"Oh thank the gods!" I mutter as I begin stripping down and making my way to the river. I splash into the surface and grunt in surprise at how cold the shallow surface is. Walking further into the water, I continue splashing it onto my face and body, groaning at how amazing it feels to have a reprieve from the heat. A twig snaps in the distance and I freeze in the water. Slowly, I turn my head toward the direction of the sound. There, a small meadow of flowers down the way where the river bends. I see flowers moving towards the middle of the small field and silently begin to get out of the water. Keeping my eyes on the trail of moving flowers I grab my bow and slide my quiver of arrows over my shoulders.
***
I squeeze my eyes shut and curse myself under my breath. A twig! I broke a fucking twig! Of course he heard it too. I freeze in my tracks and glance through the flowers to see the naked man looking in this direction from the water and I duck down as fast as I can.
"What should I do?" I mutter and look down at myself realizing I'm still naked. I look over at the boulder next to the river where my dress lays and begin making my way over to the boulder.
***
Im a good ten feet away from the moving creature obscured by the overgrown weeds. I look ahead and see it's heading for the river, I have to act soon or I risk loosing its trail. Rushing forward I nock an arrow and pull back just as I see my target. I curse and catch myself before loosing my arrow, she stares back at me with striking green eyes, and she's naked?
***
I'm almost to the boulder, just another few feet and I'm safe. Before I can make it another foot I hear a curse behind me and flip around in time to stare down an arrow aimed at my face.
The man that was in the river just a few minutes ago was right in front of me now. Staring at me, while still holding a bow and nocked arrow, his muscular chest heaving with his breaths. All I can hear is my blood rushing through my veins, my heart racing.
Water drips from his short hair to his clenched jawline. His mouth a firm line giving me no hints as to how he is affected by the recent turn of events. A water droplet catches the sunlight and my eyes are drawn to the path it travels. Down his thickly roped neck, through the valley on his stong chest. Just then, the muscles in his broad shoulders flexed as he lowered his weapon, heat blazed across my cheeks.
He cleared his throat as he fell back into a more comfortable position. My eyes take in the view selfishly, for maybe a bit too long. I finally find the strength to drag my gaze up once more to meet his smoldering gray eyes.