Temporarily Mine

26

"Jump or you're going in." Cassie's hands find her hips.

I look at Hero who smirks, lifting his chin.

I gape at him. "Really? No help? I'll remember this."

He steps forward. "See you in the water, J."

Hero jumps off the rock ledge, penciling into the deep pool of water below.

I look over, and slowly he emerges, shaking his head to clear his hair from his face.

He smiles up at me, swimming in place as he moves over a little. "All clear down here, girls."

I gasp and he laughs, lifting his hands quickly, beckoning me to him.

I look back to the girls. "You're assholes."

"And you're the driest one here, I've jumped twice already! If I have to have ratty ass hair, so do you." Kathrine  pops her hip, smiling.

I groan, turn and glance out over the flat rocks that circle around the deep water below and jump.

Their hollers have me flipping them off over my head as I hit, quickly coming up to the top and taking a breath.

"It's freezing!" I yell with a laugh.

Hero chuckles and I swim toward where he's sitting on a moss-covered flat plain, half his torso out of the water, and dripping wet.

His hair is a mess on his head, so once I'm where I can put my knees on a rock, I squeeze between his legs and reach up to smooth it out.

One little curl keeps falling in his face, so I hold it back.

My chest is even with his face in this position, so he drops his chin on my breastbone and stares up at me.

"You've got goosebumps." His eyes fall to my arms, hands coming up to wrap around them, sliding up and down and creating twice as many as before. "That got anything to do with the water?" he rasps.

I can't answer him, though.

I'm stuck.

I stare at his mouth, only inches from my breasts, taking in nothing but the sensation of having so much of his skin on mine.

I could reach up and untie my top, and without direction he'd know what to do.

My nipples harden and his focus moves directly to the proof.

His grip tightens, his fingertips biting into me like I want his teeth to.

"J..." He licks his lips, reluctantly dragging his gaze back to mine.

Suddenly I'm tugged back, splashing into the water again.

I come up laughing and shove Cassie away.

Kathrine  is next to jump, popping up and swimming to the left of us to climb out the one shallow spot at the Cape.

We love this place and come here at least once a week during the summer.

Parking is down at the bottom with built-in barbecues and picnic tables, small games and things all around. It's not very large, only around ten carloads can fit in the area, so when we come, we leave before the sun even rises.

It's beautiful and quiet, green and clean, nothing but the sounds of people having a good time or the mini waterfalls that filter through the rocks and the small stream it all leads to.

"Yo!" Felix comes around the corner, tongs in one hand, towel for his girl in the other. He tosses it at her and she drapes it over her shoulder. "Foods ready."

"Yes!" Kathrine  smiles with a shout, wringing her hair. "And now that Josephine can pretend her vagina is wet from the water, let's be quick about eating so we can go kick these people's ass playing volleyball!"

"Oh my god!" I slap the water, but she only grins wider.

"Did they even invite us to play?" Mandy climbs out.

"No, but they have six and we have six. They'll let us." Kathrine  starts to walk away, but jerks to a stop and adds, "Cassie, don't climb out until Josephine does or Hero will never let her go."

I laugh, looking to Hero who finally drags himself to his feet, as if he planned to do just that.

"That's it, I'm gonna fuck with Felix's ass now," Hero mumbles as he passes Kathrine .

"Good, do it. He's all tense today, loosen him up for me, please." She looks to us, fighting a laugh, and then follows after him.

We spend the rest of the afternoon playing volleyball with the random people who set up beside us, and dip in the water to cool off here and there.

It takes longer to clean up than it did to set up and by the time we manage to head home, it's starting to get dark out, and everyone is hungry again, so we stop at a small taqueria for dinner.

They sit us around a large table, and my phone rings the second I get seated, my mom's name flashing across the screen.

I hesitate a moment, then Hero taps my shoulder, nodding to the screen.

With a sigh, I answer and walk a few steps away for some privacy.

"Hey, Mom."

"Hey, sweetie."

Sweetie? I frown. "What's up?"

"I was calling to see if you were home, I'm about twenty minutes out. I thought I could bring home dinner."

It's already after eight-thirty, later than I would normally eat, so I don't tell her I've just sat down to. "I'm not home right now, I'm with the girls and we already ate, but thanks."

"Oh, well, in that case maybe I'll stop for a salad at the club." The ding of her car door being opened lets me know she was betting on my answer and is already stepping out. "So... your dad called today."

Ah! That's what the 'sweetie' was for.

"Why'd he call you? I just texted him this morning."

"You did?" she asks, seemingly surprised.

It's as if she convinces herself he and I speak as little as her and I do.

"So what did he say?" I get us back on track.

"Oh, he mentioned coming into town next week, he wants to have dinner." She pauses and I wait, knowing more is coming. "You'll let me know if he mentions the specifics to you, I know he had to cancel his last trip last minute?"

So you can make sure to plan and be home to save face, sure, Mom.

"Yeah, Mom. I will."

"Great. I'll see you later, Josephine." The line goes dead.

I take a minute to breathe, get out of the funk every conversation with her seems to put me in, before I turn back to my friends.

They're all laughing and cheering as Felix flicks a paper through Hero's fingers that he holds up as if they're goal posts.

Mandy preparing to block Felix's next shot, switches seats, taking the open spot beside my man.

A smile takes over my lips as I look at Hero, who happens to glance my way at the same exact time.

Holy shit.

My man.

That's my man.

I stuff my phone back in my pocket and head right for him.

His eyes cling to me, and his body seems to relax into his chair. He licks his lips, his legs spreading wider.

I drop onto his lap, slide my hand into his hair, and kiss him.

Because he's mine and I can.