Western

A million ideas raced through her mind on how to avoid going into Mr. Turnbull’s bedroom—her bedroom—but nothing useful came to her. If she put off going to her wedding bed too long, she would anger her new husband.

Steps slow and hesitant, she left her dressing room and the safety of solitude it offered and went to the bedroom. She knocked tentatively, hoping against hope that Mr. Turnbull had already gone to bed and fallen asleep.

“Come in, my dear. Come in and be quick about it!”

Gloria opened the door and went in. The gaslights were turned low, but she saw Abraham Turnbull as if he was bathed in dazzling sunlight. He was entirely naked, but her eyes refused to leave the man’s boner. He had a hard-on as large as Ethan’s.

Ethan’s, she thought. She could keep her eyes closed and pretend that it was Ethan fucking her and not this withered old man.

“Come to me and suck on my cock. I want to feel the warmth of your lips as you suck on me. Suck hard and then we will fuck!”

Gloria herself to cross the room. Surprisingly strong hands rested on her shoulders and forced her to her knees. His erection bobbed inches in front of her lips.

“Go on, wife. Suck my dick.”

Gloria reached out and fumbled about, keeping her eyes tightly closed. Then resolve caused her to hurry along. The sooner she got him off the sooner she could simply lie in the bed and sleep, as if sleep would ever come to her this night. She took his cock into her hands and stroked up and down. He moaned softly and stepped a little closer. She worked her hand up and down faster. Then she put her lips to the very tip of his cock.

"Put your clothes on."

She heard him in the distance.

"It isn't proper for a woman to be out here showing herself to those who might consider the exposure an invitation."

His words were tortured and she knew by the sound of them that they might even be the hungry syllables revealing the cravings of a weakened man. "Jonathan, I assure you, I didn't have a man's company on my mind when I stripped off to bathe and found only enough water for a splash here or there. The day has been hell-hot and I need to breathe. Hell, every inch of me needs some air." She raised her legs in the air and spread them wide in the other direction. If he'd been standing at a different vantage point, he would've enjoyed quite a show.

He cleared his throat. "It has been a scorcher. I'll give you that."

His gaze wasn't going to behave on its own. She knew that much, and it scared the hell out of her one minute and excited her beyond reason the next.

He released a long sigh. "I want to talk to you and I can't do it, woman, if you're stark naked."

"Then whatever happens to be on your mind will have to wait because I haven't the first inclination to put any clothes on."

"You're asking for trouble, woman."

Hunger continued to fill his voice with a growing appetite probably hidden somewhere below the surface. "Then come on over here and answer me with some of it, or else please shut the fuck up." She fired back, a hint of laughter in her voice, but the truth wasn't quite so inviting. She was tired and just wasn't motivated to move.

"If your mother were alive today, I can promise you she wouldn't take kindly to your free use of words meant only for the discussion among men. She damn sure wouldn't want you parading around without clothes, not to mention throwing your legs wide for anyone around to see your…"

"It's called a vagina." With a matter of fact tone, she hoped to educate him.

"I know damn well what it's called, woman, but I didn't know if you did."

"Liar. You just wanted to call it something else." Victoria felt his gaze drift over her. She hadn't heard him move since his approach, but refused to let him rattle her. Instead, she concentrated on the cold, smooth feel of the flat surface under her. Her brow tightened as she refrained from opening her eyes at the slightest movement.

A few moments of silence passed. She heard him clear his throat. A few more seconds ticked by and she sensed him even closer. Still, she didn't budge. When she opened her eyes, she looked left, then right. She let out an exasperated sigh and moved to retrieve her clothes.

“You disgust me.” She didn’t answer his direct question.

He noticed.

She quickly moved to the settee as if she planned to sit down, but he jumped up and moved her back to the bed. He pushed her deliberately down, forcing her to look up at him. “Then fine, I disgust you. Maybe it’s true but even so, you want me.”

He lay down beside of her. His hand covered her mound, cupping over it with a playful rub before his middle finger moved past the slit and dipped in for an invited bath wringing with the lust her body refused to deny.

“That’s what I thought. You are truly revolted by me. I see that now.” Another finger joined the first. With a swifter movement, he fucked her with steady fingers and an open mouth. His jaws closed and opened slightly each time he moved into her.

Knees fell apart. She refused to look at him but he stared and waited. Defiance finally moved her gaze back to his.

