STILL WATERS

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CHAPTER 6

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We walked side by side, holding hands, even when the path narrowed to the point where only one body could pass, and it was a squeeze at that.

"What happened here, Ranger Rick? Looks like someone got a little bit lazy."

Edward took the lead, stepping ahead of me to hold branches away from my face and caution me about exposed roots and other hazards.

"Not lazy . . . eager. I was on borrowed time. I can clean this up another day. The important thing was to break through." His footsteps picked up speed, and he tugged me along behind him as fast as my boots could carry me.

"Break through to what?"

"This."

Eyes wild with exhilaration and a grin that went on for days, Edward turned to face forward and pull me through the last of the narrow passage. As he stepped to the side, I realized we had reached the edge of the forest.

"Well, Bella? What do you think?"

In front of us, nestled into the valley, was a gorgeous lake, perfectly untouched by man or machine.

"It's beautiful. How did you know this was here? I don't see any other trails or roads leading up here."

"Lived here all my life, remember? Hence, the trail I have been cutting. This lake is on our family's property, always has been, but my folks never had the motivation to cut through and access it. When we started thinking about my coming up here and working for Emmett and Rosalie, we talked about what I could contribute. Emmett had the idea to cut through and annex the lake as part of the resort."

I took a deep breath and let the majesty of the place wash over me. "Okay. I get it now."

"Yeah."

"So, are we going swimming?" I shook our joined hands between us and gave him a subtle tug toward the water's edge.

"Suuuuure," he answered with an indulgent grin, no doubt wondering what kind of crazy he might be dealing with. "I thought maybe we'd do that tomorrow, when it's above fifty degrees outside? You know, when the sun comes out again? During the day?"

"Hmm, I suppose we could do it that way . . . or . . ."

What happened next I blame on Edward and that kiss. I was fresh out of resistance. I jiggled free of his hand and started a deliberate, backward stride toward the water.

"Bella? What the hell are you doing?" His smile faded; mountain man took control. "That water is going to be freezing!"

I nodded. "Yep. You can stay dry if you're not up for it." I reached for the hem of my hoodie, pulled it over my head, and tossed it at him as I kept moving.

He matched my pace with anxious steps forward. "You're serious."

"As a heart attack." Which I was about to give him, but I had a feeling we'd both survive.

"Yeah, let's hope not."

It was time to play dirty. I yanked my T-shirt out of my pants, took a deep breath for courage, and started it over my head. I didn't exactly have my sexiest lingerie under my hiking clothes, but the white cotton bra seemed to hold his interest. He stared at me, dumbfounded, for several long seconds before his instincts kicked in.

"Jesus Christ, Bella," he muttered. His pack hit the ground, and he threw my sweatshirt on top of it. "You are not going in there without me." With one swift motion, he grabbed the back of his shirt, wrenched it over his head, and flung it onto the pile.

Fuck me. Mountain man had abs, and a whole lot of them. Now, there was a mountain range I wanted to explore ridge by blessed ridge . . . starting with my tongue at the top of Nipple Peak. His chest heaved with not-entirely-gentle tension as we stood there in a face-off—er, a clothes off—the grim set of his mouth as scary as it was exciting. He didn't particularly appreciate my putting both of us in peril.

Well, tough shit, Edward Cullen. You brought me out here in the middle of fucking nowhere and showed me this place and made me kiss you. And by the way, could you have mentioned I might want to bring a bathing suit? So, now . . . goddammit . . . you're coming in that lake with me!

He stalked closer; I stepped back.

"Bella, be careful! Watch where you're walking."

Yeah, it was getting dark out. I was walking backwards.

I unsnapped my pants. He licked his lips.

I stopped walking long enough to kick off my boots and pants and shove my socks off my feet.

"Fuck!" Edward did the same, revealing the sexiest pair of athletic boxers I'd ever seen on an actual, live man.

We both stared. We both shivered.

I was freezing but I would've had goosebumps in a heat wave, standing in front of him like this, seeing and being seen.

