Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,187

the playful tone of before now completely gone. I looked down at my tan dress and smiled mischievously.

"Did you bring me out here just to see me naked, Jacob?"

"Maybe? But don’t take off everything . I don't want to risk anyone else seeing that perfect body of yours. "

I stood and slipped the thin straps from my shoulders, the soft tan material fell to the ground.

"Remind me to thank Kemper," Jacob whispered while eyeing the black lacy material covering my breasts. He walked closer and circled around me, drinking in every inch of my appearance. Once behind me, he ran his fingers down my arms and placed his hand on my stomach. His wide-spread fingers covered my exposed skin, teasing me.

"I thought you were going to take me home and kiss me goodnight like a 'goddamn gentleman'," I teased while trying to hide the smoky sound in my voice. Jacob leaned closer, and his lips hovered over the sensitive skin on my neck.

"I have every intention of being a gentleman. But you see, Ash, I'm attracted to you in ways I can't even explain," Jacob groaned while circling me until we faced one another. "Under normal circumstances, I'm a patient man. But I don't think I can wait until we say goodnight to kiss you."

Jacob took his hand and placed it under my chin then angled my face so that I was looking up at him. With his other hand, he pulled me closer and sweetly kissed my lips.

He broke away with a smile, then said, "However, even more than that, I want to see your face when your feet touch this cold-as-hell water for the first time," he joked. "Race you to the shore line!" he yelled before dropping his hands from my side and sprinting for the water.

I stood there for a moment smiling like a fool before running after him. My feet sunk into the sand and my muscles still ached, but the sound of his laughter and the crashing waves spurred me further.

"You got a head start!" I accused while struggling through the sand. I enjoyed feeling playful and free.

"I had to run ahead of you! If I ran behind you, I'd be stuck staring at that gorgeous ass of yours, then neither of us would get to swim in the ocean."

I laughed and crept further just as my wrist, where my fetter was clasped, buzzed. I ignored it, letting my feet touch the chilly water. The wet sand beneath my feet felt so soft and soothing. I dug my toes in the sand with a sigh. Suddenly, my fetter began burning hotter. It crackled with energy as I yelped in pain.

"Ash, are you okay?" I heard Jacob yell.

I took another step and the burning intensified. Each time I ventured farther, it sent red hot, fiery pain shooting up my arm. This wasn't like the electricity I endured earlier. This was a warning of something much more painful. A warning that I was drifting too far. I saw a large rock sticking out of the water and wondered if I could go to it.

One more step.

I'm not sure why I did it. I guess in some ways, I wanted to know what the boundaries were. Knowing how far I could go, made it more real somehow. So, ever so slowly, I inched further as the pain grew to an inferno. It shot heat up and down my arms, attacking my nerves, forcing me to yelp and hiss. I looked up, the rock was only two more steps away, I could make it. I knew I could. I could break the barrier the fetter had on me. I could free myself.

Before I could test my theory, two arms wrapped around my middle and dragged me back to shore. The intense hurt dissolved as we moved out of the water, and completely disappeared once back at the spot where we ate.

"What happened?" Jacob gasped while roaming his hands all over my body. I sat in the sand feeling hollow and empty.

"See that rock?" I asked while pointing. It was still too dark, but I knew where it was. It wasn’t particularly special or memorable, but it would haunt me.

"I don't see it, did you cut yourself? Step on something?" Jacob asked. He explored my feet, searching for injuries, when I responded.

"That’s the boundary," I said in an icy cool tone that lacked the warm flirtatiousness we shared earlier. "That’s as far as the fetter will let me go."