Dangerous Grounds (14 page)

When his hand disappeared from her backside, she felt a pang of disappointment. But it went away as soon as she turned to at last observe their surroundings. She stared in amazement, taking a deep breath of air that smelled salty and like seaweed.

“It’s so beautiful down here.” She looked down the beach in both directions and out over the Sound. “And seeing the mountains in the daytime is like a hundred times more amazing.”

“I thought you’d like it.” He gave her a sideways glance as he unzipped his backpack.

“I love it.”

Puget Sound lay still since there was no wind to create whitecaps. Clear and shimmering near the beach, a few feet from shore, the water became a dark blue and all visibility below the surface vanished.

Her gaze followed the vast body of water across the way until it was broken by Port Townsend and the Olympic Peninsula. The mountains that jutted up from the peninsula took her breath away.

“Have you ever been camping?”

“Nope.” Madison shook her head, not wanting to look away from the view.

“The Olympic Forest over there is a great place to go camping.”

She stared in amazement at the mountains, a smile playing on her face. Her parents hadn’t been the camping type, more like the Hilton in Switzerland type.

Although Eric had gone camping with Gabe many times. They’d made it an annual summer tradition during high school. Madison had often wondered what it would have been like to go along, had even envied them a couple of times.

The sound of a click and a whir brought her out of the memory. She turned to look at Gabe, surprised to find him holding a camera.

“What did you take a picture of?”

“You.” He wound the camera. “Do you mind?”

“Nah, I’m not one of those people who freak out about getting their picture taken.” Then she remembered she wasn’t wearing makeup. Oddly enough, it didn’t bother her.

She looked at the camera in his hand. It wasn’t a little disposable thing, or a digital, but one of those ultra expensive-looking ones that you had to do all the work on and develop the pictures the hard way.

“Do you take a lot of pictures?”

He shrugged and turned the camera to the mountain range. “It’s just a hobby.”

Madison noticed his intensity as he continued to take pictures. A memory floated through her head—the photo of his aunt that hung in the house. She gave a small nod of understanding.

“You took that picture. The one of your aunt. And all the other ones hanging in your house.”

“Yup.” He didn’t look at her, but continued to take various shots of water and mountains.

“Would you consider letting me sell some of your pictures in my shop?”

That got his attention. He lowered the camera and turned to face her.

“I don’t take pictures to make a profit.”

“I know you don’t, Gabe.” She gentled her tone. “I’m not implying that you do. Your photos are wonderful and I think you should share them with the rest of the world. What’s the harm in letting me sell a few in my shop? I like to promote local art.”

“I don’t know, Maddie.” He went back to taking pictures.

“Well, if you don’t want me to sell them, would you at least consider letting me have some to decorate with?”

He took a moment before giving a slow nod. “I’ll think about it.”

“That’s all I’m asking, sweet cheeks.” She gave his butt a nice squeeze in retaliation from earlier. “Are we going to keep walking, or should I make myself comfortable for a while?”

“Damn, you’re impatient,” he muttered, although he still smiled.

She bit her bottom lip and nodded, a smile lingering on her face. “For more than you know.”

He returned his camera to his backpack and took a step toward her. “The longer we wait, the better it’ll be. I promise.”

“I know.” Her lower lip jutted out. “I’m just not a patient person when it comes to having you inside me.”

Her words had an immediate effect on him, and Gabe felt himself stir inside his jeans. She was flirting, making it no secret she wanted him, but still he stuck to his guns in telling her to hold off. He told it to himself as much as her.

She was casually dressed, sweaty from the first part of their hike, and he’d never found her sexier. Maybe it was the two braids she’d done her hair in. It brought up all kinds of kinky thoughts.

He rubbed his thumb over her lower lip that pouted in such an enticing way.

“Trust me, I’ll make it good.”

“Mmm, I bet you will.” Her tongue reached out to draw his thumb inside her mouth. “Are you ready?”

“Ready?” All thought scattered from his head, and his entire focus turned to her moist mouth moving over his thumb.

She released his thumb and drew back. “To hike down the beach?”

