Page 99 of The Quit List
“Hey Jax?” I whisper shakily.
“Yes, Hollywood?”
“I….” I trail off, unsure how to form my thoughts into coherent words.
“Tell me what you want, Holly.” His voice is rougher than sandpaper as he moves his hands to my face, his eyes dark and heavy-lidded. His calloused fingers slide below my chin to cup the edge of my throat and his big thumbs skim over my cheekbones. A bolt of heat rockets through my core and my pulse jumps erratically under his touch.
“I think I want another lesson,” I manage to choke out.
“And who do you want that lesson from?”
“You,” I practically whimper.
“Good girl,” he says with a smile, and then, his lips meet mine.
They’re cold from the water, but his mouth is searing hot, and I tangle my hands in his hair and get lost in him. Lost in the sensation of his body heat in contrast to the chill that envelopes us. Lost in the sound of his breathing—raw and shallow—above the pounding waterfall. Lost in the way he tastes cool and sweet and so perfect that I never, ever want to stop kissing him.
My body melts against his as he kisses me slowly, languidly, thoroughly, until I feel warmed from the inside out, and my legs tremble beneath me. He moves his hands from my face, dragging them down the sides of my body until they slide under my thighs and he lifts me. My legs wrap around his middle and he’s holding my weight.
He breaks the kiss for a moment, pulling back just far enough to look into my eyes, an expression of total wonder on his face. He goes on to press one short, soft kiss to my lips. Two. His hands tighten on my thighs and his mouth moves over mine again, picking up the tempo of the kiss and sending it from hot to scalding.
Freefalling, indeed… but with a parachute to catch me.
Safe and dangerous, all at once.
After the blissful kiss under the waterfall, Jax and I drag ourselves out of the water and lay in the sun to dry off for a while. My head rests on his chest and his arm is draped loosely around me, his fingertips drawing lazy circles on my arm and giving me shivers.
Neither of us say much, but it’s a comfortable, companionable, silence. We don’t have to speak to be in sync, and I love it.
Too soon, the sun is dipping low in the sky, smoothing along the horizon, and we’re on our way again.
I walk with a sense of peace and gratitude as we hike the last mile. What an amazing experience, and what a perfect person to share it with. I feel privileged that Jax let me into this part of his world.
Eventually, a small trail forks off to the left and Jax nods towards it. “Our site is just up there. You did it, Holly.”
Another few feet and we pop out in the most spectacular clearing.
“Woah.” My breath catches as I take in the lush scenery. We’re standing at the edge of a meadow full of wildflowers, the mountain landscape kissed pink by the rapidly setting sun. The gentle breeze is cool on my (probably) sunburned face (despite the six coats of sunscreen Jax insisted I apply). Somewhere in the distance, there’s the sound of running water.
It’s like a freaking screensaver.
“This is beautiful, Jax.”
I tear my eyes away from the view to look at him, and I find that he’s watching me. “I’m glad you like it. You want your surprise now or after we set up camp?”
I ponder this for a moment. Then, I remember that I’m trying to take things one step at a time. Enjoy the journey without sprinting for the destination.
“Later,” I tell him, and the corners of his eyes crinkle as he smiles.
We make surprisingly short work of setting up camp, pitching our two tents a few feet from each other. I was a little worried about sleeping on the ground, but it turns out that Jax also brought these cool mats that inflate to provide some semblance of comfort.
He unpacks the cooking supplies from his backpack—with a caution that the dehydrated mac n’ cheese we’re having for dinner is “well, edible”—before he takes out an insulated drink container and passes it to me.
“What is this?” I ask, twisting off the lid.
“Try it.”
I take a small sip of the thick, white liquid… and turn to Jax in total wonder. “What the?—?”