The Billionaire's Assistant

Chapter 51

She shirked her suit jacket as Jove had and pulled the t-shirt partway over her head to persevere her modesty while she unbuttoned and then shimmied out of her button up. Kat had no undershirt, only the plain white sports bra she was wearing that she was fairly certain was Emma's, and as she pulled Jove's undershirt over her body she was relieved to see it fell almost to her knees, making her makeshift swimwear no racier than the long hemmed pencil shirts she typically wore. She pulled off her pants, kicking them from her ankles then grabbing them and wrapping them in a tight bundle with the rest of her clothes.

"Ready," she said finally, and Jove turned around.

"Cute," he said after examining her in his shirt for a moment. "C'mon."

He led her around the bank of the small lake to a slightly higher point where an outbank of rock stretched precariously over the water.

"This is where it's deepest," Jove explained.

He led Kat to the edge, gripping her hand as they traversed further onto the rock, then paused just before the edge.

"Are you scared?" he asked, leaning close to her to be heard over the sound of the waterfall.

Kat steeled herself, then looked in his eyes as she answered, a feat she was still mastering.

"I'm not scared," she announced.

"Good girl," he said, turning back towards the lake.

Kat's hand fell slack in his for a moment as she steadied herself after her words, and Jove's grip tightened itself in response. They stood side by side as the edge of the low cliff of rock, the water glistening below them and the sound of the falls rushing in their ears.

"On three," Jove called, but before he could begin his countdown Kat leapt into the water still clutching his hand, pulling him behind her so he was forced to jump as well.

The water was bitingly cold and enormously refreshing, and Kat surfaced, dunking her head back under, and surfaced again before looking around to find Jove.

He was swimming around her in small, vacillating circles, and he smiled when he caught her eye.

"This is perfect," she called to him over the rush, pushing her wet hair back from her forehead.

"Just wait," he said, his smile widening. "Follow me."

He turned and began to swim directly towards the waterfall, Kat following him in an unpracticed breaststroke.

They reached the edge of the waterfall, the sound deafening, and Jack dove underneath, swimming under and through the spray of the fall and disappearing from Kat's sight. She took a deep breath then followed him, feeling the spray pound against her body as she passed directly under the small waterfall. She kicked hard, fighting through the underwater downpour, then popped out on the other side, taking a much needed gulp of air.

She looked around, finding them in a small cave completely concealed from view even a few feet in front of its water shielded entrance.

"Wow," she said quietly, and her words echoed back to her despite the slightly dampened rush of the water behind them.

"It's cool right?" said Jove. "I used to love coming back here when I was a kid."

"So cool," Kat breathed, treading water in little circles as she looked around.

The ceiling of the space was cavernous, and small outcroppings of rocks and stalagmites jutted from its surface and sides. The space was carved from the same kind of rock as the house and the small lake within it was still, even cooler and quieter then its larger counterpart on the outside of the falls. A thin, rocky shoreline was squeezed between the edge of the water and the cave's back wall, and she watched as the clear water gently lapped at the shores.

She turned back to Jove, her smile threatening to split her face.

"Thank you for taking me here," she said.

"I'll take you wherever you want," he said coyly.

"No Jove, I'm serious," Kat continued, brushing off his flirtation. "Thank you for taking me here, to your grandmother's house."

Jove's smiles turned sincere.

"I can tell you care about it a lot, that you cared about her," Kat went on. "And I just feel like. I feel like I know you better," she finished.

They stared at each other for a moment, smiling, unable to look away.

"Well that's a good thing," Jove said finally, laughing. "Cause we didn't work on the memoir at all."

Kat's stomach sank again.

"What time is it?" she said, whipping around to try and catch a glimpse of the dying light through the sheet of water.

Jove shrugged.

"I have to get home, I have to go."

"Are you sure?" Jove asked. "We could make dinner, hang out and watch the waterfall at night. The stars come out," he offered after her silence. "It's gorgeous, way more than you could ever see in the city."

"I, I can't," Kat faltered. "I can't. I have to go home."