There was no time for awkward. No time for thinking at all. I turned around to face the lake, and I marched forward. He was at my back before my toe reached the water.

Don't chicken out, Bella. Keep going.

I walked. He followed. He hissed and swore as the cold water registered on his toes, ankles, calves. I bit my cheek and ignored the cold.

He'd stopped trying to stop me; now, he was just trying to keep up and stay close to me, in case of a tidal wave or something . . . or, fuck, were there sea snakes in here? Other biting menaces? I probably should have thought this through a little better.

Not asking. In for a penny . . .

I pulled in a deep breath, took a running leap, and dove just below the surface, swimming as far as my lungful of air and my underwater breaststroke would take me in the icy, murky water.

Maybe not my best idea.

My toes touched down on the slithery slime at the bottom, and I remembered why I hated swimming in lakes as a kid. Yuck, yuck, yuck. I bounced from one foot to the other, trying to warm up. I couldn't decide which half of me was colder—the bottom still plunged in waist-deep ice water or the mud-caked hair, bare arms, and soaking wet bra, chilling in the mountain air.

I turned back to find Edward, but he wasn't standing on the shore, and I couldn't see squat in the water. Jesus, what if he couldn't swim? What if he hit his head on the bottom or swam into a rock or forgot to hold his breath or—

The water rippled in front of me, and a completely muck-covered mountain man surfaced with a gasp of breath about two feet from my belly. A huge, relieved sigh escaped me as he stood up and pushed the wet hair off his face. He looked . . . angry, very cold, and extremely hot, not necessarily in that order.

I felt a little bad about all that, well, not the part where he looked hot. I actually felt pretty good about that part. He'd probably forgive me—eventually.

"Hi?"

He crossed his arms and knit his brows. "That's all you have to say for yourself? 'Hi'?"

"Oops?"

"Thank you for reminding me why I don't like people."

I lifted my feet and drifted closer to him. He narrowed his eyes, adorably petulant. He was working so hard to stay mad.

"You look cold," I said, cautiously placing my hands onto his arms.

He fixed his mouth in that grim line I'd seen before. I rubbed his arms. His gaze drifted lower . . . down my neck . . . onto my chest.

"You—" His voice cracked, and he started over. "You look a bit chilly yourself." His breathing picked up. Mine did, too.

"Mm, I could use some warming." I moved forward until my legs knocked into his. My hands moved up to his shoulders, around his neck. He opened his arms and circled them around my back.

"You are going to be the death of me, Bella Swan."

I cracked a smile. "Some survival guru you are. Can't even manage a little twilight swim with a naked girl?"

"You're not n—"

I reached around and unclipped my bra before he could get the word out. A slow, sexy smile spread across his face. "A half-naked girl."

I grinned back. "You might want to kiss me before you take off my underwear, Aquaman."

He pulled me in tight against his hard, cold chest and placed his lips on mine. So cold on the outside, so cozy and hot on the inside. He dipped us down to our necks in the water. It was just the two of us moving in the vast, dark quiet . . . all I could hear was the soft smack of lips and the play of tongues and the gentle shooshing of the water moving out of our way as we spun and cut across the lake. Edward's body was all I had to hold onto, and that was more than enough.

My hands dug through his crazy, silt-coated hair, drawing low grunts that echoed into my mouth. I felt his palm slide up my side and open to take in my breast. For someone I'd regarded as gentle and controlled, Edward was surprisingly uncivilized with me. I wasn't complaining.

He moaned into my mouth as his rough fingertips found my puckered nipple. I groaned, and he pinched me harder. Perhaps mountain man was working out some of his aggression for being dragged into the cold lake. I sure as hell didn't mind, but he deserved some good old-fashioned teasing, too.

I lowered my hips until I found what I was looking for. From the feel of Edward's insistent bulge, shrinkage was not an issue. He gave out an anguished cry and pulled back from our kiss, struggling for breath as I pulsed my hips in an underwater lap dance.

