Since I'm always learning how to better present these stories, I've recently discovered that my own added scene breaks (XoXoXoXoX) are dreadfully read aloud as "ox ox ox," etc, when listening on the FanFic site. So, as much as I love the visual of the XoXoXo (which in my mind has always been a string of hugs and kisses, starting first with a kiss ;-)), I've changed the format and removed them, beginning with this chapter. There are some beautiful moments I hope you love, but they'd be painfully affected by hearing "ox ox ox" read on either side. My apologies to those of you who've listened from the start as a way to read these lengthy stories. Although I do love animals, I'd never intended to bring along any oxen into Nathan and Elizabeth's stories, especially in regards to this intimate one at the hot springs. So, please enjoy their most heated moments to date, thankfully without any lowing oxen to mess with that vibe!
Ch 16: Hot Springs Heat
Nathan scanned the area around the hot springs. "Ugh! I forgot the towels," he moaned. Elizabeth glanced over at him with evident panic in her eyes. Her thoughts immediately spiraled.
What would warm her when she stepped out, forced to face the crisp autumn air? With a dripping body and a wet swimsuit, how would she manage to change into dry clothes?
She shuddered at the sudden dose of reality.
"No, sorry," Nathan added quickly, apologizing for the misunderstanding. "What I meant is that I have towels," he explained, reassuring his sweetheart, who hadn't often braved the elements as he had. With a sheepish smile, he reluctantly admitted, "I just forgot to bring them over from our bags."
Elizabeth's shoulders visibly relaxed and she laughed softly with a dawning realization. "I think I understand, Nathan. Before we got in, we were both a little… preoccupied, if I remember correctly."
What had naturally come to her mind after Nathan's clarification were the moments leading up to their dip in the hot springs—first the anticipation and then the revelation of seeing Nathan for the first time in something less than his serge or even blue linen shirt. It was as close as she'd ever come to experiencing the man himself.
"That we were," Nathan agreed, his responsive smile quite telling. He easily recalled that special moment, the image emblazoned in his own mind of Elizabeth's striking figure dressed only in a swimsuit. Redirecting his rapidly escalating thoughts, Nathan firmly reminded himself of their plan to move on, a decision he knew they'd ultimately both come to appreciate.
"I'll go get the towels," Nathan announced, gently squeezing Elizabeth's warm hand beneath the water's surface.
In this rare moment, his Mountie mind took special care to fully document this unique sensation of Elizabeth's touch, hoping to bring even just a sliver of their intimacy home with him, especially with his lonely night ahead, in a bed warmed only by him. As Nathan rose, he held fast to her hand, holding it gently until the last possible second.
"I'll miss you," Elizabeth murmured, already feeling the weight of his absence.
Nathan glanced back at his sweetheart and offered a warm smile. "I won't be gone long," he promised. And with that, he nearly jogged the thirty feet to where their beloved horses dutifully stood, loaded with all the equipment for this day of adventure.
Elizabeth already knew "soaking wet" was one of Nathan's distractingly good looks. But she'd only ever seen that look once, and it was when Nathan was fully clothed during their recent family road trip that went awry. Watching him now, briskly moving toward their horses, she quickly decided "soaking wet in a swimsuit" needed its own distinctive category. The thin wet cotton hugged Nathan's muscular frame, barely hiding what was underneath. To a point, it was revealing enough of his natural curves, Elizabeth felt as if she should look away…But, she simply couldn't, and so she didn't.
It might've seemed silly, but seeing Nathan in this form, she was almost aching for his return after only a matter of seconds. With her eyes firmly committed to Nathan's every move, Elizabeth watched as he pulled two towels from a bag carried graciously by Newton. Then, in typical Nathan fashion, she smiled as she saw him speaking a few words to his dear friend. It must've been a whisper, Elizabeth thought, because while she could tell Nathan's lips were moving, she heard no indication of what was being said.
