shaded my eyes with my hand, grimacing at the flight of stairs going up to the pool. The view would be worth it once we were up there.
The hills of green were a gentle rise and fall, leading down to the tree-lined river, which hooked in curves and angles through the valley. The sun's rays reflected off the water's surface in a way that made me squint. I only took another moment or two to look at it before I ran back up to the driveway, only to stop in my tracks when I saw Joss maneuvering her chair down the grass. I shook my head, smiling at the way she'd mastered this. I'd seen it before when we were on trails around Green Valley.
The best way I could describe it was that she took the slope in one long wheelie. She knew how to lean back just enough to suspend her small front wheels in the air, the larger wheels held all her weight, and she released them in a slow, steady grip of her hands on either side.
From where I stood, hands on hips and a smile on my face, I saw the pink of her tongue pinched between her teeth in concentration.
By the time she made it to where I was, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were bright.
I leaned down to stop her with my hands on the armrests.
Joss grinned up at me. "I'm wheelie impressive, huh?"
It took every shred of self-control not to lean down and kiss the hell out of her right there.
"Yeah," I said with a smile.
If anything was plastered on my face that gave away what I was feeling or the way my body was drawn to hers, then she either didn't see it, or she was really good at pretending she didn't.
Joss grimaced when she looked over my shoulder and saw the stairs. "Whoops. Guess I should've been patient, huh?"
"And act completely against your character? What fun is that?"
She flicked my arm.
"Ouch."
"That did not hurt." Her eyes met mine briefly. "Around to the front, or do I get a piggyback ride up the stairs?"
"That's up to you," I told her.
My vote was easy to cast, but when it came to matters like this, I'd never, ever make the decision for her. Joss' ability to get around as normally as possible was a huge source of pride for her.
She shrugged. "Might as well stay in the back. Hard to say what's inside the house."
I kept pace alongside her while she pushed through the blessedly short grass. If it had been overgrown, getting through it would be an even bigger pain in the ass than it was for her.
Our bag of towels was hooked over one of my shoulders, and I dropped it at the bottom of the white stairs.
Joss snapped her fingers. "Turn around, pack mule."
"Why you gotta bring donkeys into this? They've never done anything to you," I said as I turned around. Her chair locked into place, and I heard her stand. I swallowed heavily when her hand touched my back and slid around to the skin over my heart. Joss clasped her hands over my chest, and I closed my eyes, desperately committing the feel of her body to memory.
I squatted down, sliding my hands back until they were under her thighs. Boosting her up onto my back was easy, as was hooking my hands into place behind her knees so that they were flush against my sides.
Joss rested her chin on my shoulder. "I really should make you carry me more often."
My laughter was strained but not from her weight. "Yeah?"
No, any strain I was feeling wasn't because of her weight, I thought as I took the first step. It was all of it. I got such fleeting glimpses, touches, moments with her that even came close to what I wanted, so this felt like an embarrassment of riches.
It was the way she smelled, warmed by the sun.
It was the tickle of her hair against the side of my face.
It was her breasts pressed against my back.
It was the way she trusted me like this.
"Yeah," she said, slicing neatly into my ruminations before I could get carried away. "It's like you're my servant. I enjoy the way it makes me feel."
"You know, if someone told me five years ago that you'd thrive on humiliating me ??
She smacked my chest. "You'd still be here with me."
I couldn't help but sigh. "You're right. I would."
Large teak loungers topped with