Fear of Falling

got me all but naked,” she said, after returning from the bathroom clad in the skimpy teal fabric adorned with faux jewels. “Now what?”
    I grasped her hand and pulled her body flush into mine. “You know you’re safe with me, right? That you can trust me?”
    Kami looked up at me with clear, unblinking eyes. “Yes.”
    With my gaze still trained on her, and my arms wrapped around her waist, I slowly led Kami to the edge of the water. “Just look at me. Don’t think about anything else. Just me and you. The second you say the words, we’ll stop. I just want to show you what you’re capable of, how strong you really are.”
    “I’m not a total spaz, Blaine,” Kami remarked, rolling her eyes though her hands clutched my back tightly as the water met our feet. “I’m not afraid of water. I just don’t want to be submerged in it.”
    Inch by inch, I walked our bodies into the water, my arms still wrapped around her protectively. Every few seconds she would tense or gasp, yet Kami didn’t resist. She let me take her in deeper until we stood waist-deep in the lake.
    “This is nice, right?” I asked smiling down at her.
    “Nice?” She raised a slender brow and narrowed her eyes. “Yeah sure. About as nice as a colonoscopy.”
    “Aw, come on. There are advantages to being in the water, you know.”
    Kami tilted her head to one side and asked, “Like what?”
    “Well,” I replied with a lustful grin, picking her up and pulling her thighs around my hips. “We can do this.”
    “Hmmm,” she smiled, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I guess this is nice.”
    “And we can also do this.” I drew her closer to the hardness under my shorts and discreetly grinded into the soft flesh that was covered only by a thin strip of nylon.
    “Mmmm, yeah,” she murmured breathlessly, pressing her face into my shoulder to hide the flush of her cheeks. “Nice.”
    Still moving, I walked us deeper into the water, leaving kisses along her shoulders and neck. Kami reciprocated with little whimpers and sighs, too caught up in what our lower halves were doing to notice. I stopped just before the water hit our chests. I didn’t want to alarm her, plus I was damn near too hard to even walk.
    “Blaine,” she whispered against my shoulder.
    I let my hands slip under her bottoms and palmed her bare ass. “Yeah, babe?”
    “Ah,” she moaned at the contact. “I know what you’re doing. I know you’re trying to distract me.”
    “Is it working?”
    She sucked my neck lightly before nipping my skin with her teeth, causing me to push myself into her softness even harder. “What do you think?”
    “Shit,” I hissed. “Why does it feel like you’re the one trying to distract me?”
    “Maybe I am,” she replied, looking up at me and smiling. “Maybe I really just want to get you home and show my gratitude.”
    “Gratitude?”
    “For this. For believing in me despite all my crazy. You’re a good man, Blaine. And I really am thankful for you, even if it doesn’t always seem like it.”
    I flashed a crooked grin. “Are you trying to tell me that you’re falling for me, Miss Duvall?”
    Kami rolled her eyes and shook her head, her pouty lips curved into a smile. I couldn’t help myself. Before she could protest, I was devouring those lips with uncontrollable hunger, kneading handfuls of her backside. Still, I couldn’t get close enough, couldn’t kiss her deep enough. I needed her. And by the way her nipples strained against her bikini top as she moaned into my mouth, she needed me too.
    “As much as I want to get out of here at this very second,” I mumbled, between pecks. “If I don’t put you down, I’ll probably get arrested for concealing a deadly weapon.”
    She giggled, though I could see the seriousness creep onto her face. “Hey,” I said, grasping her chin to look into her eyes. “I’m right here. I’m not gonna let you go, ok?”
    “Ok,” she said just above a whisper.
    I kissed her deeply before letting her body slide down mine. With the height difference, the water was at her breasts. Panic flashed across her face just as I wound my arms around her tightly.
    “Blaine…” she panted.
    “I got you, baby. I got you, and I’m not letting go. You’re safe. I’m never letting go, Kami.”
    The feel of her heart hammering in her chest vibrated through mine as I squeezed her even tighter, hoping to still her trembling. Minutes ticked by before the tremors began to cease, and I