"Okay. Don't freak." Famous last words as he lifts me off the ground.
"Baz!" I clutch onto his neck as he moves effortlessly with me in his arms. I want to look. I want to open my eyes so bad. But I also want to trust him. In a flash, I'm perched on a rock with what sounds like a small babbling brook below my dangling feet.
"Okay." His mouth is right next to my ear, his warm breath tickling the shell.
I slowly open my eyes and inhale a wondrous breath. Below us, three steaming tiered pools overlook a fast-moving stream.
"Wow!"
"Yeah, you'd never find this place on any map. The water from the falls funnels right out to the stream."
"It's amazing." I didn't expect anything like this. When I researched the area, I saw a few pictures of different springs, but none of them seemed this unique or fairytale-like.
"Ready to experience nature at its finest? Just the way you wanted?" Baz tries to psych me up. I look at the big, burly man in front of me as eager as a child, and his energy is infectious.
"I'm definitely ready."
His smile widens so almost every white tooth is visible. It's so genuine and warm, I don't even need the spring to experience nature at its finest. Baz is the epitome of that. He's the salt of the earth. "Let's do it then." He hops over the boulder, plucks me up, and plants me on my feet. We shuffle down the side of the hill until we come to some flat land next to the middle pool.
A babbling waterfall from the first pool spills into the greenish water, circling around as it overflows continuously into the third below it.
"Let's get wet." Baz drops his backpack and kicks off his shoes. I try not to laugh, but does he know he alludes to sex every time he opens his mouth, or is that just him? "You have your suit on, right?"
Suit? Shit. I never even thought of a bathing suit. I never thought we'd even make it this far. Or he'd be alive this long.
Baz must interpret the expression on my face. "You did bring a bathing suit, right?"
Um. "Bathing suit? I told you I wanted to experience the spring in its natural form." I slide off my backpack. "And what's more natural than au naturel?" I drop my jacket and pull off my shirt-bra and all.
Baz's jaw hits the ground as I continue to strip. "Coming?" I ask over my shoulder as I wade into the steaming pool. Au naturel.
"Fuck, yes." I've never seen a man lose all his clothes faster. He nearly disintegrates them. I won't lie; I inspect every inch of him. Every hard-angled line, the writing tattooed like a slithering snake over his hip, the cuts in his abs, the bulges in his flexing arms, the strength in his toned legs, and the impressive length hanging between his thighs. Damn. I want that body. I want it pinning me down. I want it rubbing against me. I want it moving inside me.
Baz isn't shy about invading my personal space as I tie my hair up in a high bun. He comes close but leaves just an inch between our naked skin. The way his eyes burn tells me he shares all my wants, but he's being a perfect gentleman and keeping his hands to himself. Disappointingly.
We drift around each other, our gazes locked with a dozen and a half unspoken desires.
Jesus, this man affects me in ways I never knew possible. On levels I never wanted to explore. Provoking my feminine instincts with unruly lust.
After a while, we settle by the edge of the pool. The water is so warm and soothing it's like soft hands caressing every inch of your body. It's almost fucking erotic.
It's definitely fucking erotic the way Baz is devouring me with his eyes.
When he asked if I was ready to get wet, he had no idea just how ready I was. How ready I am now.
Resting my arms on the ledge of the spring, I look down into the animated blue-green water below.
Unexpectedly, I feel a light graze on my back, and I whip my face in Baz's direction. He's tracing the tattoo I have sprawled across my shoulder blades.
"They're my favorite flowers," I explain.
"Lilies?"
"Yes."
"Why?" he asks, completely invested. Honestly? The flowers are associated with funerals, which I thought apropos for a death dealer.
I shrug, providing only part of the story. "They're unique. And they make a statement. They're also bold."
"Mmm, just like you." He absorbs my reasons, concentrating heavily on the intricate pattern of the filigree flowers. His soft touch is so eliciting. So arousing. Any doubts I ever had about getting the ink suddenly evaporate.
Benny shit a canary when he discovered the art. He wasn't big on change, and he definitely didn't like the fact I marred my body. He said it made me identifiable and it diminished my beauty. But the way Baz is doting over every line and point and curve, I'm inclined to disagree with him.