Granted, Nathan was at a distance, but Elizabeth could've sworn she saw a mischievous smile appear on his face in the midst of his secretive chat, after which he bestowed upon Newton a few loving pats before parting. Clearly, whatever Nathan had said held some degree of importance, Elizabeth reasoned, since she noticed that not a single second was wasted otherwise. In an obvious rush, Nathan tossed both towels around his neck and hurried back to the emerald pool where she waited rather impatiently, ready to be close to her constable once again.
As Nathan drew nearer, Elizabeth's heart fluttered at how the pull to be together evidently affected him as well, seeing him jog the last remaining steps.
"Towels," Nathan announced with a warm smile, standing on the rocky edge of the hot springs. Then, with a seriously furrowed brow, he reluctantly declared, "That being said, there's good news and bad news. Which do you want first?"
Elizabeth drew back slightly, a flash of trepidation in her blue eyes as she answered with apparent hesitation. "The bad?"
Managing to maintain a somber expression, Nathan revealed the bad news. "The towels are cold," he said, and they genuinely were. He'd nearly gasped when they first touched his bare shoulders, still wonderfully warm from the hot springs.
Elizabeth responded first with a nod of acceptance, grateful it wasn't something worse, considering Nathan's earlier expression of mock solemnity that had almost fooled her. "And the good news?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with hope.
Suddenly, that mischievous smile she'd recognized near Newton reappeared. "Well, the good news is," Nathan began, his blue eyes dancing in self-amused delight, "I think it's something I can fix." He let the mystery of his words linger in the chilly autumn air, offering nothing more. Instead, he simply extended his hand to help Elizabeth out of the water.
Nathan appreciated this new perspective, taking in his sweetheart's beautiful figure from above as she turned toward him and stepped up, one long leg at a time, until she stood beside him, her body steaming with inviting warmth. For a moment, he just stood there, dazed, as if the world had narrowed to just the two of them. Then, as Elizabeth shivered, he remembered why he'd gone to the horses in the first place.
"This is the bad news," Nathan announced apologetically, quickly wrapping the towel around her and rubbing it briskly along her arms, trying to stave off the chill.
Still, she shivered again, though this time the cause wasn't as apparent. Elizabeth glanced at the towel and chuckled through her chattering teeth. "You're right! That is bad!" She looked at Nathan with a mix of desperation and amusement. "I'm ready for that fix of yours now."
As Nathan complied, he draped the towel over his own shoulders first before pulling the edges around them both, wrapping them as best he could in the extra warmth.
Elizabeth giggled, surprised at how much of a difference Nathan's fix made. "I like your good news, Constable," she teased. Remembering the mischievous smile he'd worn while retrieving the towels, she asked with a playful, suspecting tone, "What did you say to Newton just now?"
"You caught me, huh?" Nathan replied, sidestepping the question with a grin.
"I did," Elizabeth said matter-of-factly, a knowing twinkle in her eyes. She let the silence stretch for a beat before pressing him further. "So?"
Nathan laughed softly, his gaze dropping for a moment as a new confidence settled over him. Earlier, during the messier part of their day, when their words had been sharper and their hearts more guarded, he'd tucked away the desire that had driven him toward those legendary, passionate make-up kisses. It hadn't been the right time—not while they were still rebuilding the trust that had been shaken after Elizabeth's first climb. But now… now it was different.
Nathan loved Elizabeth more than words could ever express. And in this moment, more than anything, he needed to show her.
Nathan gently covered Elizabeth's hands with his, while below, she tightly clutched the towel closed at her chest, trying to hold in the warmth. With a soft touch, he lovingly separated her hands and joined them together in his, leaving her towel to dangle open. Gazing in sincere admiration at Elizabeth's full figure, he grinned helplessly, admitting to the orders he'd passed on to his Mountie horse. "I told Newton, 'No interruptions this time.'"
A rush of internal warmth passed over Elizabeth, filling her with anticipation. Still, she felt frozen in place, beginning to tremble in the cold, unsure of what Nathan planned to do next. But before she could complete a single thought, she felt his strong arm slipping around her back. Whether by his gentle pull or their natural magnetic draw, she soon found herself snug against him.
