He laughs, shaking his head. Up close, I can see the bruise on his eye starting to turn yellow, but he’s still handsome.
“You did great though. With consistent practice, you could hit it every time.”
He reaches out for the gun, and I hand it over to him.
“Watch.”
He pulls my earmuffs back into place, followed by his own. I take a step back as he approaches the five targets. I was shootingfor the closest one, but there are four others spread around, each farther away than the last. He raises the handgun, muscles tensing up in his back. Five shots in the next three seconds hit each mark dead in the center.
I try not to let my face show how impressed I am, but that was hot.
He shifts his body around, reloading the gun before he hands it to me. “Try a few more.”
I oblige, loving the feel of his arms encircling me again to support my one-armed shooting. I hit the target twice more. He readjusts my shoulders and grip multiple times, and the heat from his skin is starting to drive me wild. The sun is beginning to beat down on us, and I’m praying that the old stick of deodorant Linnet gave me is doing its job.
After another hour of shooting practice, we walk back to the old truck. The sun has risen higher, and it’s nearing noon.
“I need a dip in the river,” he says.
Sweat is beading on my forehead and his, so I nod eagerly. He rolls the windows down after we hop in the pickup, driving us through the trees on a makeshift road. The summer in North Carolina is hotter than I expected, especially with the humidity. He parks under an enormous canopy of leaves from a tall tree, opening the door.
“I haven’t been here in a while. I hope it’s running.”
I follow him up to the break in the trees, hearing the water before I see it. When it comes into view, I’m surprised to see that it’s more of a small lake with a river pouring into it from a waterfall. It’s not huge, but surrounded by the trees and rock formation, it’s a private oasis.
“Wow. I can’t believe you own this.”
He pulls his sweat-dampened shirt off, and my eyes are presented with more rippling muscles. I gulp down the immediate desire to taste his salty skin. He drops his pants downnext, keeping the form-fitting boxers on. He dives into the water headfirst, and I remember how at home he was in the ocean.
“It must be deep,” I mumble.
I pull off the oversize shirt I’m wearing—one of Luke’s. Linnet washed my joggers, and I peel them off. My underwear are an embarrassingly plain pink cotton thong and black sports bra, but it’s what I had on when I was attacked. I make a mental note to try and start wearing fancier panties, considering you never know who might see them.
I’m not usually thejump into dark, unknown watertype.
Luke’s black head of hair bobs above the water, and he turns around to face me with a grin. “You diving in, Cabernet?”
His eyes dip over me, darkening to an emerald shade. My skin is already heated, but the temperature is increasing, the longer I stand on the edge of the bank. The courage finds me, and I jump in feetfirst. Frigid water sucks me under, the delicious change sending shock waves through my body.
When I break through the surface, he’s treading water close by. I kick my feet, using one arm to try and stay up. He reaches out, encircling my waist.
“I’m right here.” His voice is low.
He easily supports us both, his Navy SEAL training over-qualifying him for the task. We’re inside a dome of perfection, separated from the world and its troubles. It chased us here against our wills, but I’m thankful for the reprieve.
He’s holding me close, skin on skin. I reach my good arm around his neck, rising up to level my face with his. My legs instinctively twist around his waist. His eyes don’t leave mine as he lets me use his body as a life raft.
Leaning into his ear, I boldly whisper, “What would you do if I did try to kill you?”
My fingers are scraping over his scalp, and his eyes drift closed.
“I’d tie you up...and make you tell me who you were working for,” he whispers back.
The girl I was the night at Divine Taste is back. She’s ready to have an out-of-body experience again.
Be sexy, Kate.
“How would you make me?”
