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The closer I get, the faster the scrap of material floats away. My legs and arms begin to burn the further out I get, but I grow worried when Damon doesn’t emerge.
“Screw it.” Abandoning it all altogether, I use the strength I have left to swim back toward the falls in search of him.
The water is clear almost to the very bottom, but there’s no sign of him anywhere.
I shouldn’t have made him do this. What if that jump really did kill him?
I draw a lungful of air before diving below and propelling myself forward, stopping only when my fingers connect with unnaturally soft sand. When I break the surface gasping for air, my gaze flies around the dark, shallow cavern.
I choke on a gasp when I spot a solid figure washed up limply on the beach.
“Damon. Oh my God.” Tears gather at the back of my throat before pricking the corners of my eyes.
Wet sand slides between my toes as I sprint toward him. With a shaking hand, I splay my fingers over his scruffy cheek. When I place my other hand over the middle of his chest, a big, deep breath fill his lungs, shocking him back to me.
He coughs, blinking once, twice before he rasps. “What happened?”
A sob crushes my chest. “You scared the hell out of me.”
Tears seep from my eyes, startling me. The harder I try to stop them, the more seem to follow. “I thought you were dead.”
His strong arms wind around my back when I lay myself across his chest. I’m shuddering, coming down off the high of taking that jump and fearing for his life.
“Shh,” he coaxes, stroking my wet hair and murmuring in my ear. “It’s okay, Kate. I’m alright.”
“I would have never forgiven myself…”
He’s fine. He’s breathing, and he’s fine.
“I must have blacked out for a second,” he says gently. “But to be honest, that was pretty fun.”
Swiping at my cheeks, I lean back on my knees. “You’re telling me that you actually enjoyed a little risk-taking?”
“Need I remind you that this was my idea?” Damon says while raising up on his elbows.
Then his chest stills.
“What? Does something—”
“Your top.”
Goose bumps pucker my skin when his pupils dilate.
“Oh,” I say, pulling an arm across my chest. But it’s too late for that. “I-I lost it when I jumped.”
The air is utterly electric when he slowly guides my arm back to my side. My core throbs when his thumb traces the underside of my breast.
“So, it was exciting, then?” I sound breathy and wanton even to my own ears.
“There are many things that excite me, sweetheart. But a little bit of fun doesn’t always outweigh the risk.” His tone is deliciously deep as I lean into his touch, granting him permission to explore.
“Taking risks is what life’s all about. Isn’t that what we’re really doing here?”
Worry lines form the start of a frown. Yet he’s stroking the smooth skin just half an inch from my nipple, teasing and toying with me.
“It feels wrong,” he says without conviction. “There’s more than a decade between us, Kate, and we’re on borrowed time. Nothing about this is a good idea.”
Says the man who has stolen kisses from me repeatedly.
