Page 179 of Ruined Wrath
“Ready for an adventure?”
“You bet.”
Cormac and I walk hand in hand along the trail, watching Scout point out every bug he manages to find along the way.
I make sure to stop every once in a while and hold my face up to the sun and breathe deeply.
At one point, Cormac moves closer, but I don’t dare open my eyes.
When his lips land on my neck, I let out a sigh.
“So beautiful,” he murmurs.
I turn my head and kiss him softly.
Scout comes barreling into our legs and forces us apart. “Hurry up!” he yells, grabbing hold of my hand. “We’re almost there!”
“Almost where?”
It doesn’t take long for me to realize what Scout is referring to as the moment the path clears, the most breathtaking waterfall comes into view. It cascades down a cliff, surrounded by untouched rock and moss, and the sunlight makes the water sparkle like liquid diamonds.
“Oh, my God,” I breathe.
Cormac has his eyes focused on me. “Do you like it?”
“It’s…perfect.”
“Let’s go for a swim!” Scout exclaims.
I turn to Cormac. “He’s not serious, is he? It’s going to be freezing!”
“Don’t tell me you’re scared?” Cormac teases, setting down our supplies and stripping out of his jacket.
“Of hypothermia? Yeah.”
He pulls off his shirt to reveal his muscled abdomen. “You’re welcome to stay on the bank. Or you could come in the water with me.”
Well, crap.
I scowl at Cormac as I take off my jacket, which has him chuckling.
When I’m down to my bathing suit and shivering in place, he lifts me into his arms, and I eagerly wrap my legs around his waist.
He dips his head to kiss the swell of my breast. “Better?”
“Much better,” I sigh as I run my fingers through his hair.
We spend the morning exploring the small pools at the base of the waterfall, dipping our toes into the icy water, and eventually wading deeper, though Scout shrieks every time the water splashes him.
I cling to Cormac for warmth, and he eagerly wraps me up in his arms, holding me against him as he skips rocks across the water for Scout.
By lunchtime, we’re all suitably freezing, so we quickly towel off and get dressed before settling on a picnic blanket on the edge of the bank with a view of the waterfall.
“Hmm… I wonder who was in charge of the picnic,” I laugh as I pull out an entire bag of chocolate chips from the cooler.
“When did you sneak those in there?” Cormac asks, but Scout only grins. “There’s meant to be actual food.”
“There is food.” Scout rummages around inside the hamper and pulls out a Tupperware of Ciara’s famous chocolate chip cookies.
