This is a sequel to my story, Girl Crush. Eddie did it! '86 was indeed his year! He graduated and now him and Dani are headed off on their grand adventure for the summer. They are heading west in his van and hitting all kinds of stops along the way...
"Are you sure about this?" asked Dani as they hopped out of the van. "You were scared to ride a horse but you want to get on an inflatable raft and ride out river rapids?"
"Obviously," Eddie stated, his hand sliding around her waist. "A raft can't throw us off."
Dani's head spun to look at him, snorting, "Are you kidding me? Yeah it can. We could go flying out of that thing if we hit rough water and be thrown into the river."
"Well, you know how to swim, right?" he asked, smiling down at her, his thumb slipping under her shirt to gently stroke the skin on her back. "Besides, you've got me here. I would never let anything happen to you." He pressed his lips to her temple. "I'll always save you."
"That should make me feel a lot more secure than it does," she laughed, shaking her head.
"Hey!" he protested, his hand covering the side of her face and shoving it gently away from him. "That hurts. I am more than capable of saving you from a river. Look, we're not doing the crazy rapids. It will just be a nice afternoon floating down the river together, taking in the beautiful view."
"It is really pretty," she commented, looking at the beauty surrounding them.
"I meant the view of you in your bathing suit," Eddie said, his voice low and deep as he grabbed the strap of her top and snapped it. She slapped him away, shaking her head, and rolling her eyes.
They walked up to the raft rental. It was a little wooden shack a few hundred feet from the river. Rafts of every color sat stacked all around it, oars propped up against the walls. Eddie pulled out some cash from his wallet and headed up to talk to the guy manning the station.
Dani held her arms around her waist, looking out at the river. It did look pretty peaceful and she was excited about the views they would see from the raft. There were wild horses that lived near the Salt River and she had read that sometimes tourists saw them as they came into the river to play or to get a drink. That would be amazing.
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"Ready?" said a quiet voice in her ear and she jumped, turning her head to see Eddie grinning widely at her. "We're all set. Pick whichever raft you like, sweetheart."
The two of them worked to get a raft down off of the stack. They each grabbed a set of oars and placed them in the raft. Eddie paused to pull his shirt over his head, left in nothing but a pair of swim trunks, and Dani stood dumbstruck, staring at his pale chest, the ink that coated his skin. It didn't matter how many times she saw him. Her boyfriend was a goddamn work of art. He placed his hands on his hips and tilted his head with a wicked grin.
"You know a picture would last longer, darling," he purred, his voice smooth as silk.
"That's a great idea actually," Dani grinned, reaching in her bag to grab the Polaroid and snap his photo next to the raft with the river behind him.
