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“They did what they felt they had to do,” I say.
His jaw muscles bulge and I know he’s still frustrated.
“And some stuff we’ve done in our coven to help other people has undoubtedly frustrated or angered some of them. But here we are, Riley. We can move forward. We lost seven years we can’t get back, but I gained a whole lot of wisdom in that time. And you were able to focus on your pack. You also got Tyson on board and reunited him with the family.”
“Hm,” is all I get from him as he stares down at the water.
“Can we jump in? Together?” I ask, moving around his body to stand at his side.
“You swim?” he checks.
“Like a fish. Lifeguard from age fourteen to seventeen at our community pool.”
He shakes his head and gives me a squinty look. “See, if I knew that seven years ago, I might’ve thought you made it.”
I give him a sad smile.
He kisses me. “Just teasin’. Someday we’re gonna have to laugh about this.”
“Someday. How long till we have to go pick those guys up?”
“We still have a couple hours,” he says.
I reach for the hem of his t-shirt and pull it up, revealing his magnificent hot, tanned skin. I kiss his chest as I pull it over his head and toss it. It lands on the branch of a nearby tree and we both stare at it.
“Guess that’s another one for the quilt, huh?” he asks.
I smile. “Yep. Monumental moments. This feels like one.”
“It does,” he agrees.
I undo his jeans.
“You’re about to make this sexy, little witch,” he warns, fire igniting in his eyes.
I shake my head. “Next time we come. This time, not so much.”
His gaze softens. “I love you, Erica Savage. My little witch.”
“I love you, too, my Mr. Wolf.”
He smiles. I drop my panties and then look around to make sure we’re alone before I turn around. “Unzip me?”
He pulls the zipper down on my dress and unfastens my bra. I drop them both and step out of the pool of clothing.
He’s dropped his jeans and boxers. He steps out of his shoes and drops mine, then he takes my hand and squeezes. He’s warm. Strong. He’s even more than I hoped for when that little voice told me that it’d be really, really good to be Riley Savage’s chosen mate.
“I want to go to Albania,” I tell him. “Maybe go and come back before Halloween so I can do what I need to do for Isabella and Holden.”
“Where you go, I go.”
“It’d be okay for you to leave the pack with all this stuff going on here with Greyson?”
“If things get fucked sideways, we rush back. We can be back in a day, right?”
“I already checked flights. It’s about ten and a half hours.”
“We’ll deal,” he says. “I’m realizing how capable my team is. That I don’t have to be at the center of everything all the time because my pack is all I’ve got. That’s why we have seven alphas. To share the load. If they need me, they’ll ask for me.”
“Ready?” I ask. “To take this leap?”
“Absofuckinglutely.”
I step a little closer to the edge. He steps with me. It’s a long stretch of river with steep cliffs on either side for a little ways. Downstream, there’s a little bank and a hill that looks climbable.
“On three?” I ask.
“Yeah.”
“One, two…” I swallow. “Three.” We step off the edge, holding hands.
It’s not frightening. It’s the opposite of that. It happens fast and when we land with a big splash in the cool water together, he’s quickly wrapped me up in his arms, so we don’t lose one another.
We’re in the clean, clear, cool water together, and I open my eyes, seeing bubbles as Riley continues to hold me, kicking his feet to take us to the surface. I kick my feet too, to get us there faster.
We could be the only two in the universe right now; that’s how it feels rising to the surface with Riley’s arms around me. When we do break it, I’m smiling big. He kisses me. And I hold on tight, love flooding every nerve in my body for this man. My man.
“When I smelled you in the back of the drycleaners, I smelled you and I smelled this river, and the scent sickened me.”
My expression drops.
“Now it’s doing the opposite,” he says.
“I don’t think I’ll have bad dreams about this river anymore,” I tell him.
“Same,” he agrees.
“I feel the energy in it. It’s all good energy, Riley.” I wrap my legs tight around his waist. “I want you,” I say.
“I’m yours,” he tells me. “Hold your breath.” He goes under and lets go of all of me except my hand. We swim together like that for a while until we come up for air. “Keep goin’?” he asks. “Or are you tired?”