Nathan didn't leave it at that, though. He readjusted their towels so they were enclosed within that comforting warmth, sheltering them from the outside cold, as their bodies drew in their greatest heat, perfectly shaped to one another.
"Now we're one," Elizabeth murmured, happily nestled within Nathan's embrace, clearly pleased with his assertive gesture.
"We always have been," Nathan whispered back, his voice soft with affection. He gently rested his forehead against hers, his mind drifting back to what she'd said earlier at the rock wall—that until now, they'd been one person, trying to live two separate lives.
After a grounding moment, Nathan lifted his head, and separated only slightly. While holding Elizabeth's gaze, he intentionally drew the edges of her towel back, ensuring they didn't obscure her beautiful silhouette. His eyes briefly traced the contours of her body along the wet fabric of her swimsuit; and in that quiet stillness, he knew it was time to come clean.
"You might've guessed that's not Rosemary's swimsuit?" he asked, phrasing his suggestion as a question.
Elizabeth glanced down, suddenly puzzled. Her eyes darted between her swimsuit and Nathan's watchful gaze, as she began speaking her thoughts aloud, trying to make sense of his comment.
"Well, pink isn't usually her color, I guess. And, when I put it on, it did seem a little less…" She paused, trying to think of the most appropriate word for Rosemary's style.
"Bold?" Nathan offered.
"Right," Elizabeth chimed in, shooting Nathan a knowing look. "I noticed it doesn't have Rosemary's usual… flare." She raised an eyebrow, her gaze turning curious. "But you said earlier that Rosemary slipped the suit—"
"She did," Nathan interjected with a mysterious smile, referring to how Elizabeth's swimming attire ended up in their packed bags.
Then, without saying more, he took a needed breath and deliberately moved his hands to Elizabeth's waist, gently cradling her curves on either side. His thumbs brushed along the thin white belt of her swimsuit, tracing its line to the small of her back before he lovingly interlaced his fingers and pulled her in even closer.
"I wanted this time at the hot springs to be special for you," Nathan explained quietly, his voice soft with a hint of shyness.. "So, with strict instructions, I sent Rosemary to find a new bathing suit for you…as a gift from me." He smiled faintly, thinking of the pretty penny he'd spent on this first-ever garment for a woman, though Rosemary had assured him it was worth every cent.
And it was, because, in truth, the love he felt for this woman in his arms was immeasurable, a depth that couldn't be quantified in words or moments, and certainly not in money.
"Nathan!" Elizabeth exclaimed, her eyes welling up as she took in how wholeheartedly this man loved her—even in the littlest moments.
"So, you like it then?" he asked, a playful edge to his voice, though his heart ached for the reassurance that only her words could provide.
Even before she spoke, though, Nathan could feel the weight of her gratitude in the warmth of her gaze, as if her eyes alone were whispering how touched she was.
"Nathan, It's perfect! Thank you. I couldn't love it more." Elizabeth's eyes lowered as she examined the suit with a new perspective, a silent acknowledgment of the love she now understood Nathan had poured into every detail of this date—this thoughtful gift, the care he'd taken in having Rosemary choose it, and the depth of his intimate affection that now lingered in the fabric.
Although Elizabeth was more than ready to melt into this man's arms, her curiosity got the better of her, forcing her to ask a question before giving in to the intensifying pull of her dripping wet, yet dapper, Constable Grant.
"What exactly were your specific instructions?"
Nathan's smiling blue eyes dropped downward for a moment, as a sudden wave of reserve swept over him. "I, uh…well," he stammered, instantly flustered. The tip of his tongue slipped between his lips and briefly rested there, a subtle sign of his nervousness. But, the second Nathan looked up and met Elizabeth's boundless expression of love, the uncertainty quickly faded—replaced instead by a quiet confidence and a fiery readiness that was impossible to ignore.
