“Who cares?”
Samira grinned. She was sure Ivan never used to be this reckless. Maybe she was having a bad effect on him. But maybe that was a good thing. As for not being able to swim… she trusted Ivan with her life.
He offered his hands to help her up, and she chuckled nervously at the prospect of being naked out here, but it was incredibly liberating too.
Ivan stripped off his suit jacket and dropped it to the ground, then his tie and shirt came off too. Samira watched him, captivated by that incredible toned torso of his, which she still couldn’t believe she owned for eternity. He pulled her close and kissed her hard, then he unzipped her dress and let it drop to the ground so that she was wearing her bra and panties. She undid his trousers and pulled them down – taking his underwear with them – so he was now standing there in all his naked glory.
“You’re so handsome,” she said.
He caressed her bare shoulder. “You need to be naked too if we’re doing this properly.”
“No way. I’m keeping my underwear on.”
He gazed lovingly at her. “Alright. Come on, ready? You can see the bottom – you’ll be able to touch it with your feet when we’re in. So we’re gonna jump in tog
ether…”
“Oh god…”
“You’ll be alright. You know I’ll take care of you.”
“I trust you, Ivan.”
They linked fingers and strode together toward the water, then they jumped holding hands. Samira relished the thrill of flying through the air, before she splashed down into the icy water, shrieking loudly as she realized it was freezing. Still gripping Ivan’s hand tightly, she stretched her legs down and touched the silty floor, then she hugged him – already shivering.
“You okay?”
“Yeah – that was fun – but it’s so cold!”
Ivan sloshed his arms around her. “Allow me to warm you up, sweetheart…”
She sunk into his muscular body, wrapping her arms and legs around him, and enjoying the feel of the water around her. He gently maneuvered her around so she was gripping onto his back, then he swam them a little further into the lake.
He came to a halt where it was deeper and she paddled around to face him – holding on tight the whole time. They kissed and she realized her teeth were chattering.
“You are cold,” he said. “Your lips are turning blue. You wanna get out?”
“No, I like it in here with you.” She gazed pensively into his eyes. “Did you know that in some cultures you can bathe in holy water and wash away your sins?”
“You don’t have any sins, Samira. You’re perfect.”
She grinned. “Thank you – and so are you. But… come on, let’s dunk anyway!”
He laughed lightly. “Okay…”
Samira held Ivan’s hand tight, took a deep breath in, then allowed herself to plunge under the water. She felt Ivan sinking under with her, then they both shot up like phoenixes rising – reborn. Samira laughed with joy. Her hair was soaking wet and her make-up was running down her face, but somehow it didn’t matter. She knew she would dry off easily in the sunshine and she could re-do her make-up. She realized nothing was really ever as terrible as it seemed. The good times always passed… but so did the bad.
Ivan pulled her close. “Come on, let’s get dry.”
They hauled themselves out and flopped down on the grass, shivering in the sunshine. Ivan grabbed his discarded shirt and wrapped it around her shoulders, then he pulled on his trousers, before sitting down and kissing her tenderly – easing his tongue into her mouth, and sending dazzles of elation through her body.
“You taste so good,” he whispered. He reached out and ran a finger down her cheek, sending tingles into her core. “It was great what you said to my dad back there – about putting the past behind him and not blaming Jake for what happened.”
She bit her lip. “I hope I wasn’t being rude to my new father-in-law. We’re pretty strict about respecting our elders in Iran, but I felt my words were a contribution.”
“They were – you did great. I was worried on the ranch, because you seemed to have lost your confidence a bit. You’re usually so feisty – which is something I love about you. You don’t take shit.”
She chuckled. “I know how to play meek when I need to.”