For the first time, Harper looked over the railing and saw where he’d anchored the yacht. They were in a small, brilliantly blue and emerald cove surrounded by granite boulders and majestic, towering pines. Instead of leading her down to the second deck to swim, where there was a small pool and deck, or onto the main deck, where they could have accessed the lake for swimming, Jacob led her over to a diving board on the top level.
“What do you think?” he asked her. “Are you up for it?”
She stood at the rail and looked down. Through the clear water, she could see all the way down to the bottom of the lake to the smooth boulders resting there.
“How deep is it here?” she asked Jacob.
“About thirty feet. If we make our way inland, it gets shallow. And there’s a sand beach. Good for swimming.”
“I haven’t taken a high dive in a long, long time.”
“Would you rather swim in the pool or off the foredeck?”
She turned and examined his face, searching. There’d been something in his voice just then. Or had it been her imagination? He still wore his sunglasses, though. She couldn’t discern any trace of emotion on his face.
“We could jump together,” he suggested quietly.
She blinked, the bright sun and his deep voice making her feel disoriented for a moment . . . giving her a profound sense of déjà vu.
“All right,” she agreed slowly.
He whipped off his glasses. A moment later, they stood together at the tip of the board suspended over the water, their arms wrapped tight around each other, her heart beating like crazy. She was a little anxious about the jump, but that’s not what was making her heart chug like a locomotive. It felt so secure, being wrapped in his arms and pressed against his solid body. It felt so good. He was still erect. His virility and strength seemed to flow into her, fortifying her.
And yet there was that lingering feeling of the unnamed, a feeling that raised the hair on her arms and nape and cast the vivid day and beautiful man with a glow of the surreal . . .
Almost like magic.
“You ready?” he asked, bowing his head down over her upturned face.
“Yes.”
“Jump away from the boat,” he directed.
She nodded, excitement bubbling in her veins. “On the count of three?”
“Okay. One . . .”
“Two,” she counted.
The second seemed to stretch.
Look where you’re going, not where you’ve been. The voice flew into her consciousness. Again, that feeling of incredulous disorientation came over her as she stared up at the amber, green, and brown pinpoints of color in his irises.
“Jake,” she muttered dazedly at the same moment that he shouted, “Three!”
And they were flying through the air, hugging each other like they thought their lives depended on it.
• • •
Hitting the cold, refreshing water with such force seemed to scatter her strange, dreamlike mood. Or perhaps her thoughts were so confusing, she willingly repressed them to fully glory in the moment.
They swam for over an hour in the serene, sparkling inlet, talking, playing, and holding each other in the shallow water. It was the most carefree and relaxed she’d ever allowed herself to be with him. She thought he seemed just as happy as her, as eager to forget the rest of the world and sink into the warm intimacy of their togetherness. He let her touch him as much as she wanted, and she relished in her free rein, running her hands all over his back and muscular arms, skimming them across his long legs while they were twined together.
She wanted to touch him sexually, too. The cold water had dampened his former arousal somewhat, but his cock still felt long and firm as their bodies pressed together. When she started to cup and caress the delicious weight of his arousal in her hand, he halted her.
“Let it wait,” he said, drawing her hand away, and pulling her pelvis closer against his cock. They’d been clinging together in about five feet of water, Jacob’s feet on the sandy bottom and her legs wrapped around his hips. Despite what he’d said, she felt his cock swell as he pressed her sex against him.
“But you made me feel so good up there,” she murmured near his wet, firm lips. “I want to return the favor.”