As Nathan somehow managed to swagger in place, his smile growing wide and carefree, he revealed the first 'must' of this new swimsuit. "It had to be pink," he said with a knowing grin.
Elizabeth's eyes softened, a gleam of her warmth reaching his soul. "Yes. You know me well, I see." Her heart swelled at feeling so impeccably understood. When only silence followed her appreciative response, she sensed Nathan's hesitation.
"And?" she gently prompted, tugging at Nathan's suspender-like straps.
"It had to be modest," he reluctantly admitted.
Nathan, knowing he'd instantly landed between a rock and a hard place, quickly justified his answer. "Now, that wouldn't exactly be my first choice," he readily confessed, his voice low and teasing as his loving eyes roamed over the curves of her figure.
Releasing one hand from behind her back, he gently brushed his thumb across her cheek, the tender gesture a quiet apology in itself. "I just wanted you to feel comfortable," he explained softly, his gaze full of the most heartfelt intention. "I knew this would be a big step for us."
Then, Nathan unexpectedly flashed a knowing grin, his earlier bashfulness now replaced by a coquettish confidence. "And, I'm also pretty sure Rosemary might've taken a few…liberties with her selection, had I left it entirely up to her."
They both laughed at the implication of Nathan's words, the shared humor deepening their connection over this romantic gift.
"You have impeccable instincts, Constable," Elizabeth said, her eyes shining with genuine admiration. "In regard to both me and Rosemary." She grinned, shaking her head lightly as she thought of how disastrous something as simple as a swimsuit could've turned out had it been left solely to Rosemary's discretion.
"Well," Nathan admitted humbly, "This was the first test my instincts faced in buying women's clothing." He revealed this truth with a hidden smile, his fingers trailing gently from Elizabeth's ruffled sleeves down her bare arms. After a characteristic and charming tilt of his head, Nathan added, "I'm glad it worked out."
"I'd say it was a roaring success," Elizabeth replied, a mischievous glint dancing in her eyes as she subtly teased, fully aware of how irresistible she'd been to Nathan in the hot springs. She may not be a Mountie, but she'd certainly noticed the deep breaths he took and the way his gaze often averted as he tried (and failed) to maintain the composure that was so much a part of his usual character.
Little did he know, Elizabeth's plan for him was about to take a turn that would leave him breathless. Pressing her lips together with deliberate intent, she fought to suppress the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. In truth, she was looking forward to Nathan's reaction just as much as the outcome of her plan.
From the moment she'd seen Nathan's swimsuit, Elizabeth felt compelled to make a very specific adjustment. In fact, throughout their time in the hot springs, she'd felt driven to take action on numerous occasions. But, having been pummeled by propriety lessons as a young girl in Hamilton, she second-guessed herself every time.
Something shifted in her, though, when Nathan enfolded them both within the warmth of his towel, and in that intimate embrace, she discovered something even more stirring—that Nathan was behind the gift of her beautiful swimsuit.
Now, in her thirties, Elizabeth felt increasingly confident in her own judgment. Grounded in her love for Nathan and their unspoken commitment to marry, she was weary of the waiting and exhausted from constantly questioning whether this or that was "right." She knew and believed in their strictest boundary with unshakable conviction, certain that it was a foundation they both respected. But feeling wonderfully tethered to Nathan in passion and promise, she found herself drawn to the vast expanse of gray—a shade she was both willing and eager to explore. And, as if in answer, she sensed the same quiet readiness in him.
And so, Elizabeth took several steps deeper into the gray, starting with what appeared to be harmless words.
"Did Rosemary select your swimsuit, too?" she teased, already aware of the plunging neckline. "It looks new," she safely reasoned aloud.
"No. But, it feels like she might have," Nathan answered in a resigned tone, gesturing across his bare chest to the style that apparently did not meet his approval. He laughed softly, trying to let go of his embarrassment. "I like my old suit better—just shorts and a shirt."
Since Elizabeth's gaze remained fixed on his, silently asking for an explanation, Nathan hesitated before continuing. He hadn't really wanted to draw attention to his swimsuit. But, accepting this was love at its finest, open and vulnerable, he leaned into the ritual of telling his sweetheart the truth.