Damn if he wasn’t going to fuck her now. She was drenched with a need so profound that only a night with him would quench the passion burning, no raging, from within.

She put up a fight until his fingers danced inside of her like they were searching for comfort and the way she responded to him didn’t slight him in the least. Her body willingly offered up quite the consolation prize. He’d missed the feel of her slick heat warming his hand and diving into her space with just a little bit of restrained pressure only made his dick harder.

Her hips met his manual stimulation and finger fucking with an ultimate show of genuine appreciation. He carefully took her to the brink of what he wanted her to think would start the orgasmic end and then he withdrew and simply stared into her waves of tear-stained eyes. They threatened to spill, but damn her, she didn’t let them fall when he most wanted to see them.

She held onto his forearm and pulled him closer. He tried to kiss her once, twice, hell it was probably three or four times, but each time she turned away. She only wanted his hand, not his lips. So he punished her with what he allowed her to ride out and what he refused to stimulate further.

His fingers stroked inside of her with a force strong enough to cross over the intimate barriers that would hold most virgins at bay, but his woman wasn’t innocent. No, he stripped her of it months ago and it was why he knew without question that she would always belong to him. Her eyes closed when his hand moved rapidly into her. He almost let her take the climax riding in for her, but he stopped and withdrew all over again. “Tell me where you want me.”

She shook her head and swallowed hard.

“That’s okay, baby, we can do this all night.” His fingers worked under her casually, skirting around the small opening of another intimate threshold, but the tips only dipped once. She squirmed and he moved up against her. His cock hard against her thigh, his lips went to her ear. “I will not fuck you unless you beg me for it.” He sneered then. “I’m not the one demonstrating need here, Carly.”

His guess was, she probably knew better than to believe him. He had the best of intentions when he made the promise because he’d worked her into a heated storm, and following through on sexual gratification seemed more inviting.

Again, he kept his hand positioned under her pussy, tempting her with a fingertip one minute and a cock the next, but neither invaded nor claimed.

“Damn you!” She rose up to grind against his palm.

He smirked. “Damn me? Oh yeah, you’ve done that…to a hell I can never leave.” He took the shaft of his cock in his hand and fisted it tight against her vagina.

Quick as a whip, she locked her legs behind his back and grabbed his forearms all in one swift move. “Fuck me. Now!”

He pushed her legs open and then slowly licked her pussy. One long, leisurely swipe across her vagina and then he blew a hot stream of air straight into her cunt. It made her back bow. "You ain't the marrying kind anymore, I hear."

"No," she whispered, biting down on her index finger. "I'm not the marrying kind."

"Good," he said with a soft twinkle in his gray eyes. "I'm not looking for a wife, but if I ever do," he drawled. "I plan to find her in you."

Billy once told her that he thought he could love her and the way he always showed his appreciation made her tempted to believe him. He sank in between her legs and that delicious tongue of his went straight to work. Not only was Billy Jackson a looker, but he was also a mighty fine kisser, regardless of the lips he chose to kiss.

His long brown hair drifted down his muscular back and, when his mouth covered her opening, he placed his elbows on her thighs and settled over her lower half. His soft strands fanned out over her legs and as she looked down the length of her body, she caught her breath. By God, he was beautiful.

Luke and John could've passed as brothers. They both had dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. John was older and outside of the large cock that he really didn't know how to use well without a little bit of help from Luke or Carly, he really didn't offer a woman the kind of entertainment expected. Carly learned to work him to her advantage. He had the kind of dick she enjoyed riding and, since his cock reached the right spots, she generally liked to take him from the top. He never rode Luke because Luke did the riding.

Cloud dropped his dick between her lips and rolled his eyes back in his head. "Spotted Cloud likes woman on dick. Suck, woman, suck."

The guttural way he made his request, shocked her. God help her, she hoped he howled like he yelped before. There was something about him that made her sopping wet and, with Billy in between her legs, she'd be ready for Cloud when Cloud was ready for her.

She tipped the top of his dick with a slow, indulgent lick and Billy glanced up and almost mimicked her action. He stuck his tongue out and, without tearing his gaze away from hers, lapped at her pussy as slowly as she licked at Cloud's dick.

John slapped Cloud on the back and asked, "Is she doing all right for you, Cloud?"

And apparently, he took it the wrong way. He grabbed the base of his dick and shoved it in between her lips. "Spotted Cloud wants woman to drink in the horizon."