"Bella."

"Mmm?"

"Fuck! Stop that!"

"Why?" I giggled and nibbled tiny bites along his delicious chin line.

"Because . . ." He pulled my mouth off his face so he could give me one of his trademark I am not fucking around here looks. "Bacteria!"

Buzz? Killed.

"What?"

"We can't do this here. It wouldn't be safe for you. You could get an infection in your—"

I cupped my hand over his mouth before he said the word I definitely didn't want to hear. "Not your most romantic moment."

I let go in time to see that sheepish grimace he had down pat. "I promised to take care of you."

I rolled my hips over his erection again. "There's more than one way to take care of a person, you know."

I gave him my best pout. He kissed me very sweetly.

"You see that backpack lying on the ground over there?" He tipped his chin toward his backpack, buried in our discarded clothing.

"Mmhmm?"

"Inside, there are two towels and a box of condoms."

Well, well, well, mountain man. I guess you did have some plans. "Pretty sure of yourself there, weren't you?"

"Uh . . . no. I was hoping to steal a kiss at some point. But what kind of boy scout would I be if I weren't fully prepared for our first overnight?"

"Technically, we've already slept together."

"True, true." He chuckled as he subtly moved us toward dry land. "So, is this our second date . . . or do we count our hike as the first? Does it even matter? I have no idea how these things work."

"For a guy who doesn't know how things work, you're doing pretty well."

"Not bad for a saint, huh?" He gave me a silly waggle of his eyebrows, then walked us right out of the water with me hugging his body like a tree trunk. "You, uh . . . mind sliding off me so I can grab the towels?"

"If I must." I did as he asked and instantly missed the warmth of his body against mine. From the way he was staring at me, I'd say he missed me too.

"That might be the second decision I'll regret later. Anyway . . ."

He dropped to one knee next to his pack, and I took the opportunity to enjoy the view offered by his deliciously clingy boxers while he worked the backpack zipper as quickly as his numb fingers would allow. He tossed me the first towel he came across before pulling the other one around his own shoulders. He rose and moved in front of me, toe to toe, leaning in to give me a gentle kiss on the lips. "Definitely a step backwards."

"Tell me about it." I cast my eyes longingly toward the bottom of his towel. That earned me a cute blush.

"There was something I meant to tell you earlier," he said, "but I didn't have a chance between the time you ripped off your clothes and dove into the lake."

"Oh yeah?" I kissed him back. "What's that?"

"You're beautiful." He lifted the edges of his towel like a cape and wrapped it and himself around my shoulders. "I can't seem to stop kissing you."

"I'm okay with that." Our kisses shared a natural rhythm. What started out gentle moved to urgent, and when breathing became a challenge, we slowed again.

I moved my lips to his ear. "Is it safe to take off my underwear now?" I trapped his earlobe between my teeth, and he yelped.

"Oh, I think you absolutely should."

I swirled my tongue around his ear and gave him an extra-breathy, "Oh yeah?"

He let out a groan. "Yes. And then, you should put on some dry clothes."

I pulled back to see if he was serious. Yep, he was. "What? Didn't you skip a few details?"

"Yes, I did. I'm going to get dressed, too, and then I'm going to set up camp and build a fire and heat up our dinner."

He was exasperating in mountain man mode, and I suspected there would be no changing his stubborn mind. Still, I had to try. "But what about those condoms?"

When he smiled, I caught a glint of mischief in his eyes. "They'll still be there in an hour."

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To nobody's surprise, he followed post-meal protocol to the letter of the hiker's handbook. This might be the third decision you'll regret later, Edward Cullen.

I'd already done everything I could to speed the process along; now, I could only watch and wait while he "responsibly sealed" our leftovers inside heavy-duty plastic containers. The garbage received even more meticulous treatment.

Patience wasn't exactly my strong suit, but I had to admit, sitting under the clear, starry night next to the crackling fire built with my own personal mountain man's own two hands, my belly pleasantly full of barbecue chicken, watching him move through his duties with grace and skill . . . wasn't terrible.