"I've had that one for years, but it didn't fit anymore," he explained, giving only a subtle hint of more. "I've put on some weight since then, I guess."
Nathan shrugged, feeling awkward about whether or not to reference his enhanced muscular build as the clear culprit. He wondered if Elizabeth understood what he meant, or if she'd even noticed the change in his body shape over the years.
As if in response, Elizabeth's hands found Nathan's chest almost instinctively, pressing gently against his bare skin, where they lovingly lingered. Before she even spoke, the smile she unabashedly wore answered his silent question. She understood. And she'd noticed.
"I'd say, 'Haven't we all?'" she quipped with a smirk, "But your kind of weight, sweetheart, is not the weight most people put on in their thirties." Her hands gently traced the strength of his chest as she added with her own resigned head tilt, "Myself included," her thoughts drifting to her softer curves compared to the sculpted definition of his.
"You've never been more beautiful to me, 'Lizabeth," Nathan said sincerely, his hands intentionally lowering to cradle her rounded hips.
Elizabeth's breath caught softly, sensing an increased comfort in Nathan's own judgment of gray. Though distracted by his touch, the kindness and unspoken depth of his words offered her a quiet reassurance, a reminder of what their growing intimacy meant to both of them.
Before she'd even collected herself, Nathan further surprised her with a bold compliment, his lopsided grin adding an extra layer of confidence to his confession. "I think I've memorized every curve of yours today." Then gently guiding her hips, and leaning in, he whispered, "And I love every single one."
With her plan in mind, Elizabeth had thought she'd be the one to catch Nathan off guard. But, standing relatively exposed in a wet swimsuit, she was speechless at his sudden candor—well, nearly. She managed to slip out a phrase familiar to them both, "I could say the same thing to you."
As their gazes locked, heat rising between them with every passing second, they silently recalled their earlier conversation about intimacy. Both subtly acknowledged the implicit truth, buried within their most recent words. Until now, they'd both held back which physical features they found most irresistible in each other.
With the fire already stoked, Elizabeth couldn't help but add her own kindling, casually circling back to Nathan's trendy look with a sly twinkle in her eyes. "You know, I happen to love your swimsuit," she told him, the reason for her preference clear in the way her hands spread across his chest and slid just barely beneath the fabric of the side panels.
"Better you than me, I suppose," Nathan offered, delivering a brief eye roll at the current fashion. As his words echoed back at him, he wasn't entirely sure they made sense, especially with his nervous system completely consumed by the warmth of Elizabeth's wandering touch.
But, her appreciative giggle indicated that the general meaning came through—for now, anyway, that what she preferred Nathan to be wearing mattered more to him than even his own comfort. That reality might just come in handy soon, she thought.
Honing in on her plan, Elizabeth asked with a teasing smile, "You don't like the neckline?" Really, she was only baiting Nathan. She'd guessed as much from his focused gesturing earlier.
"No, not at all," Nathan answered bluntly without a second thought. It's…" Now, he tried to make sense of the why, which seemed tailored to a twisted contrast. "On the one hand, it's open, but on the other, it's a bit restrictive."
Intent on showing Elizabeth the physical evidence, he released his hands from around her hips, placed his thumbs beneath the narrow straps of his swimsuit, and pulled outward. "I don't like these," he insisted, registering his complaint. "They're half the width of my suspenders."
Elizabeth responded by running her hands along the thin bands of fabric. In a tone distinctly different from his, Elizabeth murmured, "I can fix that," a flirtatious smile taking root on her lips.
"Fix what?" Nathan asked, his mind momentarily spinning. He felt a sudden, familiar sense of being adrift, just as he'd been in Elizabeth's rowhouse years ago, when she'd spoken of following her instincts. Even then, as a Mountie, he'd found himself searching to decode the layers of her meaning, as he felt himself doing now. They'd returned to subtext, Nathan realized, a language only they seemed to speak.
