Beautiful,she whispers, and I can’t argue. He is beautiful—not in a pretty way, but in the way a blade is beautiful. Dangerous and purposeful and absolutely mesmerizing.
Heat curls low in my belly, and I press my thighs together, confused by the intensity of my reaction. This is Kier. When did he become… this? When did looking at him start making my pulse race and my skin feel too tight?
Want,my she-wolf growls.
“No, we don’t,” I mutter under my breath, but my body and my wolf don’t seem to be getting the message.
Kier tosses the fish onto the bank. With knife in hand, he begins to prep his kill.
“You planning to hide behind that tree all day, or are you going to join me?”
I jump, my heart slamming into my throat. He hasn’t once glanced my way and is still standing knee-deep at the water’s edge, but somehow he knows I’m here.
“I wasn’t hiding,” I call back, stepping out from behindthe pine with as much dignity as I can muster. “I was… waiting my turn.”
He turns then, completely unselfconscious about his nudity, eyebrow raised in that infuriating way of his. “Your turn for what? Voyeurism or fishing?”
“I need to wash,” I say primly, trying to keep my eyes on his face and not… other areas.
“Well, don’t let me stop you.” He wades back into deeper water, settling into his fishing stance again. “Water’s not too bad once you get used to it.”
I hesitate at the water’s edge. Getting undressed with him right there feels… significant somehow. Like crossing a line I can’t uncross.
“Oh, and Lithia?” he calls without looking at me, voice infuriatingly casual. “I’d ask if you brought me a pole, but, well…” He gestures vaguely downward, a smirk curling his lips. “We can both see you did.”
My brain stutters. My face flames.
He chuckles, the sound deeply wicked. “Ignore it. I’m just glad to see you up and about.”
I let out an incredulous laugh, torn between shoving his head under the water and holding him there until the bubbles stop, or pretending this whole conversation never happened.
“You’re terrible,” I huff, trying for dignity as I unbutton my shirt.
“So you keep telling me.” He chuckles, turning back to the water.
I strip efficiently, trying not to think about the fact that he could turn around at any moment. When I step into the water, it’s shockingly cold, making me gasp.
“Liar,” I accuse through chattering teeth. “This is freezing.”
“You’ll adjust.”
I wade deeper, soap in hand, keeping my eyes firmly onthe rippling surface. “Easy for you to say. You’re obviously part polar bear or something.”
A soft snort. “I’ll take the compliment.”
The water laps around my waist, sending a shiver through me. “I’m regretting this. I’m not built to handle hypothermia just to get clean.”
“Consider it character building.”
I glance over my shoulder and catch him watching me out of the corner of his eye, just briefly—a flicker, gone before I can call him on it. My stomach does a stupid, traitorous little flip.
“Eyes forward, Kier,” I say, but there’s no bite to my words.
He laughs, low and rough. “Oh, I’m being a gentleman. You’re the one making it difficult.”
I roll my eyes, sinking down to wet my hair. As I rise, my foot slips on the slick rock below.
I let out a startled yelp, arms flailing, and suddenly he’s there, catching me with a splash and a grunt. His hands are firm on my waist, holding me steady, and for one breathless second, our bodies are too close, the chill of the water forgotten entirely.
