It was the first time, and if he’d

It was the first time, and if he’d left a message, I had no interest in hearing it.
But Jax wasn’t inquiring. He was interrogating, and he had no reason not to trust me.
He handed me my phone. “I don’t want to invade your privacy.”
“Too late,” I mumbled, bending down to pick up the mattress again.
But he hooked my arm with his, bringing me back up. “Hey,” he soothed. “I’m sorry. I trust you, okay?” He tipped my chin up. “Other guys shouldn’t be calling my girl, though. What would you do if Cameron or another past hookup was calling me?”
I pursed my lips to hide the smile, but he still saw it.
“Oh, that’s funny?” he joked.
“No.” I wrapped my arms around his waist. “You called me your girl.” I nodded, waggling my eyebrows. “And,” I continued, “you’d better believe this little wallflower will cut a bitch with that knife of yours if anyone lays a hand on you.” I darted out, catching one of his nipple rings in my teeth and sucking.
He gasped in surprise and then chuckled, wrapping his arms around me. “I never would’ve thought.”
“What?” I played, holding the barbell between my teeth.
“I don’t like aggressive women.” His voice was low and thoughtful. “I never have. I’m sure you know why.”
I stopped and tilted my head back, looking up at him. Yeah. I knew why. And I could understand it.
“But you?” He ran his finger over my cheek. “It’s different. I like it when you’re nice, but I love it when you’re rough.” He leaned down to whisper in my ear, sending shivers down my spine, “So, just a warning … if you bite my nipple piercings one more time, the thin walls of the tent will do nothing to drown out how hard I’m fucking you.”
And then he backed away, everything in his eyes telling me that his threat for today was a promise tonight.
“I don’t think we’re going the right way,” Madoc whined as we wound our way through the forest, traveling steadily uphill.
“We’re following a trail, Einstein,” Jared called back. “I’m not carving this baby out for the first time. Relax.”
The intimate hike I’d been hoping for consisting of just Jax and me didn’t happen. Instead of a quiet jaunt into the woods and maybe a sexy swim in one of the pools at the bottom of the falls, we were a group six strong with Jared in the lead, followed by Tate, Fallon, Madoc—because he wanted to stare at his wife’s butt—and then Jax and me.
“Well, Jax should be leading,” Madoc called out. “His people have skills. Like bear whispering and understanding messages in the wind and shit.”
“Nah,” Jax joked. “But I can weave a damn nice basket.”
Everyone chuckled, but I simply smiled. I was feeling more and more a part of the group as time wore on, but they’d all spent loads of time together, and I was still trying to find my place.
And—looking up—I smiled, liking my place so far.
Jax was wearing long black cargo shorts, hiking shoes, and a dark gray backpack on his naked back. I looked much the same, except I had my red bikini top with my black shorts and backpack. My white baseball cap was pulled over my hair, which I’d stupidly left down, and I was sweating already.
We needed a swim. The temperature at this elevation wasn’t stifling, but the exertion certainly helped toward making it unbearable.
“Well, I’m getting tired,” Madoc carried on. “I was told we were doing water sports. On the beach. Beer and Jet Skis. That’s my thing.”
“Fallon, take care of your baby,” Tate called back. “He needs a breast to suck on.”
“Madoc, stop whining,” Fallon scolded. “We haven’t even gotten to the switchbacks yet. You think this is tough?”
“What the hell is a switchback?” Madoc shot out. “It sounds like a snake.”
We laughed, but then Jared called out, “K.C., you still with us?”
“Juliet,” everyone shouted, correcting him.
I laughed. “I’m here,” I assured him. “I did my nails and makeup waiting on you slowpokes.”
“Ooooh.” I heard some taunts at my joke and looked up to see Jax smiling back at me.
An hour later and we’d finally reached our destination. Shelburne Falls was three waterfalls, but they ran in succession. One fell, poured into a pool, and fed another waterfall. That fell into another pool, which fed the final waterfall. We ended up at the pool that fed the lowest waterfall.
Looking up, I saw the second fall cascading down, narrow but roaring, and could feel the lovely cool spray blow across my body. Boulders and rocks surrounded the calm little lake, and I clutched my backpack straps as I took in the high walls of the cliffs around us.
I smiled, feeling gloriously small. I think I might like the outdoors.
“Wow.” I stopped at the edge of the pool, looking up at the high fall. “This is amazing. Can we swim in it?” I asked Tate, who stood at my side.
She started stripping out of her shorts and tank. “Yeah, it’s safe.”
“Hey, there’s tire swings!” I pointed to the low cliffs and started over that way.
