Page 68 of Counting Quarters

He looked around with the same amazement I felt. “Mason and Bonnie found it. We would skip school and come out here to hide out.”

We strolled over to the creek, and I peered inside, shocked to find the water so clear I could see straight to the rocky bottom. When I turned back to Kyle, he was staring at me with an easy, boyish grin on his lips.

“What?” I asked, self-consciously tugging on my braid.

He laughed, and for the first time, he actually looked relaxed. No longer the tense sheriff responsible for the town's safety. Out here, he was free of it all, and the difference in his physical appearance was almost jarring. I had the fleeting thought about what he must have been like as a teen out here.

“I haven't made this trek in a long time. I'm glad I brought you with me.”

A shy smile was my only response before I turned back to the water and dipped my hand in. It was deliciously warm, practically calling for me to slip inside.

My eyes found him again, still rooted in the same spot.

“Can we swim in it?” I asked.

He slipped his hands into his pockets and shrugged. “Usually. But I think we forgot bathing suits.”

An idea sprang into my mind, and I smirked at him, toeing the tennis shoes off my feet. He knew what I was doing before I could explain, already having read my thoughts.

Still, his eyes widened as I slipped my fingers into the sides of my shorts and slid them down, exposing the blue lace thong I thanked the gods I chose to wear today. I kept my gaze locked on his as I reached for the bottom of my shirt, lifting it over my head with less grace than I intended.

The matching bra was on full display now, and Kyle looked like he wanted to pounce on me. He remained still, though; those steely blue eyes the only thing moving as they followed me to the edge of the spring. Before hesitation could slow me down, I slunk down into the warm water.

I inhaled a deep breath and focused on gaining my footing on the rocks at the bottom. When I was standing straight again, I lifted my eyes and found Kyle peering over me from the edge of the spring, a heady expression marring his face.

“Join me,” I purred with a coy smile.

He didn't hesitate another moment.

In a flash, his shirt was on the ground, exposing the taut muscles I'd grown to love running my tongue over these past few weeks. His shorts came next and before I even had a chance to appreciate his choice of boxer briefs, he was slinking into the water and walking toward me.

I could tell there was so much he wanted to say. So many reasons why we shouldn’t do this out here dancing on the tip of his tongue. But this place was too perfect, and we were all alone. The rest of the world didn’t matter. So, before he could breathe life into those negative thoughts, I leaned forward and lightly brushed my lips against his.

His body remained still, save for the hand that found my waist in the water, and those long fingers dug in when I opened my mouth to welcome him in. His arousal rubbed against my center, swaying between my legs with the water, only separated by a couple of pieces of fabric.

I knew I had him then.

In one split second, he had my other leg wrapped around his torso, his arms fully encasing me. His teeth dug into my bottom lip. In the next, he was rocking against me, allowing his erection to glide against my sex. His tongue gently soothed the spot he’d just bit, and then slipped inside my mouth, teasing.

A moan filled the air between us. I'm not sure if it was his or mine, though it could have been both. In that moment, our bodies melded together to become one giant piece of abstract art.

This was a union set by the gods—created long ago, before either of us existed as a speck in the universe. Kyle was born to be my mother's Counter, but the gods knew he belonged to me.

And they saved him for me.

There was absolutely no denying that fact as our souls danced together to our bodies’ rhythm.

The sopping wet, sticky clothing between us disappeared, a barrier neither of us could stand any longer. He reached his hand around my backside and his fingers teased me, sending shock waves through my body without hardly touching me.

He chuckled at the breath that hissed through my teeth, and then pushed a finger inside me with a devious grin.

When I adjusted to one finger, he pushed a second one in and I jerked forward with a yelp. The water caught me, and its soft embrace tugged me back into him. He wrapped his other arm around my waist to hold me steadily in place and continued moving his fingers inside of me. His teeth nibbled on my earlobe and as his breaths hit the back of my neck, I came undone in his arms.

My cries of pleasure echoed off the trees surrounding us. Bird wings flapped in panic as they flew away, startled by the noise. He snickered in my ear as I writhed around against his chest, a sensation unlike no other shooting through my arms, legs, chest—everywhere. When the pleasure faded away and he moved his open palm over my lower back, I gazed up at him in pure astonishment.

“Watching you come undone has become my favorite sight to see,” he whispered.

I didn't respond. Instead, I used the buoyancy of the water to wrap my legs around his waist and guide his rock-hard erection into me. This time, it wasn't just my cries of pleasure that cleared out the forest.

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