“Right. The hike.” He nodded like an idiot. God it was amazing how quickly he could lose control of the situation. “Let’s head on out.”

She winked at him as he turned and once again led the way.

Chapter Twelve

They walked about a mile down the beach before he steered them off the beach and onto a barely noticeable trail in the forest.

“What’s back here?” Madison asked, wiping away the sweat from her forehead. She was hot and sticky, and hoping that Gabe had told her to wear her swimsuit under her clothes for a reason.

“About fifteen minutes into the forest there’s a great lake to go swimming in.” He glanced back at her. “If you don’t want to swim we can just do the picnic lunch.”

“Oh, I’m swimming.” She grinned. “I think I’m wearing half the sand from the beach.”

They kept walking and soon she saw the shimmer of a greenish-blue lake. She gave a yelp of excitement and pushed past him to run ahead.

When she reached the opening of the trees, she looked over at the picnic area. It must have been a place people came to, because there were picnic tables and fire pits around.

“I love it!” She looked over at Gabe, who now stood beside her. “Is this only accessible by hiking in?”

“No,” he admitted. “There’s a back road most people don’t know about. But the hike makes it that much better.”

“No kidding.” Madison walked to the picnic table and sat, sighing as her feet started to tingle. “That was a great hike, but my feet are about ready to fall off.”

“And just think.” Gabe set the backpack on the table. “We get to do it again on the way back.”

She raised an eyebrow. “I can handle it. But I plan on staying here for at least an hour, with or without you.”

“With me. This is my time to play too.” He pulled off his T-shirt, exposing his hard chest.

Madison had to lift her gaze from the taut muscles there, to his shoulder and the jagged red line on it. Her insides twisted as she remembered how he’d acquired it.

“How’s the bullet woun—graze?”

“It’s fine. Forgot I even had it,” he assured her and unzipped his pants.

She laughed. “Whoa there, boy. Give a girl a chance to catch her breath.”

“Catch your breath,
mi vida
.” He jerked the jeans off his legs and stood in front of her in his boxers. “I’m going swimming. Are you sure you don’t want to come?”

“No, I do. Actually, nothing sounds better than cooling off right now. I’m sweating like a pig.” She grinned and unzipped her sweater.

“Good choice.” Gabe walked over to his backpack and pulled something black and shiny out of it.

“What’s that?” Madison asked as she shrugged out of her shirt and jeans.

“Plastic inner tube.”

She watched as he went to work blowing it up. Although he seemed focused on getting it inflated, his gaze followed her while she undressed. His eyes darkened when she had finished and stood before him in her bikini.

Madison held back her smile. Hmm, so he liked the red string bikini, did he? Good thing she’d thought to pack it on the trip to Whidbey.

But what was the inner tube for? “I’m a pretty good swimmer. I don’t think I’ll need that.”

He raised an eyebrow and kept blowing. When the tube had been fully inflated, he plugged up the air hole.

“You might find yourself surprised. All right, let’s go.”

He grabbed her hand and she giggled, running after him as they made for the water. Gabe tossed the tube out a few feet and dived right in.

He emerged a few feet out, gasping as drops of water dripped from his face and hair.

Hmm, it looked a little cold.

“Are you coming or what?” he called out, treading water.

“I’m coming.” Madison didn’t hurry, but toed her way in and winced at the coldness of the lake. They had to be nuts to be going swimming, it was only May and barely seventy degrees outside.

Gabe swam back to the shore and stood, wading toward the lake’s edge.

“It’s colder than I thought, Gabe.” She hesitated. “Maybe I’ll just wade.”

“What?” Before she could reconsider, Gabe had grabbed her around the waist, carried her a few feet out and tossed her under.

She came up sputtering, goose bumps covering her skin and her teeth chattering.

“Maybe I’ll just wade,” he mimicked. “Come on, Maddie. You’re not getting off that easy.”

Madison swept her palm across the water and doused him with a spray of water.

“That was so not nice! It’s freezing in here!” she grumbled, but ruined her mock anger with a laugh.

“Ah, you want me to be nice?” He took a step toward her.

She shrieked, and dove under the water, emerging a few feet out, before swimming further away.

