Page 90 of Twisted Beauty

He watched her unzip and pull down her shorts before he tore off his shirt and hauled her up against him for a kiss. His chest was hard against her curves, and she didn’t think she’d ever get enough of being up next to him like this. When they finally separated, they were both breathless.

“Fuck, I hope that water is cold,” Matt said. “Otherwise I’ll embarrass both of us walking around like this.” He dragged her over to the edge of the rocks, where she’d seen a few random people jump in. “What do you say?”

“Let’s do it.” She kept her hand in his and they jumped together. She couldn’t help the little shriek that escaped her lips. By the time she popped up at the surface of the water, she was laughing. The water felt refreshing, but not all that cold. Liv swam up toward the falls and paddled around in the turbulent water, until Matt pulled her off to a shallower part of the lake, up against a rocky ledge where they were alone. He trapped her between two rocks, placed a hand on either side of her, and planted a soft, sweet kiss on her lips. Then he backed off.

“So, talk to me,” he said.

“What?” She was already out of breath from that tiny kiss and he wanted to talk? “Why?”

“I need a distraction. For obvious reasons.”

Liv reached out beneath the surface of the water and ran a hand lightly over his swim trunks. Yep. Obvious reasons. She smiled.

He groaned softly and pulled her hand away. “Liv—”

She giggled. “Okay, sorry. What should we talk about?”

“Anything. Tell me something about you. Something I don’t know.”

“Okay.” She pulled herself up onto one of the rocks and sat with her feet dangling into the water. “Something you don’t know. Hmm… Well, my master’s thesis was called A day in the life of immigrants in Los Angeles. A photographic journey. I even had a coffee table book made out of it. So technically, I’m a published author.”

“Well, fuck.” Matt narrowed his eyes at her. He looked surprised, maybe even a little frustrated.

Liv tilted her head. “You have some problem with that, chef?”

“Not at all.” He ran a finger over her cheek and down her neck, making her squirm. “But I thought you studied wedding photography.”

“Nope, that was Katie. I was more interested in the nitty gritty of real life. That’s how I got talked into working for the news station. For Grant.”

Shit. Why would she bring up her ex on a perfect day like today? Why?

She pressed her lips together to get herself to shut the hell up.

Matt looked impressed though, not irritated with her little slip, so she continued.

“Apparently, there’s not a lot of money or prestige in street photography—” She stopped mid-thought. There was no way to explain this without delving into her past.

“I’m the last person to judge you for trying to earn a decent living from your talents, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

Liv shook her head. “No, it’s more about the people in my life not believing I was worth anything unless I had a nine-to-five job and a W2. Actually, I think it was more about me not believing in myself. Otherwise I wouldn’t have gone along with it.”

Matt hooked a finger under her chin and lifted her face until she looked him in the eye. “You’re a smart, insanely talented woman, Liv. You can make a go of anything you want. Even after knowing you for such a short time, I see that in you. I hope you do too.”

The compliment swept over her and her eyes filled. Shit, she was not going to cry. Not in front of Matt. She blinked away the moisture and pulled in a shaky breath, looking out across the lake to search for the rest of their group. She needed to distract herself from those wonderful words and the lump they created in her throat. She saw Katie and Zach sunbathing on the other side of the lake, and then spotted Jana, Nate, and Garrett hanging out at the edge of the water just a few feet away.

When she felt composed, she met Matt’s eyes again. “Thank you. That may be the nicest thing anyone’s said to me in years. Maybe ever.”

His answering smile was dazzling, and she knew in that moment that she was in a whole hell of a lot of trouble. Big, fat, falling-for-her-meaningless-fling trouble.

There was no sense trying to keep this from Katie. She needed to talk. Like now.

“Fuck it. I can’t stay away from you.” Matt stepped closer and stood between her legs. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled her into a hug.

God, he felt good. It was hot outside and his body felt wet and cool. But that wasn’t it, and she knew it. She tightened her arms around his neck and crossed her heels behind his back to pull him even closer. She had so little time left with him, she needed to enjoy every minute of it.

“Your body fits perfectly against mine,” Matt muttered with his mouth against her shoulder. “Have you noticed that?”

She hummed in agreement. Everything about him fit perfectly with everything about her. What the hell was she supposed to do with that? She untangled her arms from his neck and leaned back on the rock. “Maybe we should save this for later. When we’re alone.”