Chapter 10

Michaela absentmindedly stared out the window as Sully drove up into the mountains. He was lost in thought also. As they left the main road he slowed and looked in her direction.

He stopped the car for a minute and turned to cup her cheek, "I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say. Can we please try and fix this today. Will you keep an open mind?"

"I want to fix this. I don't like having things so tense between us, but I'm not sure how.", she turned toward him and reached up to grab the hand that was touching her face.

"I've got an idea of where to go. Do you trust me?", he glanced at her.

"Yes, just remember I want to be back by dinner time."

He continued to drive up a dirt road to an area where he could pull over. He got out and grabbed a blanket and takeout bag from the trunk, then walked around to open Michaela's door.

"We have to walk the rest of the way", he smiled at her.

When she stood, she began to sway slightly.

"You ok?", he asked with a worried look on his face.

"I'm fine. Just stood up too fast", she assured.

He grabbed her hand and began leading her deep into the woods.

"Not many people know about this place", he called over his shoulder. "I used to come here to think when I was younger. No one ever bothered me. I thought it would be a nice place to spend the afternoon."

After they had been walking for about 20 minutes they came into a clearing. As she looked around, Michaela could tell it was a very private setting. You couldn't hear any traffic, and no one was within miles of them.

"It's beautiful", she gasped. "How come no one knows about this place?"

"Because there's no other access to get here than walking. People don't want to put in the effort to get here.", he shrugged his shoulders.

As she glanced around, Sully spread out the blanket. There were a grove of trees surrounding them. A small stream along one side of a grassy knoll that came to a large pool in front of them. There was a small waterfall across from the pool, and the sun hit just right to create a sparkling effect. It looked like a scene out of a fairy tale.

Michaela sat on the blanket and kicked off her shoes. Sully did the same and turned to face her.

"I love you, you know that right. I would never do anything to hurt you. I've never shared this place with anyone. I brought you here today because I want this place to be special to us.", he reached for her hand and kissed it's back softly.

"I know you do. We need this. Time to ourselves. I think we need to make a point of spending more time together. I need to work on expressing myself better too. I should have told you how I felt rather than get so angry."

She turned and put her back toward Sully. He opened his legs and let her slide between them. Leaning back on his chest she sighed and snuggled in. Sully could tell that something was on her mind, but she didn't seem like she was ready to share it yet.

"Michaela, is something else bothering you?", he whispered softly.

"No, why do you ask?", she turned slightly.

"You seem like something's on you mind.", he questioned.

"No, I've had a lot happen in the last 2 days. I'm just trying to process it all and move on.", her voice began to rise and a lone tear trickled down her cheek.

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to upset you.", he hugged her and placed a kiss to her temple. "You feel like cooling off? The pool over there is about 5 feet deep. We can swim."

"Sully, I don't have a bathing suit with me.", she scolded.

"So, it's private here. No one is going to bother us. Come on.", he stood and held out his hand.

She glanced around nervously and looked back at Sully. He was already shirtless and was beginning to remove his pants when she looked up.

"I don't know, what if somebody sees us?" she pleaded. "It's so open around here."

"I've been coming here for years, and no one has ever walked up on me. Trust me, you'll feel so much better in the cool water.", he held out his hand again.

She stood and removed her shorts and looked longingly at the water. It was hot out today. Even though it was near the end of the summer, they were having a hot spell and it had been in the upper 80s for several days. She kept glancing around nervously, but Sully was way ahead of her. He had shucked his boxers already and was pulling at her shirt.

"Come on", he begged. "I won't let anyone see you."

She gave in and let him pull her shirt over her head. "Hey. I love you. What's wrong?" He pulled her into a hug and she tilted her head to look into his eyes.

"I'm not used to being this exposed. We're usually in the comfort of our home.", she whispered.

"It's just me", he leaned in to kiss her and reached around to unclasp her bra. "I'm not going to let anyone see us. Promise!" He pushed at the top of her panties. She gave into the kiss and began to relax. After tossing the remaining items over to the blanket, Sully swept her up into his arms. She squealed in surprise. Leaving no time for her to fight him off, he jogged around to the edge of the pool.

"No, don't you dare!", she shouted. "Please Sully, no!"

He leaned in to kiss her, and then took a flying leap with her still in his arms. When they surfaced sputtering, she glared at him.

"I can't believe you just did that!", she exclaimed.

"It's easier to just jump in. Takes the shock of the cold away.", he smiled cheekily. "You're not mad, are you?"

"No, not mad. Cold, but not mad. Beware, I'll get even with you.", she smiled and than swam away from him.

They spent the next half hour swimming and playing in the water. It felt refreshing and the troubles from the previous night seemed to wash away with the beads of water.

"Ready for lunch?", Michaela swam up to him. "I am a little hungry", his stomach let out a large growl right then.

"What are we going to dry off with?", she questioned.

"See that bundle over by the blanket? It's got towels in it. I came prepared.", he chuckled.

"So you knew that I'd say yes to swimming, did you?", she smiled cheekily.

"Well, I was hoping.", he retorted.

"So, are we even now that you splashed me so much?", he cocked his head to the side as she approached him.

She slid herself into his embrace and leaned in inches from his face. She reached up and pushed a wet lock of hair off his forehead. He reached around her waist and leaned in to kiss her. As he gently brushed his lips over hers, she crashed her body into his. The kiss spiraled out of control at a rapid pace. Her tongue swept through his mouth and he groaned as she trailed her hand down his chest towards the thin line of hair below his navel. Reaching farther she brushed up against him. Just as he was beginning to lower his hand from her waist, she stepped back. She began to swim toward the edge of the pool. Sully stood dumbfounded questioning her actions.

"Now we're even", she smirked.

"What? You can't leave me like this.", he begged.

"Payback", she winked. "Next time, don't throw me in the water." She raised herself out of the pool and sauntered over to the blanket to grab a towel.

Sully stood frozen in place for a few minutes before he realized that she really was going to leave him like that.

"You don't play fair", he laughed. "I can't believe you just did this to me." He swam to the edge and pulled himself out. As he walked over to the blanket in all his glory, she blushed when she saw the evidence of her payback.

"Enjoying your handy work?", he smirked.

He plopped down on the blanket next to her. Leaning in next to his ear she whispered, "just remember, I don't get mad, I get even!"

So, I know that this is a short chapter, but after all the recent heartache I wanted to have a happy one. I won't be posting again until next week. Thank you to everyone that's been reading this story. I never fancied myself as a writer. Your support brightens my day.