A Lot Like Perfect

“Um, no. I can’t. I have to take you there personally. Right now. Come on.” Emboldened, she grinned. “Race you. I bet you can’t beat me.”

And with that, she took off, praying he’d follow her, that the dare was enough to pique his interest when he’d clearly been thinking the trip would be a solo venture. Gratified to hear his footsteps echoing behind her, she slowed her pace just a touch in case he had trouble keeping up. She should have realized that his body had been honed by the military and thus he had absolutely no problem sprinting a mile to the springs that lay to the north of town.

Aria, on the other hand, was breathing pretty hard by the time the outcropping of rocks appeared on the horizon, but she kept going until she hit the base of the springs.

“That was…invigorating,” Isaiah said, his mouth quirking as he leaned on one of the giant boulders to catch his breath. “Was there a reason we had to come today? At full speed, no less?”

“Yeah, this is more private than the roof.” Obviously more than just one person had seen them up there and she had little interest in an audience. Leaving him to puzzle through that comment on his own, she started climbing the rocks until she stood at the top. Glancing down, she lifted her brows. “You can’t see the springs from down there.”

Isaiah didn’t hesitate to start climbing and the moment he drew up next to her, his eyes widened. His gaze panned the gorgeous and thoroughly hidden area that she’d always loved. They were standing on the natural basin that contained the crystal blue water of the springs that were an odd, atypical section of the normally mud-colored Colorado River.

“Welcome to Superstition Springs,” she said.

“You should really lead with this,” he murmured. “It’s beautiful. It kind of spears you, right here.”

He brushed his chest with his fingertips and then let his hand dangle down between their thighs, which happened to be where hers was. Their fingers somehow intertwined, maybe because she helped matters along, and suddenly, his gaze shifted from the springs to land on her.

“That’s funny,” she whispered as she got likewise tangled up in his eyes. “I was just thinking that’s exactly what you do to me. Spear me. Right here.”

She lifted his hand along with hers and placed them both on her chest. There was a moment when she thought he wasn’t going to bite, that he intended to jerk away, but he didn’t. His fingers rested on her flesh, warming it, and oh yes, there were butterflies. A whole flock took flight in her stomach, wings beating in time with her pulse as Isaiah’s different-colored irises did beautiful things.

“Aria—” His voice cut off as if he’d choked on the word. “We can’t.”

“Can’t what? Finish what I stupidly ended too soon the other night? We can.” Where she’d gotten the courage to talk like this to him, she’d never know. But she had no intention of stopping until all the barriers between them fell away, once and for all. “I’m not scared anymore. I want to know what you were about to do. When we were dancing. Right before I left.”

“You were scared?” His fingertips nipped into her skin and then without warning, he released her fingers and his hand skated up to her jaw, cupping it exactly as he had then. “I thought…well, it doesn’t exactly matter now. But you don’t have to be scared.”

“I know.” She nodded once, pushing her chin deeper into his palm deliberately until it became a caress that thrilled through her. “I know you’re leaving. I know I acted like an idiot putting Tristan between us. But he’s not in the picture. Neither is Cassidy. It’s just us and I want to know what it feels like when you kiss me. Before it’s too late.”

And then time unraveled as he complied, lifting her jaw just so and then laying his lips on hers. Fire tore down her throat and exploded in her midsection as Isaiah kissed her. It was everything she’d imagined and nothing she’d expected. He tasted of heat and passion and it made her ache for things she couldn’t articulate.

All at once, the kiss ended and Isaiah had backed off, his expression equal parts chagrined and gobsmacked as his hands fell away. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Don’t, Isaiah.” Disappointment seeped into the lovely floaty feeling, staining the experience with darkness that shouldn’t be there. “I wanted you to kiss me. Why shouldn’t you?”

“Because. I’m—” He bit off whatever he’d been about to say and shook his head.

“What? Not interested?” Her temper didn’t get riled too easily but when it did, she said stuff she couldn’t take back. A deep breath didn’t help. “Didn’t enjoy it? Not a fan of my lack of experience?”

“No! None of that. I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.” The admission didn’t ease the misery pulling at his expression or settle hers much either. “It’s the timing. It’s all wrong.”

She crossed her arms to keep herself from reaching for him again. Which was harder than she’d have expected, but she’d had such a small taste of him. She wanted more. Much more. Why did this have to be so complicated?

“Maybe the timing is exactly right,” she countered. “Maybe I need this. Maybe we both do. I don’t know what the next steps are after tonight, but why do we care? Can’t we just spend time together like we’ve done in the past without stressing about what tomorrow might bring?”

His eyelids slammed shut as he absorbed that. “I don’t think you know what you’re asking of me.”

“Then explain it,” she countered. “I’m not going anywhere. I took a sick day from work. So you have no excuses. I think we have something special that’s worth taking a little deeper. Or a lot deeper. If you don’t feel the same, then just tell me.”

“You are special.” His whisper floated along her skin, raising goosebumps. “I just don’t want you to be disappointed. You know, when I leave.”

A fierceness rose up inside that she didn’t recognize, a burning to lay it all out and beg him to take her when he went. But it was too soon to talk like that, too overwhelming to contemplate giving up the home she’d known since the age of seven in pursuit of a man. This was all too new. Right now, she just wanted to skip all the emotional tripwires and enjoy Isaiah’s unique brand of amazing.

Once she felt a little less precarious, like everything that had suddenly come to matter to her might slip away, then she could think about whether she could follow him to parts unknown.

“Let me worry about that. The only thing you have to understand is that I’m not the slightest bit interested in keeping you tied here. I get that Superstition Springs isn’t in your long-term plan. I wasn’t either. So think of tonight like a gift, freely given, with no expectations.”

Without warning, he closed the gap and caught her up in a brutal kiss that swept away everything between them. Except the heat. Except the dizzying sense of rightness. Completion.