"These straps?" he asked, wondering if she was offering to fix them by maybe sewing some extra material along their sides.
But, in a mere second, he caught on as Elizabeth slipped her hands beneath the narrow bands of fabric on his swimsuit and drew each one down off his shoulders, dangling them one at a time from his waist.
Nathan inhaled sharply.
Elizabeth's breath stalled.
Her recent thoughts since seeing those straps for the first time had always been consumed by the intended action alone. But somehow, she hadn't expected to be so spellbound by an associated memory—now that she'd inadvertently recreated the scene at the jail she'd walked in on months ago.
However, two critical factors had since changed. First, she and Nathan were bound by a love so profound, it felt as though the stars themselves had aligned to bring them together. And second, they were no longer in an office with an open door to the town. Instead, they stood alone in the farthest reaches of the woods, dripping wet and cold, yet closer than ever before.
Now, with only millimeters of distance between them, Elizabeth didn't turn away as she had in the spring, though the same smile danced on her lips, the smirk that Nathan had unfortunately missed when she'd closed the door to his office.
Standing there shivering, Nathan felt newly exposed, but deeply wanted, seeing for the first time the satisfied smile Elizabeth wore after that startling moment in the past.
On this occasion, though, his pull was entirely irresistible, and her only course of action was to come closer.
"Nathan," Elizabeth breathed at her first touch of physical connection, running her hands across the entirety of his bare back, a moment she'd longed for since their first date when she asked him to indulge her with two buttons. "I've never felt more at home than I do in your arms." With a soft sigh, she nestled closer, her cheek pressing against Nathan's chest, as the thrum of his heartbeat echoed in her soul, synchronizing perfectly with her own.
In response to Elizabeth's soothing strokes and inviting words, Nathan felt his body trembling both from the fall chill and anticipation, deeply wishing he could enact what he was feeling. Instead, he drew her hips in gently and held her intimately close, their bodies naturally shaping to each other.
With only thin, wet swimsuits between them, Nathan could feel Elizabeth's curves against him in a way he'd never experienced. This instinctively led him to kiss her with a passion he hadn't as of yet allowed himself to express. It was at this time, he thought to tap into a new application of his extensive Mountie training.
In high-stress situations—when his body was fully primed, heart pounding, blood surging—his practice at repetitive drills had taught him to feel the intensity of the moment without allowing himself to react impulsively. This ability to process without rushing his responses was what enabled him to think, to plan, and to stay in control. The point, however, that was most relevant here was that this training allowed him to fully experience the depth of his sensations without judgment or a need to temper their existence.
Naturally, by far, Nathan preferred this intimate implementation of his Mountie skills compared to their use in a professional setting. Now, exploring his training through the lens of romance, he first acted by forcing a momentary stillness within himself despite being ignited by Elizabeth's heated kisses. This pause, as expected, only heightened Nathan's awareness, inviting every sensation associated with Elizabeth to deepen even more. His mind, now sharp and focused, soaked in every detail: the way she felt entirely his, the warmth of her body against his own, how her bare hands roamed across his newly accessible back and chest and the way her kisses promised of all that was to come.
Slowly Nathan inhaled, breathing it all in, needing every part of her; and it was abundantly clear how she needed him—his touch, his closeness, his everything.
Soon after, when Elizabeth's urgent lips left the hold of his, diverting to emblazon kisses along his neck, Nathan closed his eyes and exhaled a shuddery breath. A smile crossed his lips as he stood there completely immersed in her love, inwardly delighted at how Elizabeth defied the old school marm stereotype. Hope Valley had no idea of the siren she truly was, the one Nathan was steadily unveiling. Nor should they know. He was more than happy to keep it their little secret.
While Elizabeth's warm breath lingered at his neck, Nathan gently lifted her chin, eager for her to feel equally drowned in his love.
