Page 57 of Stone
He eyed her. Shadows lingered in the planes of her face, but she also appeared resolute in her desire to put the phone call behind her. “Come with me,” he said, holding his hand out.
A blinding smile spread across her expression, making her eyes dance and light up. Somehow, his entire being felt twenty pounds lighter when she looked at him like that.
“As you wish,” she said, slipping her hand in his. After closing the door and resetting the alarm, they set out across the lawn. Sherman came darting over, bumping against Juliana, trying to get as close as possible. His tail tangled in the long, loose summer dress she wore—one that tied around her neck and fell down her chest in a deep vee, doing amazing things to her already amazing breasts—making her laugh.
As they walked, they chatted about inane but everyday things—the gorgeous summer evening, the upcoming Labor Day weekend, when the farmer would harvest the hay growing in his fields.
The deeper into the woods they moved, the quieter the conversation grew until it fell off altogether. Not for lack of things to say, but in appreciation of their surroundings—of the scent of pine that filled the air, the call of birds in the trees, and the colorful wildflowers that cropped up in patches along their path.
Twenty minutes from the house, he stepped into a clearing and stopped. Juliana halted beside him, her shoulder brushinghis, Sherman flanking her other side. He looked down at the pup and considered putting his leash on. Stone didn’t want him to wander off, but judging by how he leaned into Juliana, and how he hadn’t gone more than twenty feet from them the entire walk, he decided not to. He’d keep an eye on him, but he suspected Sherman might be more worried thatthey’dwander off without him than the other way.
“Is that water I hear?” Juliana asked.
“It is,” he replied. “A small river that flows into the lake.”
“And it’s on your property? Seems like you’d get a lot of river rafters if it flows into the lake.”
He started across the clearing, slowing his stride to appreciate their surroundings. “The water levels fluctuate too much, and there’s often a lot of debris. It’s too much work considering there are three other larger, more navigable rivers.”
“Lucky you,” she said.
“Definitely. On occasion, if I’m out hiking, I may see a neighbor fishing, but mostly, people use it to cool down. Two properties up, the Gundersons, they have six grandkids under the age of ten, and they spend a lot of time with the little ones splashing in the shallows.”
She grinned. “Is that what we’re going to do? Splash in the shallows?”
They drew to a stop on a rise overlooking the gently rambling waterway. “Oh, it’s lovely,” she said, her gaze sweeping over the sight.
She wasn’t wrong. The low hill where they stood descended gently before flattening into a perfect picnic spot ten feet from the riverbank. Wildflowers dotted the banks, trees swayed in the breeze, and every now and then, they heard a fish popping up.
But that wasn’t the best part.
“Come with me,” he said, leading her down the hill. Sherman bounded ahead of them and began sniffing along the riverbank.
Setting the backpack he carried down in the clearing by the bank, he turned to Juliana, who stood watching their dog and eyeing the river.
“Are you ready for a swim?” he asked.
Her gaze jerked to his. “I don’t have a suit.”
He cocked his head. “I don’t either.”
The breeze lifted the ends of her hair, a lock getting caught on her chest. He reached over and set it free, his fingers brushing her skin as he tucked the strands behind her shoulders.
“Never in my life have I skinny-dipped,” she said. Then after a beat, she frowned. “I don’t think I’ve ever been fully naked in front of anyone—boy or girl—in the middle of the day.”
“Now that is a shame,” he said with a smile. His body had gone rock hard at the idea of her naked in the sunshine. She might be hesitant to strip, but he was pretty sure his raging erection would distract her from her own nudity. Not that he expected her to do anything about it, only that it would provide a distraction.
He adjusted his jeans, then stripped off his shirt. Tossing it on the ground, he met her eyes again. “You game?”
Her gaze traveled over his bare chest. “You are a fine specimen of a man, Simon McLean.”
“If you want to see the rest, you have to join me.”
Her eyes lifted to his again, her internal debate playing out in her expression. Slowly, she toed off her shoes. Then her eyes never leaving his, she reached behind her and untied her dress. The top fell, exposing her gorgeous breasts to the sun, the breeze, and him. His zipper barely contained him as he watched.
When she shimmied out of her dress, taking her underwear with it and leaving her stark naked, a pool of blue fabric at her feet, he lost his breath.
Her fair skin glowed in the early evening sun, the rays catching bits of her hair, giving her a sort of halo. Her dark rosynipples seemed to reach for him, but for now, he kept his hands to himself and continued drinking her in. Her waist nipped in before flaring out again at her hips and the thatch of blond curls—slightly darker than her hair—beckoned him to the place between her thighs. His gaze lingered there, remembering how she tasted, then with a shuddering breath, he pulled it away to soak in her long, strong legs, following the lines of her muscles until he reached her blue-painted toenails.
