Chapter 10: The River

It was late afternoon when we came to a river. The fence line was just on the other side of it. I quickly dismounted my white horse and went to the bank. The river was fairly wide and flowing slowly. It was peaceful. With how hot the day had been again, I wanted to jump in. I turned to face Edward and nearly screamed when I bumped into him standing right behind me. He smiled and grabbed my waist.

He quickly pulled my shirt up over my head before I could say anything. I began to unbutton his and he messed with his belt. We got down to our underwear still holding each other. The hair on his chest was dark and soft. I rubbed my hand through it freely. Edward started to laugh.

"It tickles," he said.

I smiled giddily. His hands went up and down my back and then my bra covered chest. I was about to kiss him, but he picked me up. I screamed playfully and clutched his neck.

"It's gonna be cold," he said, stepping back from the bank.

I frowned and started to protest, but Edward ran, jumping off the ground at the edge and we landed in the river. The water was shockingly cold, but refreshing at the same time. I broke free from Edward and swam up to the surface. I took a deep breath of warm air and pushed my hair back from my face, laughing.

Edward surfaced a foot away from me. He flipped his head back, his hair throwing water droplets at me. I swam to him and hugged him again. My les wrapped around his torso and my arms around his neck. He held me securely beneath my thighs. My teeth chattered.

"Cold girl," he said, pulling me closer. I laughed as we floated together down river some.

"It feels good," I assured him.

I tossed my head back and looked up. The trees leaned over the river bank like a canopy. A lot of the leaves had lost their green color. It made me smile wider. Then, I thought of something, so I looked back to Edward who was staring at me.

"Last night," I began carefully. Edward nodded. He was slowly walking us threw the water up river to our horses. "Was it...like what you've been missing? You know, that connection?"

Edward smiled the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. He kissed my cheek.

"It was even better," he whispered. I smiled and hugged him feeling content, and even a little proud. Edward started to snicker.

"I realized something this morning, though," he said. "I uh, didn't have any protection... I should have stopped," he said awkwardly. I pulled back and looked at his eyes. They were sorry.

"Birth control," I answered quickly. Edward nodded and was about to say something else, but I kissed him instead. He matched his need with mine and our kiss grew stronger. I never knew such passion was possible. I ran one of my hands through his hair.

Then, my teeth chattered against his mouth. Edward chuckled.

"Come on cold, girl." He hoisted me out of the water and onto the bank. "Let's make camp here. We can do the fences in the morning and make it half way back home tomorrow."

My heart sank a little. Going back meant returning to real life. I would much rather stay in this troubled romance novel we had somehow begun to write for ourselves.

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Edward was cooking over the fire when I finished making my bed. I unsaddled my horse and stroked her face as I watched him. He heated beef stew and poured it into two bowls. Like the night before, I ate my quickly, finishing it down with a cold beer. I drank more water through the day, and applied more sunscreen, so I was feeling good. Although, I wasn't sure my ass would ever get used to being on a horse. It ached no matter which way I sat.

After eating, Edward took out his little baggy of marijuana. He packed a bowl and took two hits. I watched him curiously.

"Why do you do it?" I asked casually. He shrugged as he exhaled.

"Shuts my brain off," he stated simply. "Does it bother you?"

"No, no," I replied truthfully. "Now if it were heroin..."

We laughed.

"No heroine for me. Do you want a hit?" He asked, passing the bowl.

"I'm okay," I said. "I like my thoughts running for now." He chuckled. I lit a cigarette and laid down on my side to take the weight off my sore tail bone.

"Will you sleep with me again?" I asked quietly.

"Notice I didn't make my bed," he said smiling. He winked at me and my heart started to beat faster.

"So, whatever happened to your parents?" I asked. Edward finished his beer and stood up. He started to get undressed.

"I heard from mom a few years ago. Same ole same. Nothing changes for them."

"Do you miss them?"

"Not at all," he replied flatly. "Do you miss your aunt and uncle?"

"I miss who they were. Now they're selfish." Edward nodded knowingly.

"How's Alice?"

"Great. I think she's going to elope, which is smart."

"Interesting. And Penny?" He asked.

"As good as ever. I was so glad I got to see her."

"What about that girl Jessica? Last I heard-"

"She had the baby and put it up for adoption. I saw her about a year ago and she was pregnant again," I said.

"Shew," Edward breathed. I nodded in agreement.

"What about Jeremiah?" I asked.

"Oh, he's here. Got himself a little place and took over the local gas station."

My eyes widened.

"Oh, my God. I saw him! I stopped there for gas and he recognized me."

Edward laughed loudly.

"I bet he was thoroughly confused."

"That makes sense now," I said, laughing with him. Edward was down to his boxers when he came over to me. We crawled into the sleeping bag and he held me close. I grabbed his left hand and traced his ring finger. Edward knew what I was thinking.

"I hate jewelry."

"Oh," I whispered. I decided to let it go, push it away.

"Tell me about your trip here," he said sleepily.

"It went by fast," I started. "I met some neat people along the way, though. The girl I mentioned, Bethany, was on her way to meet a guy, too. I'm going to write to her when this is all over with. I met another woman in New Mexico named Meagan. She was sweet, and really pretty. She helped calm my fear about coming," I finished in a whisper.

"What were you afraid of?" He asked. I didn't answer right away.

"Everything that this situation has become," I finally replied truthfully. Edward squeezed me tighter and sighed. I could feel his breath on my neck. The river flowed quietly behind us, creating a great white noise. When the trees blew in the breeze, the Aspen leaves almost sounded like a wind chime. It comforted me.

"What did she tell you?"

"To not let fear hold me back, but to let it push me forward," I whispered. "It's what got me here."

"Are you afraid?"

"Of losing you."

"No, are you afraid of me?"

My chest suddenly constricted painfully, and I swallowed hard. His voice was deep and had no emotion in it.

"No," I finally said.

My voice didn't shake, and that surprised me, because now I was a little scared. Not necessarily of him, but what he had in him. I was beginning to think that Edward Cullen was a time bomb just waiting to go off, and I wasn't sure I would survive the blow.