Still, I had a pretty good idea what was about to happen, thanks to our earlier preview of coming attractions. I wanted him, and I couldn't focus on anything else. Thankfully, he seemed to have finished and now stood with hands on hips, surveying the area one final time for any microscopic food scraps.

"Okay, we should be sufficiently bear-proofed," he announced, plopping down beside me on the bed roll.

"Should be?"

The campfire flames danced inside his brilliant green irises, but only for a split-second before he flung himself at me and flattened me to the ground. "That bear is just gonna have to wait his turn."

Despite his frantic take-down, Edward had managed to cushion the impact on my head and back—of course he had. Even his mauling was carefully contained.

He moved above and below me, everywhere at once, and when he tired of that position, he rolled us both so his own back took the brunt of the rugged earth. He wasted no time slipping his hand inside my shirt and grinning widely when he realized I hadn't put on a bra this time. His pace slowed, but his need was no less urgent. He bucked his hips up into mine, groaning when I pushed back.

The fire and the friction worked their charms, allowing us to peel off clothing layer by layer until we were both completely bare. I guessed this wasn't a first for Edward, but the closest I'd ever come to fucking outdoors was heavy petting on the beach. I could now begin to appreciate the allure of the third lover, Edward's mountain.

The utter stillness, the cool caress of its infinite fingers, forcing us two humans to huddle together for warmth, cocooning us inside its rugged, stunning embrace—the perfect backdrop to experience this exquisite man underneath me, utterly and literally in his element.

He was a thoughtful, generous lover. Not that either of us was polished or expert at this, just that the pure goodness of his spirit imbued every touch, every kiss, every ragged breath. Edward's quiet depth fed the agony and the pleasure of our mutual need, his gentle and rough sides competing for turns with my body.

His fingers teased my cool skin, finally moving to the spot between my legs, where he found me wet and wanting. He touched me softly; I came hard.

When I opened my eyes, he smiled at me and kissed the tears off my cheeks. His silence was yet another gift as were the gentle, patient strokes of his fingertips down my arm and back. Gratitude welled up inside me as I lay against the delicious security of his body.

When I stirred in his arms, ready for more, he settled me over his hips and braced me with firm hands at my waist. I latched onto his muscular arms while I rode him. He let me set the pace, answering with soft grunts when I worked into a steady rhythm, growling when I slowed to kiss him, clenching his teeth when I started up again. I couldn't look away from the sexy sizzle in his half-hooded eyes.

Without warning, he pushed up into a sitting position and clamped my nipple between his teeth. His hips took over, thrusting deeper inside me while his tongue lapped at my breast. His lips pressed a messy trail of kisses upward. Just before his release, he buried his face in my neck and moaned.

What a naughty girl this Bella turned out to be! And what about Ed? The man's got a rough side! RAWR! I think that bear had his turn after all! Teeheehee. Was there any doubt Edward would take the hard earth against his back? And that sit-up move at the end? Don't try this at home, folks!

I've really enjoyed reading the reviews to this story. You guys have brought out some really stunning points about all the characters, even ones we never meet (Alice) that I honestly had not thought of before. That means you internalized the characters and you're seeing right into their hearts...without me. (sob) That's a tremendous compliment. Thank you for being here and sharing your thoughts and feelings with me! If I've somehow missed your review and not responded, please make sure to yell at me this time! Sometimes reviews get stuck between pages...it's complicated! XXX ~BOH
P.S. - *whispers* onlyonemorechapterleft

Current Events:
Our ThreeHotPotatoes collab, "Rightfully Qualified"- an election hot potato pitting Senator Swan and playboy Edward Cullen against each other- is already headed sideways, so that's...interesting.
BUT THIS IS VERY COOL- my very good friend Shell Taylor (shellshock81 on here) is about to release her 3rd book in the Home For Hope series, Reclaiming Hope. Up for pre-order now on Dreamspinner Press!