Page 49 of Falling Again
Before she could get too maudlin, she felt something tickling her back. Natalie yelped as Anthony pulled her down under the water. Spluttering, she pulled herself to the surface and gasped. She could hear Anthony’s laughter behind her, so she spun around and splashed him right in the face. His mouth open, Anthony spat out water and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “It’s on now,” he threatened, diving below the surface.
“Crap,” Natalie said, as she kicked and tried to find where he was hiding. The lake was clean, but that didn’t mean she could see more than a few feet below the surface. She hoped he’d given up the hunt, but then she felt his hand on her good ankle. Just as she sucked in a lungful of air, Natalie was pulled under.
Her arms went over her head, fruitlessly trying to find purchase to pull herself up. Hands skimmed up her feet to her legs, finally resting on her hips. When she thought Anthony would tug her lower, he pulled them both to the surface. He linked his arms around her chest and held her while they caught their breath. “Hope I didn’t play too dirty,” he panted.
Natalie swallowed as much air as she could and swiped water from her eyelashes. She didn’t pull back, leaning into Anthony’s embrace. “I’d say dirty enough.” His eyes darkened as Natalie wrapped her legs around his waist. They were tangled around each other, and Natalie’s stomach clenched. They hadn’t played around like this in far too long, and her body craved more.
More caresses. More laughter. More Anthony.
Reading her mind, Anthony dipped his head lower and kissed Natalie’s cheek. Leaving a path of goose flesh, he continued a trail of kisses down her neck to her collarbone. Just as he made his way back up to her lips, Natalie let her head fall back and moaned. The sound rippled through the water and Anthony nearly lost his grip. “Nat,” he said in a hurried gasp as he continued to kiss and nip at her neck.
Despite being only a couple hours from home, they might as well have been on another planet. The only things that existed were Anthony’s kisses and touches. They were officially the last two people on Earth. Natalie squeezed her legs tighter around Anthony’s torso and he made a noise that curled her toes. His length hardened against her, and she considered the repercussions of them making love in the middle of a Great Lake. Then common sense took over and she loosened her grip on his frame. “We should probably...” she said in between kisses.
“Go somewhere more private and completely devour each other.” Anthony helpfully finished her thought and yanked her closer still. She needed him, immediately. No more falling asleep, no more thunderstorms, no more distractions.
The sound of splashing water alerted the couple that they were no longer alone. Anthony craned his neck to see who, or what, was approaching. He muttered something before releasing Natalie and they swam a few feet apart as a canoe approached.
Decked out in a scarf and stern expression, an older woman approached. “Thought I saw a familiar face,” she said, her voice hard. “Although it was hard to tell since it was connected to another face.” Her disapproving glare assessed Natalie before turning back to Anthony.
“Where are my manners? Mae, this is my wife, Natalie. Nat, this is our neighbor Mae.”
Natalie raised a hand from the water and waved, though Mae didn’t seem overly impressed. She replied with a curt nod and picked up her paddle. “Doc says the power might be out again tonight. I wanted to make sure you knew.” She nodded one more time before gliding her canoe out of sight.
Natalie swam up to Anthony and asked, “Friend of yours?”
“The woman hates me for some reason. Last night she saw me after we—” he flapped his hands in between them, causing little geysers of water to pop up. “I think she assumes all we do is fool around.”
Natalie snorted. “If only she knew.” It was a nice thought though, if not ridiculous, that a stranger saw them as horny teenagers. How far from the truth, and yet spot on.
“Ready to continue the drive?” Anthony asked, running his hand through his dark hair. A few strands flopped forward onto his face, but he still managed to look effortlessly put together. She knew now that he was self-conscious about his grays, but Natalie loved watching Anthony change with time. Somehow it all felt very reassuring, watching her partner age alongside her. It seemed ridiculous now that she hadn’t seen it as a benefit before.
“I know the power is still down, but maybe the bakery is open? I’d kill for one of those crepes.” Even after bacon and toast, Natalie was starving. Apparently fooling around in Lake Erie built up quite the appetite. There’s a new exercise routine she could get behind.
“Race you to the shore?” Anthony asked, already kicking in that direction. He and Natalie were both very active in sports in high school and college, but Natalie had a year on the swim team that made her a faster swimmer. Despite not being in the water for ages, her muscles tensed at the possibility of a race.
“What does the winner get?” she asked, her voice already breathless.
Anthony cocked an eyebrow and winked. “I’m pretty sure we both want the same thing.” His words were flirtatious, but Natalie didn’t miss the quivering in his voice. Anthony was nervous, and the notion did funny things to Natalie’s insides.
Raising her arms higher to prepare to swim, Natalie said, “Deal.” She kicked her way out into the lead with ease, her ankle hardly throbbing as she pulled at the water. Before she knew it, they had reached the shore. She beat Anthony by a few strokes, and she panted with the exertion of it all. “I win!” She laughed as he stood and lifted her into his arms.
Pressing a kiss to her temple, Anthony said, “Rematch tomorrow?”
Natalie shivered as the warm air hit her damp skin. Or it could have been the way Anthony’s breath caressed her as he cradled her against his bare chest. Either way, Natalie wasn’t about to complain. “Definitely.”
After Anthony got Natalie settled in the golf cart, he eased them onto the road and headed back to town. Despite the power outage, the main street was bustling. Families, college kids, and a slew of other couples milled around the sidewalks and grassy areas. Children giggled and yelped as they ran around the playground, Lake Erie glistening all around them. The sky was clear, as if a storm hadn’t raged through mere hours before.
The bakery was in fact open, and Anthony ordered Natalie to stay in the cart while he got their food. Natalie didn’t argue, choosing to prop her foot up and savor the sunshine and opportunity to people watch.
While she drifted away on her thoughts, Natalie pondered Anthony’s idea to buy the lake house. She assumed they could afford it, but she didn’t know if theyshouldbuy it. They hardly had time in Buckeye Falls. Creating a second home in the midst of their everyday chaos seemed like insanity. Natalie knew they still needed to talk about a lot of things, but it had been so wonderful to lose herself in Anthony’s embrace again. Surely reality could wait a little while longer.
As if conjuring the man into existence, he appeared at her side with a bag and two paper cups. “They have a generator which means they have coffee.” He handed Natalie a coffee and joined her in the cart. “I also bought a cinnamon roll, ham crepe, a cheese pastry, and something with a lot of chocolate on top.”
Natalie couldn’t contain her excitement as she reached into the bag and retrieved the chocolate pastry. She wanted to snap a picture and share it with CeCe, but she didn’t have her phone. Taking a bite, Natalie’s tastebuds exploded on a wave of chocolate and cinnamon. “I love you,” she said through a mouthful of crumbs.
Anthony froze beside her, his gaze alert. “I love you too.” His reply wasn’t based on sugary confections. It was simple, honest. But most of all, it was genuine.
Natalie wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand and turned to face Anthony. He looked so hopeful, so much like his old self that she couldn’t breathe. Sitting in a golf cart on a sunny morning, Natalie couldn’t remember the last time she told Anthony she loved him. And that made her really, really sad.
