washed over me, making my chest swell.
Her lips were so soft and practically made to be felt by mine, which I had no qualms against. With a hand supporting the small of her back, I suspended her there and melded our lips together.
Finally letting us both catch our breath, I pulled back to see a light blush on her cheeks. Looking sheepish, Willow pulled back and visibly fought the smile on her lips.
I was so awestruck by her that I hardly had the chance to notice as she knelt and splashed water in my direction.
It rained down on me, soaking the front of me.
Exaggerating my shock, I scoffed. “Are you sure about this?”
But this only made Willow wear a challenging smile as she splashed me again.
Amused by the sudden change of heart, I had no choice but to kick my boots off and jump in, splashing her in return.
She squealed when the water landed on her dress and in her hair, beaming back at me.
We laughed as the stream was disturbed, and water flew through the air over and over.
The goal was to get the other drenched, and we took absolute joy in making that happen.
Her laughter was like music to my ears, and I wanted to hear it until I breathed my last breath.
Chapter 16 - Willow
The shop was doing better than I ever could’ve anticipated, and everything seemed to be going well despite that persistent uneasiness we all seemed to feel.
Moving from shelf to shelf while I cleaned the displays and rearranged them to my liking, I mulled over how nice things had been between Rowan and me.
If anyone were to tell me several weeks ago that I’d be able to get over what happened between us in the past, I would’ve said they were out of their mind.
That pain had been so unbearable that it took years for me to repress, but Rowan’s company and affection helped mend that old wound.
It was easy to let him in after I learned about his struggles and realized that he had been conditioned to think a certain way. He had denied me out of fear and shock, and while it could’ve been handled differently, I knew I couldn’t be mad at him forever.
I was relieved by how smoothly things felt since it was a great benefit to both of us.
