The ground transformed into damp soil. Mud dotted some spots. I would have to hose our feet off before returning to the house.
But it didn’t matter.
Our conversation in the chapel had been heavy. In my effort to understand her, she was slowly trying to understand me. Some of her questions stirred my soul. They brought images in my head that I wasn’t ready to deal with.
But some of the things I spoke out loud to her. . .made me feel like I was healing too.
Why is she bringing this out in me?
Regardless of the answer, we needed to be outside.
We needed that natural medicine only the Earth could give.
I wasn’t a complete fool. While there may not have been a god up in the clouds and watching over us all, I sensed the power of something greater than me all around. And it was in the forest where I experienced that presence the most. It was near the lake. It radiated from the ground.
There was power to nature.
Whenever my body, my bare feet, was in direct contact with earth, everything worked out. Instantly, I’d begun feeling better.
The wind picked up.
Leaves rustled and rode the wind.
It’s going to rain soon. We should go back.
I glanced her way.
The breeze played with her hair. Her nipples stiffened under the thin white material of my shirt.
Just a little bit more. This is helping her. This is. . .helping me.
We came to the clearing at the end of the path, right next to the lake.
I glanced at her. “What are two things you smell?”
Smiling, she lifted her nose. “Damp Earth. If. . .that’s an answer.”
“That makes sense.” I inhaled. “Yes. I agree.”
“And. . .” She turned my way. Her eyelids drooped a little. “I smell you. It’s not cologne, but there’s this. . .haunting. . .masculine. . .fragrance.”
“Hmmm.” I tried to stop it, but a silly smile came on my face. For some primal reason, I loved that she could smell me. I already yearned to have my scent all over her.
The small lake appeared.
A soft gasp left her as she took it in.
An artist couldn’t have painted a more captivating image. Distant mountains and a graying blue sky served as the canvas. The lake was a calm greenish-blue mass that rippled and danced at its core.
The view calmed my soul.
I turned to her. “What’s one thing that you taste?”
She licked her lips. “Honey from my lavender tea.”
“Hmmm.” I yearned to suck on her sweet tongue.
She smiled as if knowing what I was thinking. “What type of game is this?”
“Whenever you feel pressure, anxiety, and stress, focus on your senses. Think about what you see, feel, hear, smell, and taste.”
“Why?”
“It’s a way to bring you into the moment. It’s a way to check-in.”
“How?”
“By using your senses, you can calm yourself down and overcome some of your anxieties. It reminds you that you’re in the present and that you can get through any tough situations that are ahead.”
She raised her eyebrows. “You did a countdown from five to one with each sense. What’s that about?”
“The 5-4-3-2-1 technique. It was an exercise they would have us do at the seminary. It helped us get out of our heads.” I turned her way and moved in closer.
Only leaving a few inches between us.
“How do you feel?”
She inhaled and then exhaled. “Better.”
“Nature heals.”
“I might have said bullshit to that. . .a few days ago.” She exhaled again and looked around. “But, this place is beautiful. Maybe there’s magic here.”
“There’s definitely magic in a forest.”
A few raindrops hit my skin.
I frowned. “We should go back.”
She gazed at the lake. “Can we stay for a little bit?”
More drops fell on me.
The wind lifted her hair and rippled the fabric around her breasts.
She’s so fucking gorgeous.
Drops fell on her too. They were little, liquid gems, decorating that breathtaking face and lovely brown skin, making her look even more stunning.
I knew we should go back, but the expression on her face was priceless.
She formed her lips into a beautiful smile that lit up her eyes. “Please.”
My heart warmed.
Like a lost sucker, I guided us over to the lake.
“Can we also. . ?”
I quirked my brows. “What?”
Her eyes widened with excitement. “Can we put our feet in the lake? They’re already muddy. And. . .”
She shrugged and scanned the space. “It’s something simple that I’ve always wanted to do. Just. . .kick water on a lazy day. Not worry about anything else.”
I smirked. “Okay.”
How will she look when she does it? I bet it would make her so happy.
This exhilarating sensation buzzed through me. It was more intense than when I was excited to kill.
What are these emotions that she has me experiencing?
We walked over and stopped three feet from the edge of the lake. The space had muddied all around the body of water. It was all tiny puddles, sticky clay, grass, and mud. Here, mud squished between my toes and stuck to my feet.