Page 63 of Highlander Unraveled
“A cave, perhaps,” I murmured, looking up toward the mouth of the waterfall. Where there were mountains, there was always a cave, one just had to look—and evict any animal that had taken up residence.
“What about behind the waterfall?” Emma suggested.
I glanced at the falls, the darkness that seeped from behind the curtains of water. The water fell hard in yards of thick ribbons. I couldn’t see behind the waves enough to determine if there was a ledge. “’Tis a possibility. I’ll examine it closer.”
I walked as near as I could around the perimeter of the spring, getting close to the side of the mountain, and still, peering around what I thought to be the edge of the falls, I couldn’t tell if there was an opening behind it or not. “I’ll have to swim over.”
“Okay,” Emma said, her teeth chattering.
Och, but I loathed the fear that filled her. I wanted to take it away, to destroy it, but I knew the only way to do that was to get her to safety, or to distract her at least.
I disrobed, turning to wink at her, as I stood naked in the sun. That was enough to get her teeth to cease their chattering for a minute. A sultry smile curled her lush lips and she batted her lashes at me, before raking her gaze hotly over my figure. Instantly, I was hard, filled with need and wanting. I dove into the water, letting the chill calm my heated body. A few strokes and I came up near the falls, with mysgian dubhdrawn, in case there was some creature that had made a residence of the very place we wished to hide.
Being that there was no obvious opening between the water and the side of the mountain, I was mostly convinced that the droves simply fell against the side of the ridge, but when I thrust my hand through the water, I felt only air. Moving my hand down I met a flat ledge.
I thrust my head through the torrents, blinking away the water from my eyes. There was, indeed, a cave, damp and dark, completely hidden from view. It didn’t go back far, maybe five feet at the most, and it was only eight or so feet wide. Plenty of space for us to hide for a time. There didn’t appear to be any creatures there now, nor did it smell as though any had been there for some time.
I came back through the water and turned to face my wife, taking in her expectant and worried gaze. I nodded, not wanting to shout over the falls and not even certain if she’d hear me if I did.
Emma’s face brightened.
I waved for her to jump in.
She stood, untied her robe-like gown at her waist, standing in only her undergarment. The sun shone on her full breasts, showing how perfectly creamy her skin was. She shoved the gown into her bag and held the satchel over her head. She dipped her toes into the chilly spring, and then leapt back with a tiny shriek, shrinking away from the water’s edge as though she’d stepped on ice.
I laughed and swam toward her until I was standing, towering, over my petite, fireball of a wife.
“I’ll carry ye,” I said.
“I can swim.”
“I know ye can.” I winked. “But I like touching ye.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck and I lifted her effortlessly. Her silky skin smoothed over mine, and it was hard not to crush her to me. To forget about the English trolling the woods and make love to her beneath the light of the sun.
“What about your things?” she asked.
“I’ll come back to fetch them. I wanted to check for berries and nuts. Get us something to eat.”
“I grabbed a couple of power bars from the kitchen at Moira’s,” she said. “So we can eat.”
“Power bar?” I asked, wiggling my brows. “Will it give me special powers?”
Emma laughed. “Maybe. What kind of powers do you want?”
We moved through the water, her gasping as the chilled depths touched her rear, and rose up to her waist. I clutched her closer.
“I would have the power for a stamina that never ceased,” I said, nipping her ear.
Emma’s head fell back, and she let out a laugh that I wished hadn’t been dulled by the roaring of the waterfall.
“Do ye approve, wife?” I teased.
She leaned forward, pressing her forehead to mine and kissed me gently. “Any more stamina and you just might kill me,” she teased.
I chuckled. “Ye’d die of pleasure, is there a better way to go?”
“None,” she agreed.
