Olivia untied her half-boots, removed her stockings and then burst to her feet. This day had been set aside for pleasure, and she might as well experience it to the fullest. The two of them were quite alone. What did she have to lose?
In less than thirty seconds, she’d stripped her gown over her head and was making her way to another section of the small cove. He mightn’t even see her if she avoided the bank he’d dove from. Shivering as she entered the cool water, she determined to keep quiet and duck low so that he wouldn’t even see her and—
“It drops off rather quickly there.”
She turned to see his black head emerge from the water, shining like some sort of seal or sea mammal. And she was most certainly providing an eyeful for him, dressed in nothing but her chemise. If she could take a few more steps, she could cover herself—
And down she went as the bottom fell away beneath her. Drat and tarnation, he’d warned her! Whereas the water had been cool near the shore, it might as well have been iced over in the deeper parts. She gasped and then choked, instincts causing her to kick and paddle her way back to the surface.
He probably thought she’d lied about knowing how to swim, seeing her graceless splashing and then coughing.
Firm hands grasped her waist.
“I’m fine,” she managed between coughs. Not only was she mortified to have made such a ninny of herself, but another set of shocking sensations beset her as his legs and arms and chest floated up against her from behind.
His bare arms wrapped around her, and the tops of hers rubbed against the slick skin of his chest and shoulders.
His skin felt cool to the touch, cold even, which made all the heated sensations swirling around inside of her even more confounding.
He wasn’t doing anything in order to stay afloat, so the water must be just shallow enough that he could stand and just deep enough that she could not.
If she were to push away from him and kick her legs, she could show him she did not need his assistance.
And yet…
She relaxed her limbs, tilted her head back and rested it upon his shoulder. She could not remember a time when she’d known such a sensation of safety and protection.
“I can swim, you know,” she admitted lazily, her feet floating up in front of her. But instead of releasing her, his hands guided her so that she floated almost fully on her back.
And now the side of her face rested just along his jaw.
It was the closest she’d ever been to a man, and the texture of his skin scratched hers, sending fluttering sensations loose in her chest.
“Just relax.” His voice rumbled by her ear.
More fluttering.
And then, both of them unmoving, time stood still. A breeze rustled the leaves overhead, a few birds called out to one another, and the two of them simply soaked up the moment of an odd and comforting connection.
“Gabriel,” she whispered. “Thank you for bringing me here today.”
Chapter 9
Good Intentions
Gabriel could not recalla single recent memory when he’d known such contentment and peace. With mud beneath his feet and the water cooling his skin, he watched her body rise and then settle along the top of the water. Her hair had escaped the loose knot she’d had it in and now floated out from her face, almost like rays of light from the sun.
The water had turned her shift transparent, and it plastered itself against her body, revealing pert, dusky nipples perfectly centered in the contours of feminine flesh. The water lapped across her abdomen, drawing his eyes to the apex of her thighs, the texture of hair revealed by the wet fabric.
But his gaze didn’t linger there, drawn as he was to finely shaped knees, calves, and then tiny pink feet.
He swallowed hard around the lump in his throat. Her gratitude pierced something inside of him. Instead of answering her, he dropped a kiss onto the side of her face.
He meant it to be short and sweet, but his lips lingered instead. Sliding his hands up from her back, he threaded his fingers through the silky wet strands of her hair. With the loss of his hand supporting her, her bottom and legs sunk below the water.
And then her legs were tangled in his and as she turned, the tips of her breasts grazed his naked chest. She squirmed at first, and by God, the force of the water pressed every tantalizing inch of her soft curves against him.
He’d honestly intended to remain platonic with this woman, but when she peered at him with eyes made up from a fantasy, framed by thick misty lashes, reflecting the same want and desire he felt…
