Once Upon A Half-Time 1(47)
She liked that. “But you haven’t asked for a divorce.”
“Nope. Thought about it when I got drafted, but as soon as I saw you again…I thought this is it.”
Elle stilled. “This is what?”
“The girl for me.”
If that didn’t flip her tube into the river, nothing would. I rocked her pretty good though. She gripped the handles so she didn’t tumble out.
“You can’t mean that.”
“I do.”
“But…you’ve just been teasing me this whole time. Trying to get me into bed. How can you possibly know that we’d be good together?”
Because I knew it. “I don’t remember much from Vegas, but that night at the bar? You listened to me.”
“Not very well. I blacked out.”
“Maybe after, but not during. You listened to me. You cared.”
“A lot of girls might have listened to you that night. You could have spun around and picked someone at random.”
“I didn’t want someone random. I wanted you. They might have listened to hear what they wanted, but they wouldn’t have understood me. You did. We had a connection. Never felt anything like that before.”
“And what if it was just the alcohol that made us connect?”
“I told you everything you’ve wanted to know, Red.” I crossed my arms behind my head, enjoying how she couldn’t resist a glance at my chest, biceps, and how low my trunks had fallen. “You’re the mystery.”
“I am not.” She splashed me.
“You’re a big riddle. You don’t let me in. You don’t tell me how much you really like me. You won’t tell me what’s been bothering you at the field.” I smirked. “Won’t tell me where you were the day I almost got turned into roadkill.”
“I was sick that day—”
“Yeah, right. You’re hiding everything from me, Elle. I only want to get inside…in more ways than one.”
Elle splish-splashed her feet. She turned the camera to take a selfie, angling the shot to get both of us in the frame.
“Could have used that for our wedding photos,” I said. “Fuck, I wish someone had taken a picture of us in the locker room the instant I said we were married. Your face was priceless.”
“Yeah, that’d be…funny.” Her laugh was forced. She lowered the camera. “Do you want the truth, Charming?”
“Always.”
“I don’t know how I feel about you. I don’t know if I should feel what I do feel for you.”
“So it’s something good?”
“It’s something.”
“I can work with anything that isn’t straight-up revulsion.” I hesitated. “Are you afraid I’ll hurt you?”
“I’m more worried I’ll let you hurt me, maybe.”
“Never. I can promise you that. Give me a chance. You know we’re good together.”
She chose not to answer. Instead she pooled a little water in her hands and dripped the shimmering drops over her heated skin. The water teased her dark legs and arms, and my cock hardened as each droplet trickled down between her thighs.
“I’ve always wanted to be a photographer,” she said. “I’d planned to see the world. My father thought it was a stupid and wasteful pursuit. He wanted me to stay near home, with family. Which meant he planned to control every aspect of my life. He wasn’t cruel, exactly. We weren’t afraid of him, but none of us were happy. I was the one who decided to live my own life. I got out.”
“What made you leave. What was the trigger?”
“It’s a long story.”
I gestured to the water. “We’re on a four-hour bob down this river.”
She bit her lip, not realizing how that tease tightened the limited space in my trunks.
“There’s not one event. A couple maybe. When I was in high school, I met a boy. It was something totally innocent, just a little crush. We might have gone to see a movie when I could sneak out, but usually we were in a group of friends. When my dad found out, he was furious.”
“Why?”
She drifted close enough to touch. She brushed her finger over my arm, highlight the contrast. Dark against light.
“Because he was…and I am…”
“Oh,” I said.
“Dad didn’t accept the modern world. He saw things in literal black and white. It was ugly, and he had a bad reputation for it. He was always livid that I didn’t see the world the way he did. So…I packed a bag.” She shrugged. “And here I am. Married and floating on an inner-tube.”
“Have you seen your father since then?”