Nathan locked their gazes, blue and burning, knowing the portal it opened to his heart. In his eyes, Elizabeth registered a searing look she'd only seen as a flicker in the past. She gasped as Nathan drew her lips to his with an amplified longing to what he'd shown in their second kiss on the porch that memorable moonlit night. Despite the overwhelming love and passion she'd felt in Nathan's kisses before, she was undone in these moments—his coaxing lips and enveloping arms revealing just how much he'd been holding back until now.
Bridging every emotional gap that had been broken earlier that day, together they welded with fire new connections, their closeness deepening in a way words could never capture. Unaware, these two intertwined soulmates were both lost in the moment—neither noticing when the towels slipped from their shoulders.
The more the chill seeped deeply into the space around them, the more desperately they molded their trembling bodies to one another, drawn both by the warmth to be comfortable and the fire to be one. With their ultimate destination still out of reach, they found themselves clinging to the journey unfolding before them, savoring each intimate step they took together.
Their kisses became a dance of their own, shifting like the well-known foxtrot—quick and heated one moment, slow and tender the next. One of Nathan's hands rested at Elizabeth's waist, guiding her with steady confidence. Then, introducing his own moves, his other hand glided down her back. Both hands continued to lower beyond the usual stopping point and settled on the curves beneath her waist, leaving only the gentle pressure of their bodies to maintain their closed dance position.
Between a slower set of kisses, Nathan nipped at Elizabeth's ear breathlessly, "You know you're my undoing, don't you?"
In response, she kissed him deeply, all the while threading her hands eagerly into his hair, ruffling through his messy waves. "Am I torturing you, Constable?" she teased, referencing their intimate conversation beneath the rock wall.
"In the worst possible way," Nathan moaned, brushing a hurried trail of kisses down her neck—quick, quick, and the last slow with longing.
Elizabeth readily followed his lead, adjusting their hold, each step a reflection of their perfect unity. In a sultry voice, laced naturally with the steam of the hot springs, Elizabeth accused her Mountie of not playing fair, his rhythm of kisses leaving her needful of more. "Well it's not like you're making it easy for me, either," she whispered, her words punctuated like the sensuality of the tango.
"Maybe that's intentional," Nathan countered, as the tension and release of their seductive dance flowed well beyond their physical movement and settled securely into their words.
Inspired by Nathan's resolve, Elizabeth found herself stretching to guide their dance. Now it was her hands that lowered into the gray as they extended down below Nathan's bare back. Finding more strength than squish across the wet fabric of his bathing suit, she lightly dug her fingers in, holding to the rare softer curves of Nathan's body.
As their kisses instantly quickened, Nathan fought against his instincts, knowing better than to adjust anything with Elizabeth's swimsuit as she'd done earlier with his. Still, his drive toward more connection led him to caress the length of her bare arms, slipping his fingers just beneath the ruffled hem of her sleeves.
But, where science met movement, both knew well the laws of conserved energy. What wasn't released in full expression, Nathan instead poured into his kisses, an effect that lifted Elizabeth far beyond Earth's atmosphere. She'd never been kissed like this. Her world spun beneath her, a blur of sensations—uncertain of what was up or down, what was cold or hot, all of it swirling in a haze of heavenly bliss.
All that mattered was Nathan, and Elizabeth clung to him, her body responding instinctively to his, sometimes following his lead with a quiet trust, other times guiding him as the roles shifted, an unspoken dance between them where each took turns leading and yielding, always finding their best timing together as their hearts finally beat to the same tempo.
Eventually, as the late afternoon air cooled, Elizabeth's hands were seeking out warmth, perhaps of more than one kind. Just as she was about to subconsciously slip them beneath the fabric of Nathan's swimsuit, her mind immediately raised a cautionary flag, warning her of the difference between their two hems. His touch just now had only exposed more of her arm. But, with Nathan's shoulder straps dangling at his waist, her searching hands would've ignited a fire the two adventurers would've struggled to extinguish.
Recognizing the distinction between gray and black, Elizabeth nearly cried as she reluctantly began to gentle their kisses, barely on the brink of knowing what she was missing with this impassioned man. As she slowed and caught her breath, she forced herself to remember that with Nathan, it wasn't if, but when. In time, she thought. In time.
