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She turned to look at me with a bright smile. “Are you coming in or are you going to stand there all day?”
I gulped down the lump in my throat. “I don’t know if I can move.”
She giggled and sank into the water. “This water is amazing. It’s so warm!”
I could stand on the rocks ogling her, or I could get in the water and feel her. It wasn’t a hard decision. I kicked off my shoes and pulled off my shirt at the same time. I was in the water within seconds. My first stop was her. I pulled her up out of the water and into my arms. Her wet flesh pressed against mine. I kissed her, my hands roaming over the exposed skin and practically absorbing her into my body. I had to force myself to pull away or I was going to have my way with her right there on the rocks.
The cool water from the falls was exactly what I needed.
37
MACY
We climbed out of the water and set up our little picnic on the rock. The warm sun was all we needed to dry off after our little dip in the water. I munched on some of the grapes while looking around at the beautiful area.
“Thank you for bringing me here,” I said.
“Thank you for trusting me enough to follow me,” he replied. “I know I have not given you any reason to trust me.”
“I think it’s safe to say neither of us has given each other a reason to trust,” I admitted. “I really am sorry for the way things went down eight years ago.”
“What happened?” he asked. “Did I freak you out? Come on too strong?”
I smiled, remembering his professions of love. “No. I mean, maybe a little. You freaked me out, but I think I was only freaked out because I felt the same way. When I first laid eyes on you, I knew I wanted you. I saw you and I just had to have you. I never really imagined you would want me. Then we danced and I was convinced you only wanted me because of the alcohol. I couldn’t quite get my head around the idea you would want me when you woke up.”
“Why?” he asked. “You’re gorgeous. I saw you and I turned into a caveman. I wanted to knock you over the head and drag your ass back to my hotel. I know people say it’s impossible to fall in love at first sight, but I swear to all things holy, I did. I can promise you I have never done that before. I have never said that to another woman.”
“I thought it was just a line,” I said. “After we went back to the hotel and did what we did and you were saying such crazy things, I didn’t know what to think. I was young and naïve and still trying to figure life out. Then I saw you and it was this intense thing I didn’t know how to handle. You fell asleep and I panicked. All the self-doubt I’ve ever harbored came bubbling to the surface. I looked at you and thought you were way too handsome for me. I assumed you would be too drunk to remember, and I bolted.”
“I understand,” he said. “I honestly can’t explain what came over me. It was like I was under a spell.”
“I truly never meant to hurt your feelings or insult you.”
“I will admit I took it personally,” he said. “I thought you played with my heart. It left me with a bit of a chip on my shoulder. I woke up and I was both hurt and pissed. Over the years, I got more pissed. When I saw you that day, it floored me. It stirred up all those old feelings and the anger I’d been harboring against you. I should have been honest with you from the get-go. I’m sorry I did what I did. That was a dick move.”
“I get it,” I said, smiling. “You were stabbing me right back.”
“I suppose I was.”
“For what it’s worth, I have thought a lot about you over the years,” I told him. And then because I felt like we were both being honest, I decided to tell him my biggest secret. “There’s something else I should tell you.”
“Uh oh,” he teased. “I’m not sure I can handle it.”
“When I say I didn’t forget about you, I really didn’t. I couldn’t. I have a daily reminder of our time together.”
His face paled. “I used a condom.”
I had to laugh. “Not a child, but the next closest thing.”
He scowled. “An STD? No way.”
“No! Sheesh, no. A cat.”
The poor man looked completely confused. “I gave you a cat? Maybe Iwasdrunker than I remember.”
“No, I got a cat a couple years after that night. His name is Handcock.”
He grinned like a goofy child. “No.”
