Page 53 of Eyes Like a Hurricane

Sunday, June 18

I’ve had a goofy smile plastered on my face all morning. After breakfast, we quickly drove to Aislinn’s house so she could pack a bag with some fresh clothes. We got back to the ranch and for the last hour have been doing some odds-and-ends jobs around the ranch. Nothing could ruin the day. We are all planning to go to Glaciers tonight for dancing and pool. I’m debating what we should do for lunch.

Aislinn comes around the corner of the barn. “Any chance you would want to pay up on our last bet? I think you owe me a hike, mister. It doesn’t have to be at Glacier National Park. You have some beautiful acreage here we could hike instead.”

I nod with an idea taking form. “How about a hike and picnic? The trailhead starts on our property but ends at a scenic waterfall. I’m not sure whose land it’s actually located on, but it is a fun place to visit. Ingrid, Dec, and I loved exploring the waterfall as kids. Our grandma used to tell all her grandkids the legend about a waterfall from her home country of Norway.”

She grins and skips along next to me, grabbing onto my bicep. “That sounds amazing. Let’s do it. Can the dogs come?”

We head toward my house to get lunch supplies. “It’s only about a mile hike round trip and quite flat, but there are mountain lions out there, so I would feel safer if they stayed behind. If we encounter one, I don’t want to have to worry about the dogs, too.”

After making lunch, we set off at a leisurely speed. At this pace, we will be to the falls in twenty to twenty-five minutes. Hopefully, she likes the view. All I want to do is find ways to make our relationship feel unique and special. She loops her arm through mine, pulling my thoughts back to the present.

“Hrm?” I ask.

Her brows are knit together as she asks, “Your head was in a far-off space, wasn’t it? I had just asked if you would share the tale of the falls your grandmother used to tell you.”

I take a deep breath and smirk. “I was just daydreaming,” I sigh, shaking my head. “Do you know what a huldra is?” She shakes her head no. I nod and continue. “The legend goes that on the highest hill of the deepest fjord in Norway rests a little cabin hidden among the trees. Within this mossy log cabin lives a huldra named Tove. She is a forest siren and the keeper of wishes. This creature is too beautiful to look at, but her powers will grant you what you desire the most. If she invites you across the threshold of her home, you will see hundreds of little, blue glass bottles lining peeled pine shelves. Your wish must be pure, intangible, and selfless. Should Tove deem you worthy, you can write your wish on a fallen leaf. Once the ink dries, the leaf is placed in a bottle.” I glance down and see her staring at my face with rapt attention.

I take that as my cue to keep going. “Cryptically, she will tell you the way to the Wishing Falls is to go through the trees of darkness, toward the sound of silence. Look toward the cloudberries, but never step on the mugwort. Upon reaching thetroll rock, you will follow the raven to the top of the falls. It’s then your task to determine the safest descent to the bottom. Without entering the pool below, you must fill your jar with freshly fallen water. The last step is to retrace your steps to her cabin among the trees. If you return to her dwelling unscathed, Tove will grant your wish. Wishes are magical thoughts or desires which alter the course of all those involved. A wish is not to be made lightly or rashly.”

Aislinn swallows, and I watch her neck slowly contract. Her eyes are wide. Her cheeks are tinged pink.

She asks, “Have you ever thought about what your wish would be?”

I hum in acknowledgment before responding, “At the moment, it would be a wish for you, something you would never think to give yourself.”

Her smile is radiant. “My wish would be for you, but something you would never consider a possibility.”

Before long, the soft roar of the waterfall is audible.

Aislinn gasps beside me, “I can hear it.”

We push through the last set of trees and come face to face with a sixty-foot waterfall. The steady stream of water plunges over the edge and into the deep blue pool of water in front of us. Large stones surround the bank, but the water is so clear you can see the river rock at the bottom. My memory is that the pool isn’t very deep until you are about fifteen feet from shore. The river flows to our right and is lined by a thick forest of trees.

As though her voice is made of air, Aislinn whispers, “Lachlan, this is amazing. I have never been this close to a waterfall. Where does the river lead?”

I clear my throat, as I have been looking at her this entire time. I take a moment to really look at the waterfall. It’s a deepblue, and as the water hits the pool below, white foam kicks up, churning the water like blue froth. The water is crystal clear, and the rocks on the shore are shades of blue, gray, red, orange, and purple. They look like a rainbow beneath the water.

“I actually have no idea where the river flows. The trees along the riverbank have always been so dense. We were afraid to venture too far off the path as kids. It heads away from the property, so maybe it goes toward one of the dozens of smaller bodies of water in the area.”

She nods as she looks around. Turning toward me, she closes the distance in a few short steps. I feel the electricity zipping down my arms as her hands grab onto my forearms. I don’t blink as I stare into her eyes, bottomless swirls of aqua. My gaze is locked on hers.

Whether I make the final move or she does, I don’t know. The moment I feel her lips press against mine, my hands fly to her waist, and I pull her closer.

I reach below the curve of her ass and hike her up into my arms so that her center is pressed against my belt buckle. She gasps at the sudden change of positions, allowing me to tilt my head and deepen our kiss. Her boots cross against my lower back, and the heels gently dig in as she tries to pull me closer.

Her fingers flow through my hair as she hangs onto me. She tastes of strawberries and coffee, which we had before we left.

Her tongue is warm against mine, and I groan remembering where else her tongue feels warm. A desperate moan climbs up the back of my throat as I picture all the ways I want to take her in our secluded location.

My dick strains against my jeans, and I have no way to adjust myself with her in my arms. She lifts her hips and slowlygrinds against me. I break the kiss and move to the column of her neck.

My voice comes out strained. “Aislinn, we should probably stop and have our picnic unless you want me to cum in my jeans like a teenage boy.”

She makes a strangled noise as she elongates her neck and tilts her head away from my mouth. Seeing her delicate neck exposed is beautiful. I can see her pulse rapidly beating beneath the thin layer of skin.

I lick up the column to her ear, where I plant a gentle kiss on her earlobe and whisper, “I would be happy to continue this on our blanket, naked.”

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