With longing, she lifted Nathan's hand to her lips before wrapping her arms fully around him in a steadying squeeze. Pulling back just enough to find his eyes, she scolded him playfully. "Nathan, you are impossible!"
Sensing the tease, though still confused, he kissed her lips once, only briefly, and innocently asked, "What did I do?"
"The hot springs! This swimsuit!" she exclaimed, returning his straps one by one to his shoulders. She momentarily tucked in her lips, and took a step back, holding only onto his hand, and at a distance. "I don't think you know how irresistible you are."
For once, Nathan grinned unabashedly, having just witnessed the pull he had on her. With the blaze still apparent in his eyes, he leaned forward, running a hand down the soft, smooth skin of her neck clear to her fingertips. "You are entirely guilty yourself, Elizabeth Thornton, of doing the same to me."
As they sighed in unison, they couldn't help but laugh, the sound easing the tension that had threatened to overwhelm them. Suddenly, their bodies registered the chill—both in the air and from the lack of shared warmth. Nathan lifted Elizabeth's towel from where it had fallen to the ground. After tucking it around her, securing her comfort, he readily cast the blame, eyeing her inviting, snuggly figure that had lured him in before.
"You're the one who started it," he teased, his warm smile softening the accusation. With a quiet tone of admiration, he added helplessly, "I mean, just look at you." Nathan's eyes lingered on Elizabeth, and he lifted a hand as if to reach for her, but then dropped it, the motion almost involuntary, like a silent surrender. Utterly smitten, he wanted nothing more than to sweep her off her feet in another round of dancing.
At Nathan's adoring compliment, Elizabeth blushed, the pink in her cheeks perfectly mirroring the shade of her swimsuit.
Though momentarily lost in her own affected feelings, Elizabeth soon noticed the goosebumps surfacing on Nathan's arms. So, she reached to the ground for his towel, eventually stretching tall with a little, "Oop," to wrap it around his shoulders.
Now warming within their own towels, Elizabeth was quick to defend herself. "I'm not so sure I agree with your allegation, Constable—that I was the sole instigator in 'starting it,' as you say."
Her argument clearly implied that Nathan, too, played a considerable part in initiating their lengthy dance. Still, never one to assign blame, she simply confessed with a slow sultry smile, "But, either way, I loved all your moves." Her lips immediately tucked themselves in, savoring how effortlessly she and Nathan had flowed together.
A grin tugged at Nathan's lips despite himself, ignited by the fire in her words. He shook his head gently, back and forth, wondering what on earth he should do with his alluring siren. Playfully, he grabbed at her towel to pull her in.
"Oh!" Elizabeth exclaimed, her blue eyes flooding with a new wave of passion. "Now don't you play innocent with me. You are starting it this time, aren't you?"
"No," Nathan smiled with a spark of mischief. Then, he sighed deeply, the sound heavy with resignation. But, with a look of fierce, undeniable love, he held her gaze, his voice clear and convincing. "I'm not sure I could pull back."
Elizabeth exhaled sharply, her breath catching. "Nathan Grant," she whispered, helplessly aware that "good" was no longer the best descriptor for his look, but more accurately distractingly divine.
At the inviting sound of his name passing through Elizabeth's lips, Nathan's instincts pushed him forward, even closer to her warmth. But sensing the need to remove himself from temptation, Nathan suggested in a voice still low and unintentionally seductive, "So…shall we get dressed?"
Elizabeth shot him a look of pure astonishment, her eyes wide with surprise.
"Separately," he said slowly, his tone shifting to reassure her that they'd be safely changing behind their designated rocks.
Elizabeth only partially stifled a giggle. "Perhaps that's for the best."
Together, hand in hand, they walked the few feet before their paths diverged.
"For now, anyway," Nathan murmured, his voice infused with a quiet confidence, as he held her hand tightly—until the very last of their fingers reluctantly parted.