Billy, John and Luke laughed. "You'll see the horizon soon enough," Billy exclaimed.

Carly winked, closed her jaws tightly around Cloud's cock and sucked like crazy. The slurping sounds filled the room about the time John dropped to his knees and fisted Luke's dick in between his hands.

Carly's heart raced forward. There was nothing sexier than this. Her pussy tingled with excitement and every nerve ending in her body became over sensitive. She tried to see where the most erotic sounds in the room were generated because it enticed her, called to her.

Luke's muscular thighs bunched and Carly watched as John sipped at Luke's thick and meaty cock but his teasing didn't last for more than three or four seconds. John always looked like he was smiling when he sucked Luke's dick and Luke, God love him, kept a whole lot of motion in his hips. He didn't screw John's mouth nice and slow, he slammed his balls against his chin and literally pounded in between John's lips.

"Ah yeah, feels so good, John. That's right. Suck my cock. Do it."

Luke growled so loud that her heart raced faster. She saw John's long tongue escape his lips when he gave Luke's length a leisurely lick. Then he greedily stuffed John's meat in between his cheeks once more.

Soon, Luke's hips started moving and he grabbed onto the headboard. When his balls slapped against John's chin again, it was all over for Cloud. The natural noise enticed him and he gripped Carly's head and sank deep in between her open jaws.

Billy continued to eat her pussy and she started to fly so high that she almost forgot she had one heavenly cock in between her cheeks. Spotted Cloud had a nice shape to his dick, but the way he stared into her eyes captivated her. It was like he called out to some kind of inner spirit and reached it before orgasm. He always looked the same way, positively pleased and determined to adore her, if only for a little while.

Billy's fingers twirled deep inside her pussy when she started to arch and take her release. He withdrew, teasing her with his fingers and then his lips. Oh God help her, he wasn't going to let her take it.

Preston moved up one step and paused for effect before taking the next one. He knew lust was all over his face, but for love or mercy, he couldn’t do a damn thing about it. He took the other step and walked over to where she stood. He all but backed her inside the house and then simply shut the door behind them. He eased it up with intendment ensuring her he had an objective and acting on it seemed all but promised.

The look on her face told a strong tale. She wanted him, but not on his terms. She would put up a fight because the fight lived within her. It dominated and controlled her fears, hopes and even what few dreams she had left.

“Go ahead.” His eyes dared her. “Scream. No one will hear you.” Only slightly amused, he teased and provoked her.

“Get out.” Her voice sounded firm.

For a second, he almost believed that she wanted him out. “Like hell I will.” His palm settled beside her head and his body closed the distance between them.

Her voice went up an octave along with her brow, “I want you—”

“I know you do.” He grinned with the knowledge that he cut off her slow words at just the right time.

Her face blushed with the realization that slow to speak changed the meaning she went after. She tried again. “Fuck you, Preston.”

“Oh that…you will do. I promise. I’ll have you branded by sunset.” His gaze danced over her.

“I want you out.” The words weren’t forceful enough. He didn’t bother to tell her.

“The hell you say.” His mouth moved closer. “And hell will be where I’m headed if I don’t taste you.” His lips angled over hers and feathery kisses were planted. One peck first. Then another and then another. Light and needy, he searched for the sign to proceed.

She stood still. Acceptance was one thing, but participation, entirely different.

Then the nipping began and he knew he had her. He sucked in a breath and went from pecks to light bites to a full fledge battle of tongues. Deep, throaty calls were made. Manly in every way, he growled with acquirement knowing it also encouraged her and she met his kiss with a wild passion he finally unlocked. Entirely unexpected and utterly delicious, he sucked in her life as his own and fully unleashed the woman she’d never previously been.

His body molded to hers like it had waited a lifetime to hold her and only her. One hand gripped a slender hip and the other held her hand high above her head. “Oh holy hell.” He pulled back from her and looked down between them. His erection stout with ambition brought alarming recognition that he lost all control around her.

Swallowing hard, he watched as fear inched across her face. “I’m sorry. Forgive me.” He’d moved too fast. An apology wasn’t something he wanted to give. Showing disrespect for a woman who didn’t know anything about an intimate lock didn’t seem appropriate either, especially since he wanted to introduce her to a secure fit she’d never forget.

