“Aye!” she laughed, splashing again.
He lunged toward her, sending a wave in her direction. She shrieked in delight, and darted back quick as a trout, and light as sunlight on water. He chased her deeper, with the coolness wrapping around him, waking every sense he owned.
She dodged his reach once, even twice, until he finally caught her by the waist. She let out a startled gasp. His hands steadied her as the water rocked them gently. Her laughter faded into a breathy sigh.
And suddenly, they were very, very close.
Her hair clung damp to her neck. Droplets slid down her cheek. Her lips were parted slightly, still curved from laughter, but now there was something glowing beneath it.
“Davina…” He called out her name in a voice that was roughened by the cold water and something far deeper.
She looked up at him, eyes dark and bright all at once. “Aye, Baird?”
He didn’t remember leaning in. He only remembered the moment their breaths mingled, then the soft warmth of hers against the chill of his skin. His hand rose almost without his permission, brushing a strand of wet hair behind her ear.
Her eyes fluttered shut. That was all the invitation he needed.
He kissed her slowly at first, like he feared she might vanish if he moved too quickly. Her lips were warm despite the loch, soft and yielding, tasting faintly of sunlight and stolen freedom. She softened against him, her hands rising to grip his shoulders with a quiet urgency that stole his breath.
The kiss deepened gently, like an unspoken promise unfolding between them. She pressed closer, her body buoyed by the water, her mouth moving with his as though learning him, exploring him. He felt her sigh against his lips, and the sound sent a shiver down his spine.
His thumb brushed her cheek, while her fingers curled into his wet shirt. Everything around them, the hills, the water, the sky, seemed to hold still in reverence. For a man who had never let himself want anything freely, this kiss felt like claiming breath after drowning.
He moved away from her, only to hear her whisper. “So, this is freedom as well?”
Baird smiled against her lips. “Aye… this is ours.”
CHAPTER 28
For a breathless moment after their kiss, Davina thought Baird would pull away, suggest they return to shore, wrap themselves in dignity and dry clothes and all the careful distance they had kept for weeks.
But he didn’t.
Instead, his hand slid to her jaw, tilting her face up to his with a gentleness that made her chest tighten. He kissed her again, more slowly and more deeply.
The world softened around her. The wind quieted. The water rocked them. The sunlight shimmered against their skin.
She melted into him, as her hands found the solid shape of his shoulders, his neck, the places where strength and tenderness lived side by side. Every time his lips brushed hers, the kiss deepened, not with hunger but with reverence, as though he were asking permission with every breath.
Then, without breaking the kiss, he guided her backwards, toward the shallower water.
At first, she didn’t understand. Her breath caught, and she whispered his name against his mouth. “Baird…?”
But his hand slid to the small of her back, steadying her, reassuring her. When she opened her eyes, he was watching her with an expression that made her heart tremble. It was softness edged with awe, as though he could hardly believe she was there, choosing him.
He led her step by slow step until her feet brushed the sandy bottom beneath them and the water lapped at her hips, then, at her knees and finally, at her ankles. The sunlight warmed her shoulders, droplets glittering on her skin.
“Is this all right?” he murmured, his forehead resting gently against hers.
She nodded, unable to speak, her breath caught somewhere between her ribs and her heart.
He kissed her again. The kiss was filled with emotion he didn’t have words for. His hands framed her face, then drifted to her hips, guiding her down with a tenderness that made her knees weaken. The water buoyed her until the sand supported her gently, cool and soft beneath her palms.
Baird lowered himself with her, bracing his weight carefully on his forearms so he never crushed her, his body forming a protective shelter around hers. All the while his mouth moved against hers, slowly and reverently, and she felt every part of him tremble with restraint.
The loch rippled softly around them. His breaths mingled with hers. His thumb brushed her cheek, tender as a prayer. And Davina understood, in that moment, that he wasn’t laying her down out of desire alone. It was trust. It was surrender. It was the first time he’d let himself be vulnerable with someone who could hurt him.
Then, his fingers gripped the hem of her undershirt, which was now clinging to her body, and he lifted it to her waist. He caressed her thighs, gently trailing an invisible line as he coaxed her to open herself for him. She moaned softly against his lips, only for him to pull away and look at her mischievously, before lowering himself to plant a soft kiss on her stomach.
