Rowan flicked the berry at her. “Did your mom know that about juniper berries before she named you Juniper?”
“Ohh, you think you’re funny. I was going to tell you one of the ways we used the berries, but now I think I’ll keep that to myself.”
“No, I’m sorry, tell me,” Rowan pleaded through a laugh as she tugged on a lock of Juniper’s hair that had fallen out of her braid.
Juniper ran her hands along the outer edge of Rowan’s sleeveless t-shirt and gripped, pulling her into her mouth. But she didn’t kiss her. Instead, she moved her lips to her ear and whispered, “Maybe I ought to make you earn it first.”
“I would do anything.”
Juniper smiled against her cheek before kissing it. “Anything, really? Not here though. I need softer conditions.”
She waved her hand across the craggy ground around them. Rowan caught it and wrapped it around her waist before she slipped her hands back into the back pockets of Juniper’s shorts.
“I think I know a spot.”
“I hope so.” A glimmer flashed across Juniper’s eyes. “Should I continue on with my lesson in the meantime?”
“Please, Ms. Banks.”
Juniper couldn’t find it in herself to ease the vice grip she now had on Rowan’s shirt. She leaned up on her tiptoes to brush her lips against Rowan’s. “Don’t play with me, Birdsong,” she breathed out against her lips, unable to pull herself any further back.
“I would never.”
Juniper finally managed to free her hands, but Rowan’s shirt still bore the vestiges of her fingers twisting into it. She blew out a breath and took a half step back.
“We crushed them and used them like pepper.”
“Do you want to take some back with us?” Rowan asked, slowly sliding her hands out of Juniper’s pockets and onto the small of her back.
“Yes. I’ll make us something to eat with these later.”
Juniper was not going home to her house. She knew thatmuch. She finally stepped all the way back and rounded the tree collecting a few of the berries in her palm as she went. After collecting herself as well, she felt a little less chaotically turned on.
“Do you know what would cause this to happen? The trees growing together like this?” She asked.
“I looked it up after I found them. It’s called inosculation, when two different trees sort of converge together. I couldn’t find any examples of this happening with red cedars though.”
“Interesting. It’s like they’re friends,” Juniper mused. She often spoke of plants that grew together symbiotically as friends.
“Or they’re in love,” Rowan offered.
Juniper couldn’t help the speed at which her eyes darted over to meet Rowan’s. She held her gaze for a moment. “Maybe friends who fell in love?”
Rowan smiled softly at her. “Something like that.”
Juniper smiled back. “Yeah, something like that.”
They explored the oyster midden for a while before the midday sun bore its full heat against their skin. They made their way back to the boat, and Juniper set about fixing the picnic spread she had made for them on the beach. After they were full and hydrated, Juniper leaned back against her palms on the sand.
“Wanna go in?”
“I’m sorry what?” Rowan croaked as she shook the daze out of her eyes.
Juniper noticed the focus of Rowan’s intense gaze was on the bare and glistening brown skin of her thighs. “I caught you staring, Birdsong. I was asking if you wanted to go in, like in the water to swim?” She asked slowly, punctuating each word of the question.
Without missing a beat or waiting for an answer, Juniper jumped up and dusted the sand off the back of her legs.
Rowan looked up at her from her spot on the beach and chuckled. “I’ll go anywhere you go.”
