Maria leaned forward and kissed her on the lips, a slow lingering kiss that left Stacie looking shell-shocked. Maria’s heart pounded and she felt like she was going to hyperventilate, not a good thing to do when you were going to need to hold your breath.
Maria winked at Stacie and stepped closer to the ledge.
Understanding dawned on Stacie’s face and she lunged for Maria, pulling her away. They were face to face, their lips inches away from each other. “You were going to dive in!”
“Yes.”
“You’ll get your dress all wet.”
“I can fix that,” Maria said. She wiggled out of Stacie’s arms and pulled off her dress, leaving it and the throw blanket she was using as a shawl lying on the ground at her feet. She kicked off her sandals leaving her only in panties, then playfully winked at the other woman. “Join me if you like.”
Maria stepped off the ledge and into the deep water below her. The unexpected cold was a shock. She made the surface just in time to hear a loud splash a bare two feet away from her, then squealed when strong fingers grasped her waist from behind.
“Are you okay?” Stacie asked, partially breathless herself.
“Of course I am.” Maria twisted around and wrapped her arms around Stacie’s neck. “But the water is a little brisker than I expected.”
“Uh-huh. Colder than a well-diggers butt,” Stacie said, keeping her eyes firmly glued on Maria’s face.
“Is there a problem?” Maria asked.
“Well, you’re naked. Or at least as close to naked as you can get.”
“Don’t forget wet.” Maria looked down. “And cold.”
Stacie followed Maria’s gaze and moaned. The view must have made her forget how to tread water because all of a sudden Maria had to fight to keep her nose above the water line. They bobbed back up to the surface, sputtering and coughing between fits of laughter. As it was wont to do, strong emotions had a habit of moving from one to another, and this moment was not an exception. Without warning, passion flared between them and their lips met, their bodies demanding they chase the cold out of their bones one way or another. Maria slid her hands up until they cupped the back of Stacie’s neck, encouraging her to deepen the kiss. Stacie responded to her urging, nipping at Maria’s lip and making her gasp, only to take advantage of that moment to slip her tongue past her open lips. It was one of the most awkward and wonderful of kisses, and a part of Maria’s mind laughed at all the cinematic images of similar waterborne kisses she had witnessed. It wasn’t as easy as they made it look, and it took too much concentration to stay afloat. She wanted out of the water. Now.
“I don’t think I could survive another kiss like that,” Maria gasped. Stacie cocked her head and gave her an unexpectedly serious look.
“Are you telling me yes?” she asked. “You weren’t sure before.”
“Yes.”
A shadow crossed over Stacie’s face. It was the old fear returning.
“Carina, I am not going to run away,” Maria spoke softly, and hoped that the feelings behind her words shone as nakedly in her face as they felt in her heart. Carina, sweetheart. In English or Spanish it didn’t matter, that was who Stacie was to her now.
“Okay, enough of this.” Stacie tightened her grip around Maria’s waist and pulled her towards the pool edge. She practically shot out of the water, then sprinted for the path leading back up the hill before Maria could even get on her feet. She managed to squeeze most of the water out of her hair before Stacie returned.
“You must be cold. Here, put this on.” Stacie’s hands shook while she tucked the throw blanket around her. Stacie looked like a drowned rat in her waterlogged cargo shorts and tank top. Her tank top clung to her like a second skin while her shorts actively dripped around her in a rapidly forming puddle.
“Stop, stop, Stacie. I’m okay.” Maria had to catch Stacie’s hands, which fluttered everywhere while trying to avoid touching anywhere. She kissed each knuckle in turn, willing the other woman to calm down. “You’re shaking like a leaf, maybe you shouldn’t have jumped in with all your clothes on.”
“Believe me, I’m not cold.” Stacie’s voice sounded hoarse. She cleared her throat twice before continuing and even then, she barely spoke over a whisper. “You are so beautiful.”
Emboldened eyes slid across Maria’s body and she shivered beneath that appreciative gaze. The blanket slipped off her shoulders and fell to the ground. All it took was one subtle shrug to capture the other woman’s attention. She slipped out of her panties and let them fall as well.
“You might not be cold but these are,” she said, fingering the clammy fabric. She lowered her voice, then tugged at Stacie’s belt suggestively. The woman would have had to have been made of stone to ignore the obvious invitation, but she had a feeling it was the pragmatic nature of her demand that Stacie responded to. “These will dry a lot faster without you in them.”
Maria snatched up the blanket and headed for a sunnier spot, one where the stone was smooth, flat and free of pea gravel or mood killing pebbles. She took her time laying out the blanket, then turned to invite Stacie to join her. Stacie had already made quick work of the cargo shorts, but she must have been waiting for her audience. The minute Maria’s eyes lighted on her, she pulled her tank top up and off in one quick movement. Small breasts spilled out from under the dark fabric, pale and pink, with rose colored nipples that were almost an afterthought. “Oh,” Maria breathed. She had known Stacie was slim, and standing there with very little between her and her imagination, that hadn’t changed. There was no mistaking she was all woman, though.
Stacie wasn’t as broad across the shoulders as she had thought, but she was sleek and
