He was so close now and so tall she had to arch her back to look into his eyes. “This time we chose to jump.”

“You jumped. I followed.” With his free hand, he traced a finger along her temple to her cheek, over her chin, and down her neck. “Do you have any notion how beautiful you are?” He lowered his lips to the tender spot where her pulse pounded beneath her chin.

Heat radiated from every point where her body touched his. She shivered. “I have big feet.”

He wrapped his other arm around her.

She could feel the whole of him, solid and firm. Then his face was before hers again, his breath warm on her cheek.

“You’re a butterfly in a swimming hole.”

His lips met hers, and she stopped shaking. Beautifully simple, his kiss was a gift in itself. His touch was equal parts strength and generosity.

He ran his hands up her spine, over her shoulders, and through her hair until he cupped her cheeks and drank from her lips. With a deep, throaty sound, he took her around the waist again, lifting her feet from the bottom.

Curling her toes, she buried her fingers in his hair, her fingertips massaging his scalp until he groaned and lowered her. Time bent again until she had no idea how long she stood, her bare feet now massaged by smooth stones, her legs numb, and her lips lost to his kiss. Water dribbled down his cheeks, mingling with his tongue in tantalizing sweetness. She nibbled the delicious crinkles to the sides of his mouth, as she longed to do from the first moment she laid eyes on him. She basked in the sun on her shoulders.

He slid his hands to her hips, drawing her closer. His lips curved into a smile against hers, and he laughed. Threading his arms around her waist, he spun into the water with a gigantic splash. He sank deep—lips still sealed against hers, legs tangled. He pulled away underwater and surfaced with her, laughing and spluttering. “Are you hungry?”

For nothing but your kiss. “Starving.”

He swooped her out of the water and plopped her on the faded, patchwork quilt, then collapsed beside her.

Out of the water and away from his body, she shivered again. But a warm breeze caressed her through wet clothes, and she knew in moments she would dry.

Sliced ham and cheese, homemade bread and butter, pound cake, and ripe plums appeared from the hamper. Jonas jogged to the creek and returned with iced tea and whipped cream for the cake. He drank straight from the canister and passed it.