**In order to read the uncensored version of this Chapter, please go to Untethered: The Steamy Bits via the external link on the bottom of the page.**
*Excerpt from this chapter published on Cosmopolitan.com*
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
WARNING: CHAPTER 24 IS PRIVATE
~*~*~
"Let's go." Ryan switched on his flashlight, and grabbed Emma's hand, leading her down the steps of the porch, and over to his truck.
"What are we doing?" Emma whispered.
"Why are you whispering?" Ryan chuckled in a low voice.
"I don't know, I used to sneak out at night when I was younger—I guess old habits," Emma shrugged.
"And what were you sneaking out for?" Ryan asked, raising an inquiring eyebrow.
"Skinny dipping," she giggled sheepishly.
"Oh? By yourself?" His tone was curious, but he felt a small twinge of jealousy. He did not like the idea of her being with anyone else.
"Are you jealous, Ry?" she asked in a teasing tone.
"No... but did you?"
"No, not by myself," she laughed.
God, she had a great laugh. It burst out of her like a stream bubbling over stones after a heavy rain, and sent a rush of pleasure through his body.
"Oh."
"Rosie used to come up here with us when we were kids. She and I would sneak out to go swimming at night," she finally explained, after a moment.
"You and Rosie?" Ryan raised an eyebrow at that.
"Oh God, get your head out of the gutter, Cameron!" Emma smacked his arm, "If I batted for that team, she would totally be my girl. But as it happens, I do not."
"Well, that is good to know—I'm not sure I could handle the competition," he teased back.
"So, answer my question. What are we doing out here, Ry?"
"Skinny dipping," he grinned cheekily.
"Oh really? Did you just come up with that now?"
"Well, I wasn't sure you'd go for it. But since Rosie's seen you naked..."
"Screw you, Cameron."
"If you insist..."
She hit him again.
They arrived at his truck, so he could grab a couple of sleeping bag rolls out of the back, and a small duffel bag, before turning back to her.
"Hold the flashlight for me, will ya?" He handed it to Emma, and they stole down to the small floating dock where the fishing boat was tied up. They stumbled along with the scant light cast from the flashlight and the eerie glow of the moon overhead as their only guide. That, and Emma's near perfect memory of the terrain. They could see the cabin's porch light as a small yellow pinprick, but otherwise they were completely alone as the lake was small and owned by the Martello's. They had no sooner gotten to the end, the dock swaying slightly under their weight, when Ryan dropped everything he was carrying, and then stripped his shirt off his head.
Emma's mouth dropped open, but he wasn't done. After kicking off his shoes and socks, he unzipped his jeans and dropped them along with his boxers. Her mouth fell open a little further, salivating slightly at the sight of him in all his naked glory. Under the light of the moon, his muscled form took on an almost other-worldly appearance. She couldn't stop staring. But then, suddenly, she came back to her senses as she realized his intentions.
"Wait, you were serious?" she asked incredulously. "That water is going to be frigid!"
"Are you scared, Em?" he taunted.
"No!" she retorted, "I just don't want to freeze to death!"
"I'll keep ya warm," he winked at her, and then, not giving her nearly long enough to admire his drool-worthy masculinity, jumped off the end of the dock. He surfaced a few feet away, and splashed her. "Get in here, woman—I'm going to get you wet one way or another."
"Oh, you think so, huh?" Emma arched an eyebrow at him, fisting her hands on her hips, and not missing his innuendo. "I don't think you'll get near enough to get me wet in any way if you keep this shit up."
"Such a dirty mind, Em!" he was chuckling loudly now, and shot another stream of water at her. She barely dodged the stream of water, before sitting down on the end of the dock, and gingerly dangled her feet in. "Get in here, woman!"
"No way! I'm not getting in there. The temp has dropped like ten degrees from earlier."
"Come, on... Please?" He swam up to the end of the dock and started trailing his wet hands down her legs. "I could just pull you in, you know."
"If you do, your 'equipment' will be malfunctioning for at least a week," she warned, sending him a deadly glare.
"Okay, okay," he held his hands up in surrender. "I won't pull you in... come keep me warm?" his pleading eyes wore her down, and she sighed.
"If I die of hypothermia, I'm going to kill you, Ryan."
"You'll be dead, so I'm not too worried."
"You should be. My ghost will haunt your ass for the rest of your miserable life, and then I'll kick your ass once you finally croak," she grumbled. Standing up, she began stripping out of her clothes. When she was down to her bra and panties, she heard an audible gulp.
"I think you better leave those on," Ryan's strained voice came to her from the water.
"Oh really? Why is that?" Teasingly, she lowered her bra straps only to be splashed with a bucketful of cold lake-water. Shrieking, she launched herself into the water in the direction the assault had come from. The sounds of their voices and the water splashing carried over the water and bounced off the thick wall of trees. As soon as she broke through the surface, he swam up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"You are gorgeous; you know that?" he mumbled into her neck, rubbing his rough stubble against her silky, soft skin.
"Pfft..." Emma tried to pull away, feeling self-conscious, but he kept his arms firmly locked around her. "I'm not gorgeous."
Ryan looked at her sideways, dumbfounded. She always seemed so comfortable in her own skin, and she wasn't the type of girl to fish for compliments, either. Suddenly he realized, she was just being honest. She really didn't see herself that way.
