Page 41 of Searching Blind

“Are you naked right now, Lucy?” His voice came out in a low rumble.

“You’ll have to catch me to find out.” She swept past him, her footsteps slapping softly on the rocks. Then he heard a gentle splash as she entered the water…. followed by another splash, much less graceful than the first.

Lucy laughed. “See? Even Zelda thinks it’s a great idea.”

“She loves to swim.” He tugged off his shirt and peeled his pants and underwear down his legs, feeling a pang of nerves as he stood bare to the world.

Bare to Lucy.

He wasn’t usually self-conscious about his body. He spent many hours in the gym or on the trail to make up for all the hours he sat stationed in front of a computer. His muscles were hard and well-worked, his stomach was flat and rippled with abs. His cock was on the bigger side or normal. He’d never before had anything to feel self-conscious about…

But this was different. This was Lucy—driven, independent, beautiful Lucy—the woman who’d crawled into his heart and set up camp there, whether he liked it or not.

He wanted her to like what she saw.

And he suddenly, fiercely regretted that he’d never be able to see her naked. He’d never be able to see her face flush with arousal or light up with laughter, never watch her eyes darken with desire or sparkle with mischief.

God, he wanted to see her.

The sharp pain of that longing surprised him.

“Are you okay?” Her words echoed strangely off the rocks and water, rippling back toward him. He realized he’d been standing still for too long, exposed and silent.

“Yeah,” he replied, his throat tight. He fumbled his way over the rocks toward the sound of splashing water and found himself at the edge of the pool formed by the waterfall. He dipped a toe in and was taken aback by the temperature. “Fuck, that’s cold.”

“You’ll get used to it.” Suddenly, she was right beside him, her hand sliding into his. He could feel her warmth, smell that sweet, earthy scent that was uniquely hers.

He took a step and then another, and with each one, the water rose higher and higher, swallowing him up to his waist. The cold really wasn’t that bad once he was in, and the water was a balm to his aching muscles, washing away the sweat and grime of the past few days. It was reviving, invigorating.

“Soooo….?” Lucy said. Her voice came from his right, closer than he expected. Her fingers nudged against his under the water.

“What?”

“Are you gonna get in all the way or just stand there?”

A smile tugged at his lips. “Depends.”

“On?”

“If you’re gonna drown me or not.”

“No promises.” Her laughter bounced around him. It was a sound he could get lost in, a sound that made him forget for a moment the dangerous situation they were stuck in.

Jesus, he’d needed this.

And somehow she’d known it.

“All right then.” He inhaled deeply and dunked himself into the cold pool, gasping as he resurfaced, his skin tingling from the shock of it.

Zelda barked from somewhere nearby and there was another splash. After the scare yesterday, he loved hearing her joyful energy. It was infectious and he found himself laughing along with Lucy.

“She’s found a rock to jump off,” Lucy told him, a grin in her voice. “It’s hilarious. She jumps and all four of her legs start paddling before she hits the water.”

He was about to say something, to crack a joke, when he felt Lucy move closer. Her fingers brushed his chest, and all of his remaining sense sparked to painful life. He inhaled sharply as she slid her hand up his torso, tracing the line of his shoulder with a soft touch that made him shiver. Suddenly, the water wasn’t cold at all. His skin felt tight and hot, his blood like fire coursing through his veins.

“You mentioned something about a plan for me when I got back,” she murmured, her hand curling around the nape of his neck. “If I remember correctly, it didn’t include clothes.”

“Lucy...” His voice sounded strange, breathless.

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