Page 67 of When We Are Falling

I sprint toward the water,stripping off my clothes and letting them fall haphazardly onto the sand until I’m wearing nothing at all. The air is brisk, the last of the hot summer nights behind us, a chill biting into my skin, but I don’t care. I need this. I need to clear my mind, to forget about the oil spill, David, my moms, everything.

Small waves lap gently at the shore, the rhythmic sound soothing and inviting. The bay is framed by rocks and a steep cliff face on either side, thick vegetation blocking the view from the main road.

Glancing up: the moon is full and round in the sky, the sight of it stirring something elemental inside me. I reach up and pull the elastic band from my hair, letting it tumble down my back in loose waves.

I glance over my shoulder and see Ethan. He’s stripped off his shirt, his chiseled torso illuminated by the moonlight, and he’s walking toward me in just his jeans, gaze locked on me, ahungry look in his eyes. There’s something primal and incredibly sexy about the way he moves, confident and unhurried.

Turning from him, running into the water, the cold waves crashing softly against my legs and then my torso as I get deeper. The shock of the cold is invigorating, a jolt to my system that makes me feel alive. I don’t stop until I’m fully submerged, diving under the surface.

That moment when I go completely under, it’s like the whole world is blocked out. All the noise, all the worry, it all fades away. I hold my breath for a few long seconds, reveling in the feel of the dark, cold world around me. Every sense is heightened, every nerve ending alive.

I break the surface with a gasp, pushing my hair out of my face. My feet can just reach the sandy bottom, but I push up, treading water. Ethan is wading in after me, his jeans and boxers a dark pile on the sand. He dives in and swims under the inky water, resurfacing just in front of me.

“Cold enough for you?” he says, a teasing grin on his face. The dark curl of his hair holds the water briefly before releasing it in rivulets that run down his neck, the hard planes of his chest.

“It’s perfect.”

He lies back, arms behind his head, and I do likewise. We just float there, side by side, under the moonlit sky for a few minutes, the water lapping around us.

He glances at his watch. “You know, I should be going to bed in about an hour if I’m going to get a good sleep score on my health app.”

“Oh, yeah?” I straighten, toes on the ground, and he stands beside me, arms going around me, his skin so warm compared to the chill of the inky water.

“But something tells me this is going to be worth the late night.” One hand splays flat on my back, the other scooping under my ass, lifting me up as my legs wrap around him. Heholds me in the water, the cold waves lapping against our skin, but all I can feel is his warmth.

The silver moonlight makes the moment feel almost otherworldly, and his gray eyes lock onto mine, his expression growing serious.

“Blake, there’s something I need to tell you,” he says, shifting his hand from my back and taking one of my hands in his, holding it in the space between our chests.

My heart flutters, my other arm going around his neck. “What is it?”

He pauses, his eyes never leaving mine. “I’m in love with you. I love you, Blake. You’re the most perfect woman I’ve ever met, and I’d walk through fire for you.”

His words hit me like a tidal wave, washing over me and leaving me breathless. I’m stunned into silence, my mind racing to process what he’s just said.

“I know this might seem fast,” he continues, his voice suddenly tinged with nervousness. “But I can’t hide my feelings anymore. I love you. I love everything about you—your smile, your laugh, how stubborn you are.”

The intensity of the moment wraps around me. I feel like I’m standing on a precipice, about to dive straight into a dark depth of water with no idea what’s down there. The uncertainty terrifies me, but there’s one truth I can’t deny: I love him, too.

I lean in, our faces inches apart, and press my lips to his. The kiss is soft at first, a tentative exploration of the emotions swirling between us. But as his arms tighten around me and the fire in my core burns brighter, the kiss deepens.

I pour all my feelings into that kiss, hoping my touch can tell him all the things I’m too scared to say out loud. The world around us fades away, leaving just the two of us, entwined in each other’s arms.

The cold water, the moonlit sky, the distant sound of waves crashing against the rocks—it all melts into the background. In this moment, there’s only Ethan and me, the feel of his mouth on mine, our hands wedged between the steady beat of our hearts.

Then things get heated, as they always do with us, the claim of his mouth on mine growing more intense. He lets go of my hand, finding my breast, fingers teasing first one nipple then the other as they pebble, before he groans. He’s already hard, and I release the grip of my legs around his waist, finding the sandy bottom, and we both step into shallower waters, still kissing.

My hand wraps around the girth of him, pumping in time with the waves lapping against me, while his hand reaches down, a roughened finger plunging inside me, then a second, moving in and out, sending spirals of pleasure unfurling in my core, the blunt thrust of his fingers over and over making me moan.

His mouth goes to my nipples, sucking softly, gently nipping, his hand gripping greedily on my ass, my hips. We keep kissing and touching one another under the expanse of black sky, dark water surrounding us, until I feel myself tipping over the edge.

“Stop,” I say, pushing his hand away.

“Stop what?” His fingers move to my clit, circling and swirling, a smile on the soft of his lips.

“It’s my turn to be in charge.” I push his hand away again, more firmly this time, and lead him into the shallow water.

“Lie down. I want to taste you.”

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