Keeping his arms looped around her, Ryan twisted in the water so that they were facing each other. "You are the most beautiful woman, to me," he asserted. Drawing her toward him, he kept his hands on the curve of her waist, and met her lips in a leisurely kiss. Their tongues played together, luxuriating in the taste and feel of each other. Breaking off the kiss, he glided around to her side, and gently applied pressure to her shoulders, "Lie back for me, Em," he commanded in a low voice. "Just close your eyes, and trust me."
Emma did as he urged, and her body floated to the surface of the water. The cool night air made her nipples pebble under the lacy fabric of her bra, and tiny goosebumps puckered up all over her exposed skin. Then his other hand skimmed down to the small of her back. He stood there, watching her—waiting until he felt her body relax, the tension draining away, becoming malleable in his hands. Little rivulets of lake water trailed over her curves, beading on her cleavage and thighs, glittering in the moonlight, like so many diamonds. He had the urge to lean forward and lick them off of her slowly, but resisted.
"You are so unbelievably beautiful, Emma." His rich baritone washed over her. He slid through the water, skimming his hands along the underside of her body as he went—down her back, to the arch of her spine, over the curve of her buttocks, and down the curves and muscles of her thighs and calves.
She emitted a small sigh of pleasure, making the corner of his mouth quirk up into a possessive smile. The trust she was exhibiting toward him, appealed to a very male part of him—in this moment, she was his. Admittedly, as much as he was hers. The woman practically turned him inside-out with just one flash from those huge hazel eyes.
When he reached her feet, he took them gently in his strong hands, slowly and firmly massaging them. Keeping his touch firm and gentle, he slowly inched up her calves, to her thighs and hips, so lush-feeling under his touch, but avoiding her apex. Her skin was silky and slippery beneath his touch, and he longed to do more, but clamped down his growing need. Cupping her buttocks, and massaging the small of her back, he drew a blissful groan from her parted lips, and smiled with satisfaction as her back bowed up out of the water.
Splaying his fingers around her lush waist, and skimming them over her stomach, he finally spoke, murmuring, "I love your body, Emma, every inch of it. That it's so soft—the way my fingers sink into your flesh when I hold you—how your body molds perfectly against mine." His hands began traveling higher, his thumbs brushing the sides of her breasts, before giving them a gentle squeeze. Bending his head down, he flicked his tongue across the top of one, licking the cool water that was beading there, off, causing her to mewl softly. "So feminine, and so responsive," he purred.
His hands continued caressing her body reverently, and she felt like a piece of marble might have felt under Michelangelo's expert touch. The entire time, his voice flowed over her in a low, sexy rasp, detailing how he adored every part of her. How her hands fit so well inside of his, and how they felt against his skin when she touched him. He nuzzled into her neck, telling her how intoxicating her scent was to him. The sensual purr of his voice stroked against her senses, as surely as his hands did, and she completely melted under his ministrations.
Brushing his lips against hers, he murmured huskily, "Your mouth is amazing. I could spend days just kissing you. I love watching your lips move when you talk, how you bite your lip when you're thinking, and the inside of your cheek when you're nervous. The sound of your voice—how it can be soft and low, scolding and firm-but most of all, I love the sound of my name on your lips." She let out a tiny sigh, and he kissed her again. "I love your eyes, the way they sometimes look like evergreens, and sometimes they flare up and it looks like they're on fire.
"I love your mind and your heart. How kind and compassionate you are, and yet fiery and passionate. That you're intelligent and thoughtful, and know your own mind. You-are-the-most-gorgeous-woman-to-me. In every way, Emma."
~*~ *~
After what seemed like hours, Emma's eyes drifted open, feeling like she'd been drugged with the sweetest ambrosia. All of her bones had turned into wet noodles under Ryan's attentions, and it was only his steady hands keeping her afloat. Tipping her body upright again, she treaded water for a moment, and then closed the little distance between them, slipping her arms up and around his neck.
"That... that was amazing," she whispered against his sculpted mouth.
"You deserve to feel that way," he responded honestly, running a hand down her spine, "it's the truth."
"Ry, I think I'll be ready to talk soon."
"Whenever you're ready, darlin'," he whispered.
She began to shiver and Ryan drew her to the dock, climbed out, and turned, hauling her up. They dried off quickly with the towels he stowed in the duffle bag. Then, he spread out one of the sleeping bags, pulling her down next to him, and covered them up with the other. Emma snuggled into his chest, one of her legs draped over his thigh, her fingers tracing lazy whorls through the dark trail of hair low on his abdomen.
"Ryan?" she yawned sleepily.
"Yeah, Em?"
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For tonight. Not what we just did, I mean, but before-all the things you said. No one has ever treated me like that—like I'm something precious. I don't think I'll ever forget this..." she yawned deeply.
Ryan was quiet for a long moment, a strong surge of emotions making his chest tight, constricting his lungs. When he could properly breathe again, he gathered her more closely to his side, and whispered, "I love you, Em. I'll do my best to never let you forget it."
She didn't reply because she was already fast asleep, her expression blissfully satisfied. Kissing the top of her head, he drew the sleeping bag around them more tightly, then he too, fell asleep.
*A/N:
Link to Cosmo excerpt:
http://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/bedroom-blog/a9108667/wattpad-on-cosmo-skinny-dipping-for-two/
Please comment & vote! Both are equally important to me. I want to improve, and the encouragement of those little yellow stars mean a lot. As always, thank you so much for your support.
Jessa xx