wasn’t sure what though. Her defenses had been pretty high with him, so she could hardly blame him for not making a move.
When her feet touched bottom, Cruz said, “Do you want to do something fun my dad used to do for me and Cat?”
“Sure.”
“I’m going to go under, and you stand on my back and balance like you’re on a surf board while I swim.”
She laughed. “You’re crazy. I won’t be able to balance on your back.”
“Sure, you will. I’ll hold you on.”
“So, you’re doing all the work here?”
“Typical of our relationship.”
She stared at him and knew he was just teasing, but they didn’t have a relationship, no matter what she’d dreamt of. She laughed uneasily and said, “Let’s do it.”
He grinned and ducked under the water. She moved to step onto his back. Suddenly, his hands grasped her legs, and he was lifting her into place. She cried out in surprise and fought for balance as he planted her feet on his firm back and wrapped his hands around her calves. She held her arms out as he kicked his feet and slowly moved them through the water.
“I’m surfing,” she cried out happily.
She had no clue how he held his breath as long as he did, but as soon as he released her legs, she splashed off of his back. He surfaced and pulled in a big breath while grinning at her.
“You’re amazing,” she said. “I loved that.”
“Did you now?” Without warning, he swept her into his arms. Meredith felt a rush of emotion unlike anything she’d felt since he’d kissed her at seventeen. She clung to his neck with her arms and was pressed close to his firm, smooth, incredible chest.
“Hold your breath,” he commanded her with a grin. She obeyed and felt lucky she’d listened as he plunged them under the water together. The cool water covered her head, but she couldn’t focus on anything but being pressed so tightly against Cruz.
He pushed them up above water again, and she gasped for air. Staring at his handsome face as water streamed down it, she knew it was time. She could no longer resist the pull he had on her. She lifted up toward him, and he helped by lifting her in his arms. His blue eyes were full of wonder as he stared at her, and she felt a warmth that made the water feel like a hot tub.
Their lips met, and joy rushed through her. It was an explosion of intense feelings and happiness that she hadn’t realized she was missing out on. She had no idea how or why she’d ever resisted him. This kiss was even better than their first kiss years ago. He pulled back and studied her. “Mer … that was incredible.”
Then he was kissing her again. It was better than incredible in her mind. He held her tight against him, one arm under her legs, one around her back, and she clung to his neck. The kisses went on and on. Meredith felt like she’d discovered the activity that she wanted to do every day of her life, multiple times per day, multiple times per hour.
She must have shivered or something because Cruz pulled back slightly and asked, “Cold?”
Her body temperature had lowered as they’d kissed for a long time in the cool water. The sun was now touching the mountains. Her teeth started chattering, and Cruz grinned. He held her against his chest and carried her out of the water and onto the grass.
She clung to his neck. “You should put me down.”
“No way. Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited to hold and kiss you like this?”
Meredith stared at him. “You’re telling me the truth right now?”
“I thought we already established that I have always told you the truth.”
He kept walking, carrying her across the grass to her back patio. She had so many things she wanted to ask him and so many things she wanted to tell him. He set her on her feet, and they stood dripping on the patio.
“I’d better go in and shower,” she said.
“Can I use your other shower, or do you want me to run to my dad’s?”
“You can use mine.”
“Okay.” But he didn’t move. He stared down at her so tenderly that Meredith shivered again. “You’re cold. Go shower, and we’ll talk after.”
She bit at her lip. “Can we kiss again?”
Cruz’s shoulders lowered, and his mouth dropped open. “Oh, Mer.” He wrapped her up tight and kissed her passionately.