He laughed and swam after her.

The water temperature didn’t seem as bad after awhile. Either that or she’d gone numb.

Madison reached the inner tube and clung to the edge. She’d gone out at least twenty feet or so from where she could touch the bottom of the lake.

A hand wrapped around her ankle, and she screamed as she was dragged backwards and underwater.

When she came up for air, Gabe had taken her place.

“You said you didn’t need it.” His eyes twinkled with mischief. “But if you’re nice, I may share.”

“I can be nice,” she murmured and sighed as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her close.

“Can you?” He lifted the tube over their heads and dropped it back down so that they were in the hole in the center of the tube.

Madison spread her arms out on either side of the tube, holding herself up as she tread water. Gabe tossed one casual arm around the float and gave her a slow smile. They were so close together that her legs would scissor in-between his every few moments.

“I have this fantasy,” he began, and toyed with the string on her bikini top. “That I read in a book. It involved water, a man and a woman, and a flotation device.”

“Sounds interesting.” Her gaze skimmed to the beach to confirm they were alone. “Wanna tell me about?”

“I’d rather show you.” Gabe’s nimble fingers untied the knot behind her neck, and the strings fell down onto the fabric that still covered her chest. “Damn, that’s what I love about your breasts. You don’t even need the top to hold them up.”

Madison laughed even as heat spread through her body. “I think it’s only fair that I remind you we’re in water. The buoyancy factor helps.”

“They’re great on land, too.” He pulled the red top down off her breasts, but didn’t remove it all the way.

She caught her breath when he used the palm of his free hand to rub over the sensitive tip of her breast.

“Is this a popular lake?” she asked, more than ready to go at it, but also worried about the chance of being discovered.

“Very popular.”

He let go of the tube and his body sank in the water a bit, bringing his mouth level to her nipple. When his teeth closed over it, her eyes shut and she groaned. Sparks of pleasure made their way from her breast to the sensitive spot between her thighs.

Madison moved her legs faster in the water, as if the movement could release the throbbing of her sex.

“Don’t tell me you’ve never had sex in a public place before?” He drew her nipple deep into his mouth and started sucking.

“Ah.” It was starting to be hard to stay afloat. “Does masturbation count?”

His mouth stopped moving, and he looked up at her with a startled glance.

“Never mind.” She groaned and pushed his head back to her breast. “Please, don’t stop.”

“Right.” His tongue swept against the peak of her breast and he drew it between his teeth.

“Gabe.” Her nails dug into the rubber of the tube and her eyes started to lose focus. Just as fast, they regained focus on the car that bounced through the forest toward the lake. “Gabe! Stop, oh my God, there’s someone coming.”

Gabe lifted his head and looked toward the shore. He pulled her bikini top back into place and tied it around her neck.

“Should we go back?” Madison asked. Frustration and disappointment clawed at her belly. Damn, it just figured they’d get interrupted.

“Maybe, maybe not.” Gabe gave a casual wave to the couple who had just climbed out of the car and were looking out at them.

“Do you know them?”

“No.” He shrugged. The couple waved back and then began setting up a blanket under the trees. “But they look pretty cool.”

“What do you mean? You’re not going to ask them to join us or anything?” Madison raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out his line of reasoning.

“Of course not.” Gabe reached down and grabbed her legs, wrapping them around his waist. “They can’t see much. Just from the shoulders up.”

He held onto the float with one hand and kept treading to keep them both just above the water.

“They don’t care about us anyway, trust me.” He lowered his head and closed his mouth over hers.

Stop this.
Madison knew she needed to, her conservative upbringing told her to. But the fingers Gabe slipped into her bikini bottoms encouraged her otherwise.

“Gabe,” she breathed against his mouth, her thighs clenching around his waist.

“Yes,
mi vida
.” His hand cupped her sex, giving it a light squeeze as he smoothed a finger back and forth over her exposed folds.

“This is crazy. I’m so turned on right now.”

“Even though we’re in water, I can tell.” He pushed the finger deep inside her and moved it in a slow circle. “Because your wetness is different than the lake. It’s hot, silky and smooth.”