Because, maybe for the first time in their long history, he was free and so was she.
He turned back to her and found her standing on the rock, still fully clothed. “Olivia—”
Keeping her gaze on him, she pulled off her fancy turquoise cowboy boots, one at a time. And as each one hit the rock, something tightened down low in him.
She stirred her finger in the air. “Turn around.”
He tilted his head with a really look.
“If you want me to come in there…”
He obliged. Even over the sound of the water tripping over the nearby rocks, he imagined he could hear the dress come off and hear her step into the water. He imagined the shape of her. Her breasts, her long legs, the creamy skin on her shoulders.
When he heard her splash in the water, he turned to look. The sight of her hit him like a slap of heat despite the cold water. Every bit as beautiful as she’d been when they were kids, her womanly curves were leaner now, her long legs, toned from years on horseback. And, as she turned slightly in profile to wade into the water, he caught a glimpse of her breasts in that little push-up bra and imagined what they’d feel like in his hands.
Damn.
When she disappeared under the black water, he felt instantly bereft. Monday whined on the shoreline, too.
When she surfaced the cool water glistened on her eyelashes and she gave a little whoot ! “It’s… it’s really not that bad!”
In Montana, ‘ not that bad’ translated to ‘ just shy of sheet ice ’, which was true.
He swam toward her. The current was lazy and chilly against his skin, here, where geography had carved out a swimming hole in the river.
Olivia threw her head back and gazed up at the stars. Her hair floated around her like a dark cloud.
“You can’t see stars in New York City,” she said. “The sky is just a black hole, lit up by a million windows and streetlights from below.”
He floated beside her, watching the constellations overhead. “How long have you been back?”
“Six months. You?”
He glanced at his wristwatch. “Four hours and thirty-five minutes.”
She jerked upright. “You mean you just got here tonight?”
“Yup.”
“From where?”
Treading water, he studied the way the moonlight played on her skin. “Here and there. Based in Seattle, but I’m not there much.”
“What do you do now you’re out of the army?”
“Still flying helicopters for a living.”
“Of course you are.” Olivia smiled and floated into the outer current and he caught her, sliding his arm around her waist and pulling her toward him.
“Don’t float away,” he murmured.
Olivia gasped when they met skin to skin. Despite the cold water, there was no disguising what he suddenly ached for.
She rested her hands on his biceps as they treaded water opposite each other. She gave his muscles a playful squeeze then traced a finger along his tattoos.
“Jake?” she whispered.
“Yeah?”
She swallowed hard. “Tonight, before everything happened with Peter, I was thinking of you.”
“You were?” Encouraging. Her fingers, on his shoulders, felt cool and soft.
“Uh-huh. I was remembering the time you kissed me… at graduation?”
A slow smile curved his mouth. “As I recall, we nearly put an end to our best friend status, that day.”
“I always wanted to… apologize to you for that day.”
“Really? For what?” His palms slid down the sides of her ribcage, below her bra and he bracketed her slender waist between his hands above the silky panties she still wore. He fingers encountered a scar that curved around her side and he guessed it had been part of that riding accident.
“Because,” she went on, “I’m afraid I made you think I didn’t like that kiss. But I was just scared. I didn’t want it to come between us. You were my best friend, after all.”
Jake couldn’t take his eyes off her mouth, remembering all the sleepless nights in Afghanistan, thinking about those lips. “Well, if it’s really