THE TEMPTRESS

||Lovemaking||

•STEPHANIE•

Saltwater invaded my mouth, stinging my eyes. Gasping for air, I broke the surface, inhaling deeply to fill my lungs.

A shadow emerged beside me, but I brushed it off, focusing on swimming to the shore.

Granted, it was probably the riskiest move I've ever pulled, but lately, I've been making a habit of embracing danger. Who's keeping track anyway?

This time, I followed my heart, letting go of the burdens and going with the flow, for once.

So, I took the plunge right after pushing Kaden off the cliff. I half expected payback, but hey, I jumped in right after him, so he wouldn't really do anything, right?

Crawling to the beach, I forced myself up, legs wobbly and unsteady, threatening to give way any moment.

I could've drowned, but here I am, alive. The water was still treacherous; it's a miracle I'm not on the ocean floor right now.

After the struggle to stand, I dragged my exhausted body away from the water, finally collapsing on the sand.

A shadow caught my eye, and suddenly, Kaden collapsed beside me.

Our heavy breaths mingled with the crashing waves below. I gazed at the sky, admiring the sunset painting creamy hues in the clouds.

A smile played on my lips, turning into a chuckle and then a full-blown laugh.

Kaden looked at me, grinning. "You're fucking crazy," he said, joining in my laughter.

I couldn't stop, feeling the relief and joy of being alive in this moment.

Kaden laughed with me, shifting to lie on his stomach, hovering over me.

He pressed his forehead against mine, laughter vibrating through his chest. Leaning back, he smiled, smoothing my hair.

"I knew you'd be the death of me, Steph. That was fucking insane. We could've both died."

Rolling my eyes, I smirked. "But we're here now."

His smile faded but lingered in his eyes, flickering between mine and my lips.

"Yeah, and I couldn't be more grateful."

He kissed me passionately, the wet and cold forgotten in the warmth it ignited.

Breaking the kiss, he stood, pulling me up. With darkness creeping in, we left the beach, navigating the woods to reach the car before nightfall.

OoO

We couldn't locate our car, but we stumbled upon this old cabin in the woods. Even though it was in the middle of nowhere, it was surprisingly in decent shape and had a bed and a great fireplace.

Kaden got busy with the fireplace to start a fire. Meanwhile, I was starting to feel the chill, and there were no spare clothes in the cabin.

Luckily, Kaden always has a waterproof lighter on him, and he skillfully got a fire going.

The flames lit up the cabin, making it cozy. I sat on the bed, trying to warm up by rubbing my hands down my arms.

"You okay?" Kaden asked from the fireplace, glancing back at me.

"N-n-no," I stammered.

He stood up and walked over, cupping my face to check on me.

"You're freezing."

"Y-yeah, no shit, Sherlock."

He chuckled, crossing his arms.

"Yet your sarcasm still works."