Wanted A Real Family(48)

She gazed up at Jase and was mesmerized by what she saw in his eyes. It was desire and hunger and an intense passion for life that she’d been drawn to in him from the very beginning.

But she didn’t want him to know how much. She couldn’t let her guard down completely and still protect herself and Amy.

Trying to capture her composure once more, she teased, “I suppose that was the cooler that fell?”

“Everything’s safe in there. I know how to pack.”

The question on the tip of her tongue was, Am I safe with you? But she couldn’t ask it. Even if she asked it, she didn’t know if she’d believe his answer.

“I’m always thanking you,” she murmured.

“And I always tell you, no thanks are necessary. Here, let’s just put you on top of that rock so you don’t have to scramble over it.”

After he’d set her on a level spot, she anchored the towels and blanket under her arm once more and realized her legs were shaky as she took her next step. Being in Jase’s arms always made her feel that way. But she kept going because she didn’t want him to notice.

Sara was surprised when she reached a summit and saw the footpath was going to take her down again.

“It’s not much farther,” Jase told her. “Look down and to your right and you can see the reflection on the water.”

The sun’s late-day rays caught and danced on a pool about ten feet below.

“Oh, Jase, this is like some untouched world.”

“Not so untouched. We’ve put a few solar lights around, smoothed rock where it needed to be smoothed, made the pool safe. I’ve photographed it often at different times of the day, but I don’t make any of those photographs public. We don’t want anyone asking, ‘Where is it and how can I get there?’”

“I can understand that.”

They descended the elongated, wide rock steps until they stood at the rim of the pool. “How deep is it?” she asked, mesmerized by the bubbling water.

“About four feet. We have a rock ledge along one side to sit on.”

“I have a suit on under my jeans.” She didn’t turn to meet his eyes.

But his voice came from over her right shoulder. “So do I.” He took her by the shoulders and turned her around. “You are going to make eye contact, right?”

The twinkle in his eyes made her smile. “I suppose that’s the best way to have a conversation.”

He laughed. “So how do you want to do this? Fruit and cheese now or later?”

“Later.”

“Okay. I’ll just grab the bottles of water and lay out the blanket. When we get out, we’ll have someplace to dry off.”

Jase’s back was to her when Sara lifted off her T-shirt. She was wearing a two-piece suit. Some would call it a bikini but it was definitely more than strings. When she’d found it at Thrifty Solutions, it still had tags on it and she wondered who had donated it. She just knew that someday she wanted to be the one who could donate to Thrifty Solutions, who could help other moms through The Mommy Club. The neon turquoise color of the suit shimmered in the sun and she wondered what Jase would think of her in it.

He’d turned around by the time she was unfastening her jeans. He made no attempt to avert his eyes, because he obviously enjoyed the sight.

“You’re making me self-conscious,” she said.

“I won’t tell you what you’re making me.”

Heat rushed to her cheeks and she knew that was silly. She wasn’t a teenager in high school, and she’d worn plenty of bathing suits in her lifetime. But tonight... Tonight just seemed different.

Jase quickly discarded his boots, jeans and shirt, and now she was the one doing the looking...and thinking ahead to a kiss that didn’t end. Jase was wearing board-shorts, plain green that rode low on his hips. The drawstring was tied just below his navel. The scars across his shoulder and along his abdomen were noticeable but they didn’t snag her attention long as her gaze drifted to his powerful thighs, the dark hair on his legs, his very masculine stance.

Offering her his hand to help her down into the pool, he said, “Be careful. The rocks can be slippery.”

They were, but she was careful and soon she was sitting on the ledge. From a rocky shelf, Jase picked up two bottles of water, uncapped them and offered her one. Maybe he was just trying to put her more at ease, but she took one, drank a few long swallows, then set it back on the shelf.

The water surrounding them was deliciously warm. It swirled around them as if propelled by jets.

“Why did you decide to come up here with me today?” Jase suddenly asked.

She hadn’t expected that question. But as he’d noticed, she had trouble hiding her feelings. She told him honestly, “I ran into someone at the festival from my old life.”