“Juliet, don’t,” Jared warned. “You have no idea how long that shit’s been up there. Let me check it out.”
My eyebrows shot up, and I looked over at Tate, who was shaking her head and smirking.
“The military is making him very authoritative,” she explained. “Safety first.”
“You like it,” he called back, obviously hearing what she’d said.
She eyed him, nodding. “Yes, I like it.”
Jared climbed up the wall like a pro, coming onto the landing about fifteen feet up and yanking on the rope, checking the weight and making sure the swing was safe to use. Fallon and Madoc were already in the pool, and Tate started walking for the tire swing.
I looked around. “Jax?” I called, circling a three-sixty and looking to the others. “Where’s Jax?”
“Over here,” I heard him call, and I whipped around to see him kneeling on the far edge of the pool. Where it dropped into the waterfall.
Climbing across some stones, I wiggled out of my backpack and set it down right as I came up next to him. He stood on one knee, peering over the edge where the final waterfall was pouring into the last pool. After that, the water followed a steady stream that eventually fed into our town’s river.
Inching to the edge, I peered down the long drop to the pool below until my heart filled my throat and the ground tipped up toward me.
“Whoa.” I backed up, letting out a nervous laugh. “That’s a drop.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, sounding dreamy as he stared over the side.
“Oh, don’t fall!” Madoc came over, knocking Jax’s shoulder, but he pushed himself back.
“Jackass.” He smiled, righting himself again.
Everyone else started trailing over to catch the view, but my eyes stayed on Jax. I didn’t like how he was looking over the side. It seemed to me as though he was trying to muster up courage.
“Jax, no.” I shook my head, reading his mind. “It’s too high.”
He twisted his lips, still peering over, and my hands started to tingle.
“It is tempting, though,” he whispered.
“No, it’s not,” Jared countered. “This waterfall has an eighty-five-foot drop, and we don’t know how deep that pool is.”
“You don’t,” Jax taunted. “But I do.”
Jared loomed over him, and I swallowed when I saw Jax’s mouth curl up in a cocky grin.
“No.” Jared’s deep voice issued his order.
“I’ve never heard of anyone jumping from up here, Jax,” Tate added, heading back to the pool.
Jared followed her. “And no one will.” He glanced back at Jax, his warning clear.
“Woo-hoo!” Madoc howled, and I turned to see everyone dive from the rocks into the cool black water. “Come on!” He waved me in, and I smiled.
But turning back to Jax, I felt my heart drop into my stomach, and I stared at the now empty space where he had just been standing.
“Jax?” I breathed out, my mouth falling open.
And then seeing his backpack lying on the rocks at the edge, I screamed, “Jax!”
I rushed for the edge, dropping to my hands and knees, gulping in air as I peered over the side.
But all I saw were the concentric circles rippling the water, telling me that someone had entered the pool.
My hands shot to my hair, holding my head, as I frantically searched the water for signs of him.
No, no, no …
“What happened?” Jared shouted behind me. “Did he jump? Goddamn it!”
“Where are you, baby? Where are you?” I prayed, scanning the water, seeing only the black of the depth and the white of the spray. My eyes flew left to right, seeing nothing.
“Shit, where are you?” I whispered to myself, my voice cracking.
I squeezed my eyes shut, fisted my fingers, and shot off the ground, standing up straight and tightening every muscle in my body.
“Jaxon Hawkins Trent!” I bellowed, my face on fire with anger, remembering a teacher calling him by his full name in high school.
And then, as if summoned, he popped out of the water, smoothing his hand over his hair and looking up at all of us as he treaded calmly.
My body relaxed, and even though relief flooded me, my head swelled with anger. What was he thinking? What if he’d been hurt?
It was too far away to tell, but I think he was smiling as he did the backstroke to the edge as if he hadn’t just scared the shit out of all of us.
“Oh, thank God,” Tate exclaimed, coming up next to me. “He’s okay!” she shouted to the rest of the group.
I dug my nails into my palm. “No, he’s not,” I retorted, watching him climb out of the pool and onto the rocks.
“What do you mean?” I heard Tate ask.
But it was too late. I was gone.
I leaped over the side, sucking in a breath and my heart stopping as I shot out from the ground and plunged feetfirst through the air to the depths below.
Oh, shit!
My arms and legs tingled, and my heart started jackhammering through my chest as adrenaline raced through me.
Air rushed up at me, sending my hair flying, and that thrill feeling crept up my throat, making me want to laugh out of fear. The kind of fear you get on a roller coaster.
I vaguely heard someone yelling at me or after me, but before I knew it,