She tucked the loose strands of hair he messed up behind her ear and shivered.

He caught the tremor and moved closer. Again, he took care of the runaway strands. Tucking them gently into pins again, he stared at her for a long moment before he decided what he wanted to do. “To hell with this.”

Lacy removed the cork from the bottle and poured herself a drink. Raising the Styrofoam cup to her mouth, she glanced out the front window of the cabin. Two men were coming across the hill toward the row of buildings. She watched them walk. Something was vaguely familiar. One man was tall and thin with a black cowboy hat sitting on the back of his head. His companion was shorter, with blond hair and broad shoulders. Both men looked extremely comfortable in their western clothes. Tight jeans encased their lower bodies and plaid shirts were tucked into their waistbands. Lacy gulped down the wine and crossed the room to get a better look at the pair.

"I'll be damned!" Her breath caught in her throat as she recognized Spence Harper and Matt Cooper. It's been years! Staring at the men, Lacy searched her memory. She had fallen in love with Spence Harper when they were in college. And Matt Cooper had been her high school sweetheart. Classmates thought they would marry after graduation and Lacy actually believed he was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with--until he moved out of state, leaving her wondering and heartbroken.

It had taken her meeting Spence to rid her mind of Matt. Spence was studying law at the university when Lacy enrolled. She had fallen hard for him and the torrid affair they began lasted for almost two years--until Spence graduated and returned to California to the family law firm.

"I have the worst luck with men," she muttered, pouring another glass of wine. She watched the pair disappear from sight and turned to sit on the foot of the bed. Thoughts of being with Brad and Spence and Matt congealed into one tight knot in her stomach. Falling in love and staying in love were two different things. Thank God the affairs had ended before she married any of the men. She grimaced. Though life with Spence or Matt could have been an adventure, of sorts. Both men were athletic and enjoyed swimming and rock climbing. She stifled a shiver. Their bodies were well toned and muscular, tanned from exposure to the sun. It was hard to forget the feel of their skin beneath her hands.

Saddle Creek Dude Ranch might not be such a bad place to spend the holiday season, she thought. At least the distraction of Spence and Matt would surely take her mind off breaking up with Brad.

His intense stare bore into her as he concentrated on her eyes, not at all on what his hand was doing to her body.

Jo writhed beneath him and bit her bottom lip as her breathing became labored. She fisted the bed sheets tightly in her hands as her body began to climax. Not once did Trey take his eyes off hers. Instead, his brows furrowed as a sense of determination gripped his beautiful face. The more excited and out of control Jo became, the farther Trey‘s chest heaved and his breathing increased.

The pressure grew and then he did something completely unexpected. He stopped.

Jo shook her head, trying to collect her senses, and she glared up at him, concerned.

Trey got to his feet and stood at the bottom of the bed. She eyed him closely. What the hell is he doing? Why did he stop? She honestly thought she would lose her mind if he left her hanging like this.

Trey reached for one of the champagne glasses and the bowl of iced down strawberries. Tilting his head back, he sipped it, then guided her to him and offered her a taste as well.

Tiny bubbles tickled her nose as champagne often does and she giggled as she rubbed the tingles away.

Trey leaned into her and kissed the tip of her nose.

Jo gasped and sucked in gulps of air as her entire body flew into shock the instant he surprised her by pouring the contents of the champagne glass down her chest. Freezing streams trickled down her breasts and dripped from her rock hard nipples.

Trey joined her and licked away as the liquid continued to spread across her gooseflesh riddled skin.

“You monster,” she growled, followed by a deep, devilish laugh. She loved the thrill.

“Eager and ready,” he said. “None of the other team’s players laid a hand on me. No bruises, no sprains, nothing to keep us from enjoying ourselves.” He closed the distance between them and drew Tiffany into a kiss. Then he turned her and positioned her in front of him, facing the mirror, so he could watch his hands play with her breasts. She picked up the drink he had mixed and swallowed it.

Then she relaxed into his embrace, concentrating on enjoying the caresses. Eventually he smoothed his right hand down across her garter belt. He slid his fingers under her lacy thong and through the closely trimmed hair below. His throwing hand, she thought as he teased her open.

When she was suitably lubricated she turned and pushed his briefs off his hips, letting them drop around his ankles. She took his cock in her hand and stroked it. She watched his face as he looked down, and she felt the tip of his cock leave a wet streak on her stocking. She murmured, “Do you want me to do you?”

