Joshua Healy (The Mitchell/Healy Family #10)(31)

“She told me when she lost her virginity. My parents didn’t allow me to go to co-ed parties, so I’m afraid I wasn’t there that night.”

“From that night on, whenever either of us talked about seeing someone else, we’d find a way to hook up. Each time we’d promise that we were saving ourselves for each other, until one day she just stopped. The older we got, the more she made it clear I was her toy and nothing more. I let that bitch walk all over me and she knew it. I’d kept the relationship a secret for far too long, so I did what I thought would bring her back to me.”

Tamsyn finally gets it. “You hooked up with anyone you could to get her attention?”

“It worked for a while until she moved to New York.”

“Livvy was your first love.” I hate hearing her say it, which tells me more than I was bargaining for.

“Yeah. She’s my first everything, Tamsyn.” I squeeze her hand to remind her Liv isn’t with us. “She’s the reason I’ve never settled down.”

“God, that’s awful.”

“I never minded it until I met someone I genuinely enjoy spending time with.”

She shyly smiles at me. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Are you telling me this so I understand why you can’t be with just one person?”

“No. I’m telling you this so you understand why I’m ready to change. It’s not about you, not directly. It’s about me waking up and seeing I’ve been a terrible person for far too long. That part of my life is over. I can’t promise what will happen between us, but I can assure you that you’re the only woman I want to spend my time with.”

She leans her head on my shoulder and I kiss it immediately. “We’re a mess, and I mean that both ways. We’re filthy and a disaster waiting to happen.”

“We can rectify at least one of those predicaments.” I take her by the arm and pull her into the freezing cold pond water with me.

She comes up and wipes her hair away, her arms wrapping around my neck. “What if I couldn’t swim?”

“Then I’d be the hero and save you.”

“You already have.” It’s quiet. Her words are powerful. She’s counting on me to pick up the pieces of her last failed relationship, and for some reason I want to do it.

Our first kiss is intense. I pull away and take her in for a second. “Are you cold?”

Tamsyn shakes her head with an ornery grimace. “Not at all.”

“I think we should rid you of these heavy clothes.” She backs away from me and goes under the water, coming up with the shirt she was wearing in her lifted hand.

She tosses it on the pier. “Your turn.”

I go under, managing to take off my pants and shirt before needing air. I rise near the wooden deck and plop my dirty, wet clothing near hers. When I turn around she’s tossing her pants in the same area, then using her finger to motion for me to come back.

God, I’m in awe. Any other chick would be freaking out to fall into an old pond in the fall at that, but not this girl. She’s awesome.

I wait until she’s back in my arms to speak. “Is it weird that I think you’re as cool as a dude?”

“Only if you mean it sexually,” she answers.

I cup her * under the water, dragging two fingers to slip her panties to the side. When I rip them she lets out a squeal. “They were in the way,” I say while tearing them down her legs until they’re in my hand and able to top the pile of wet clothing on the pier.

Tamsyn begins kissing my bare chest, running her puffy lips up my neck until her wet mouth is smacking over mine. I take her by the hair and twist her around while treading water. We back ourselves into the floating deck, so I’m able to use the ladder for support. Her legs wrap around my waist, her arms strongly clung to my back. We’re staring at one another, the only sounds around us is nature. She bites down on her shiny lips and then licks them. “Are you going to f*ck me, Josh?”

“You bet your ass I am.”

She shoves me away and climbs the ladder, before I can realize what’s happening. I watch her naked body running to the opposite side of the floating deck. “You have to catch me first,” she states before diving into the murky water.

I’m addicted to the chase, to the idea of what catching her results in. When I get close she goes under and comes up in another area, until she finally concedes, appearing right behind and jumping onto my back. I easily bring her around front of me, where she proceeds to dunk me. We mess around like this for a few minutes until I can’t stand it anymore.

We’re engulfed in each other, our kisses hungry, wet, leading us right to the next step.

I lead her to the water’s edge, where I can lay her down and have the ability to touch her when she needs me to. We’re both naked, not that I worry about anyone happening upon us. No one comes out here anymore. The wind is blowing, making it a bit chilly, and I’m not minding it. I’m too damn hot to think about the weather. My skin is on fire and there’s only one way this is going to end; with me inside of her.





Chapter 14


Tamsyn


We’re filthy. I can feel the sand and mud in my hair, but for once I don’t care. I dig my hands into the ground on either side of me as Josh enters me for the first time. I can feel the dirt going into my manicured fingernails and I’ve never felt more relaxed. He’s moving slow, kissing me constantly. My hands come up around his back, leaving a trail of mud as they cling to his skin. We’re wet. It’s breezy. Leaves are falling around us, and the sounds of trees moving echoes from the thick woods.