“Um…” I don’t know what to say. I can’t ask him to put me down and now I’m in his arms I’m not sure I want him to. I’m staring. His eyes are luminescent like they are catching the sunlight even though we are deep in the mountain. His hair drifts around him, caught up in the steam. He is rather pretty despite the claws. “I really can’t swim.”
“I know. You said.”
But he isn’t walking closer to the edge or to the shallows. So for the moment we are stuck in the middle of the lake and I will not let go of him until my feet can touch the ground.
“But you can float. I’ll make sure nothing happens.”
“Nice try.” As soon as I’m on my back everything will on display.
Confusion flickers over his face. “I didn’t try anything.” The corner of his lips quirks up, and he lowers his voice. “You would know it if I was trying something.”
He flexes his claws into my ass cheek, but at least one of his fingers is now dangerously close to my pussy. One wrong move and I’m going to get close and personal with a claw.
He smiles and we both know that there isn’t a damn thing I can do if he makes a move. It’s clear from the look on his face that he’s thought about it. If I’d been by myself for years, I might want to jump the first humanoid too.
“Do you want to float? Wash your hair?” He moves his hand a little, the pads of his fingers soft on my inner thigh.
“Yes.” Anything to put the distance back between us. I haven’t even been stranded for two days. I am not sex starved or desperate and yet I can’t deny there’s a heat in my belly. It’s the way he looks at me. Or is it the way he’s holding me, like he won’t let anything happen to me.
I ease my grip and he turns me, his fingers brush the side of my breasts then his hands are under my shoulders. I close my eyes so I don’t have to see him looking at me, but I can feel the water lapping at my nipples as they crest the water and if I can feel it I’m sure he can see it. I bite the inside of my lip, but my cheeks heat.
He lets go with one hand and I gasp, ready to flop and twist and grab onto anything. But I don’t sink and after a few moments I relax. I stare up at the ceiling and pretend I’m a million light-years from here.
“Shall I soap your hair?” Indiz interrupts my dreaming.
I open my eyes and glance up. “I can do it…if I can touch the ground.”
“I want to. I haven’t touched another in too long, but we can go to the edge if that would make you more comfortable.”
“To the edge, please.” Then I can remove drowning from my to do list for the day.
He guides me to the edge, still floating, and helps me lower my feet to the bottom. While I’m neck deep, the water laps at his chest.
There on the stone lip of the lake is a bar of green soap. I grab it and lather it between my hands and start to wash my hair while Indiz watches. My shoulder hurts when I lift my arms and I wince. I am defeated. My hair stays dirty or I let him.
I hand him the soap. “Can you?”
He takes the soap and washes my hair, working into my scalp in a way that feels like magic.
“Dip back.”
I do and he rinses my hair. I dislike being helpless, but I hate being in debt more and I don’t want to owe him a favor.
While I’m sure I will regret it later, I put my hand out for the soap. “Would you like me to wash yours?”