“Oh yeah, Tiffany,” he said. “I want to fuck you bad.”

He sure likes to use the F-word, she thought and let him give her a hard, groping kiss. Then she pulled away and strutted toward the bed. She dropped her thong, bending over to pull it past her high heels and give Damon a long look at her ass. Then she turned to let him admire her fully. “How do you want to do it?” she purred.

His eyes locked on the inch-wide strip of honey-colored down left from her bikini wax. “Spread yourself in the middle of the bed, Tiffany. I want to fuck you real bad.” He stroked his erection while she arranged herself in the center of the king-sized mattress.

She spread her legs invitingly, but as soon as he took the first step forward, she covered her nearly-bare mound with a professionally manicured hand. “Forget something?”

He felt his way under the covers and slid onto the other side of the bed. When his hand found her shoulder, she flinched. When he tried to pull her toward him, she resisted. Her body would have scooted away, except there was no more bed. "Constance,"

he whispered. "I won't force you. If you can't; I'll wait."

She shuddered. "Oh, please, don't do that to me. I'd just die, worrying over it another day." She took a deep breath and rolled into his arms. When her hands found his chest she thought, He's in my bed naked! It took all her will not to cry out. She felt the tips of his fingers brush across her cheek and around her neck under her braid. He kissed her on her forehead, then pulled her head back so he could reach her lips. He's going too fast, she thought. The kiss lingered. I wish he'd hurry, she thought. His hand slid down her back and pulled her closer until her breasts pillowed against his hard chest. Too fast. The soft friction through the softer flannel stirred her butterflies again. Hurry. The hand roamed lower, and found the top of the cleft in her backside. Too fast. Inch by inch his fingers drew the hem of her nightgown higher. Hurry. He kissed across her cheek and down into the hollow of her shoulder. Too fast. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him deeper.

"I don't deserve you," he said. "Hush," she whispered. "They'll..."

"Hear?" He chuckled. "Mixed blessing." He was breathing too fast to talk plain. "Storm chased us here. But it hides--the sound of--our lovemaking."

Lovemaking echoed inside her. How can he name it so bold? Then his fingers found the soft, bare skin inside her knee. She pulled her leg away, but that opened her thighs to him. He let her roll onto her back and leaned over to kiss her mouth again. His weight settled onto her shoulder and bosom. He touched his way up the inside of her thigh. She thought to close her legs, but instead they opened wider. The hip closest to him ran into something hard. She gasped, her mind filling with gruesome pictures of what unsheathed from a longhorn bull as he prepared to mount a cow. Erik's hand found the soft curls that covered her mound. She arched at the touch and pressed her thigh against his organ. It didn't feel quite as big as a bull's pizzle.

He whispered, "Constance?"

She nodded. Then she realized he couldn't see any better than she could. "I'm ready," she lied.

They all showed impatience in how long it took getting each other’s shirts off. I felt my own rising heat tickling the back of my neck. Had it been this erotic when Duke and I were together? I shook the thought from my head. For the first time, I noticed a criss-cross pattern of fine scars on Virgil’s back. There were a lot of them, as if the guy had been flogged. I blinked, wondering if he was into BDSM. The scars were old, by the looks of things. Maybe he’d had abusive parents. I noticed that Duke had found the scars, because his fingers seemed to be tracing them with a gentle touch. It appeared to drive Virgil nuts. Their kiss took on a new feral frenzy. I’d forgotten how much Duke liked to kiss.
In the same moment I was relieved to realize I was over Duke. He shifted his face to kiss Virgil’s neck and throat. It was, to me, an even more intimate gesture than sucking the guy’s cock.

They began unzipping flies, taking each other’s cocks out of their pants. Duke always went commando and wore leather pants with a button-down fly. Virgil sprang Duke’s big hummer out of the opening and it fell like a club into Owen’s waiting hand. I saw Owen glancing down, his eyes widening. Oh, the look of gluttony. He sank to his knees, lifting Duke’s hefty cock to his lips.

Duke shifted his hips toward the man, kissing him as Virgil leaned into Owen, taking turns sucking the man’s nipples. Owen went berserk. The open-mouthed, wild kiss he and Duke shared was hotter than the barbecue. Something must have been left to char on the grill because smoke rose from it in manic puffs. I stood to douse the flames. When I turned back around, I found Bruce inside the RV, glued to the window. He looked totally woebegone.

God…what must he be thinking?

I reluctantly left the porn party and went inside the RV. Poor Bruce must have been giving himself some relief watching the action outside, because he was hastily trying to stuff his cock back into his jeans.

“Sorry,” he said, his face beet red.

“Don’t apologize. You thought you were alone. I just thought maybe you were upset…or embarrassed.”

“I am upset. Watching them makes me horny. How can that be?”

How did I answer this question? Because you’re gay…

 “Don’t be upset,” I said. “Men find all kinds of things…erotic.”

 He stared at me. His cock just wouldn’t go down. Outside, I could hear the murmurs of passion turning into stark cries. We turned and looked. Both Owen and Virgil were on their knees, Virgil taking his turn to suck that mighty cock and Owen kissed and licked Duke’s flat hip. He angled himself up higher, his hand on the back of Owen’s head. Owen moved south, sucking in Duke’s ball sac as Virgil kept working the massive shaft.

Clyde stood, glued to Duke’s side, kissing him, Duke tweaking the man’s nipples with his free hand. The other kept rubbing Clyde’s ass through his jeans.

Owen and Clyde switched places, Clyde taking over the cock, Virgil noisily sucking Duke’s balls.

“Jesus Christ,” Bruce whimpered. “I’ve dreamed of that.”

I swiveled my gaze toward him. “What, two guys sucking you?”

He shook his head, the sad look back on his face again. “Anybody sucking me. My girl won’t do it. She says it’s disgusting.” He hung his head. “I have fantasies though…”

“Want me to do it?” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.

“No,” he said, his voice coming out in a scared shriek. “I’m not gay!” He finished zipping up his pants, winced with pain and hurried out of the RV.

“Nice one, slick,” I said aloud. 

She drew on the reins, stopping Pepper, and swung her leg over his butt, dropping to her feet. Quickly unbuckling the belly strap, she hauled off the saddle and rough horse blanket, letting them fall to the ground. Pepper whickered, pawed the rocky ground then snorted, as if asking if he could go. Jesse pulled his head toward her and eased the bit out of his mouth. She scratched his soft nose and said, "Off you go, get a drink."

As if he understood, the big chestnut horse turned and headed for the stream. The willows along the opposite bank shielded the water from the direct sunlight, and the moss-covered ground a few yards away were like a velvet beacon calling to her. She flipped off her hat and smiled when it landed in the only patch of long grass on that side of the stream. Running her fingers through her sweat-damp hair, she felt goose bumps rise on her gritty neck. She had to wash it. The trail dust was driving her crazy. While unfastening  the buttons of her shirt, she scanned the sun-dappled area reassuring herself that no one had found her secret swimming hole.

Half-naked, the light breeze cooled her over-heated flesh. Her nipples rose, sending a shiver down her spine. She cupped the small mounds and sighed when the rough callused tips of her thumbs inadvertently brushed her nipples.

"Oh, Meg," she breathed and pinched the hardened nubs. She tweaked them, and gently tugged on the puckered flesh, until, with a shudder, she forced her hands away. "Damn, I miss you, girl."

Quickly, she dropped her hands to her belt buckle and worked the leather free. A moment later, she pushed her jeans down over her hips. A nearby boulder provided a seat. With her jeans and panties halfway to her knees, she toed off her boots. Sweaty work-socks came next, and she let out a groaned sigh of relief when her feet were finally naked. The grass was wonderfully cool and she wriggled her toes, sighing with pleasure as she went to her saddlebag and retrieved a bar of lye soap. The water was where she wanted to be, so after tossing her jeans toward her shirt and socks, that's where she headed and was soon ankle deep in the icy current.

"Keerist, that's cold!" She sucked in her breath against the chill. Goose bumps brushed her neck, quickly raced down her chest and arms, and across her belly. Arms crossed under her breasts, she took another step into deeper water, wanting to get in before she lost her courage. Cold bit at her shins, then her knees as she slid off a smooth rock, barely steadying herself before going completely under. Her breath caught. Her heart beat wildly, but she continued to wade deeper. By the time she was up to mid-thigh, her feet and lower legs had acclimated to the cold. She took a couple of deep breaths to build her courage, then lowered herself into the frigid water. Gritting her teeth, she managed to keep from screaming as the water took her into its cold embrace.