“Oh, you’re dead, Harrington," Emma growled, her accent thickening deliciously.
In a flash, she grabbed another watering can and lunged. Olivia shrieked, dodging expertly, the sound bright and musical. She darted across the garden, nimble and laughing, her bare feet kicking up little clouds of dust as Emma gave chase.
The air filled with the sharp tang of wet earth and the sweet scents of crushed herbs as the two women ran, splashing water at each other with reckless abandon. Their laughter mingled freely, carried on the dry desert breeze, rich and utterly intoxicating.
Olivia ducked behind a low wall, eyes glittering with mischief. She was breathless and flushed, radiant with exertion and something more primal, a raw joy Emma had never seen in her before.
Emma caught up, grabbing her around the waist and spinning her effortlessly, both of them tumbling to the ground with a thud that sent a spray of water and dust into the air.
They landed in a heap, Olivia sprawled across Emma’s lap, giggling uncontrollably. Her shirt was completely soaked through now, clinging to her curves in ways that made Emma’s mouth go dry. Every line of Olivia’s body was revealed, the delicate dip of her waist, the taut peaks of her nipples straining against the wet cotton, the bare length of her legs tangled with Emma’s.
Emma’s hands tightened instinctively at Olivia’s hips, feeling the rapid beat of her pulse beneath her fingertips. Their eyes locked, the laughter between them fading into something heavier, hungrier.
Neither moved for a moment, caught in the thick, electric charge of the air between them. Olivia licked her bottom lip unconsciously, a slow, sensual gesture that had Emma’s control fracturing like glass under heat.
“You're trouble, city girl," Emma murmured, her voice low and rough with desire.
Olivia smiled slowly, the edge of innocence sharpened by something far darker. “You’re just realizing that now?”
Emma chuckled, a sound full of promise, and deliberately slid her palm up along the soaked curve of Olivia’s side, savoringthe shudder that racked Olivia’s body in response. The teasing was playful, but the tension was anything but.
From across the garden, Marv hollered good-naturedly for them to “take it easy before someone slips and busts their fool heads open,” but neither woman paid him any mind. The rest of the retreat might as well have evaporated.
Emma let her hand linger a moment longer than necessary, memorizing the heat of Olivia’s body through the wet fabric: the way her breath quickened, the way her pupils dilated until her eyes were nearly black with want.
It would be so easy to take her right here—push that wet shirt up, slide her hands along those endless legs, taste the desert heat clinging to Olivia’s flushed skin.
But not yet.
Emma smiled lazily, brushing a wet lock of hair from Olivia’s cheek. “You’re gonna owe me for that, sugar."
Olivia’s laugh was low and breathless, her body still pressed tight against Emma’s. "Looking forward to it."
Emma let her fingers trail slowly across the exposed strip of Olivia’s belly as she helped her up, knowing full well the promise she was weaving into the simple touch.
The day might have started with playful teasing, but by the time the sun dipped low behind the desert hills, Emma knew tonight would be about a different kind of surrender.
And Olivia would be ready for it.
The sun had barely dipped below the horizon when Emma found her hand wrapping firmly around Olivia’s wrist, their skin still damp and their bodies humming from the wild, teasing energy of the afternoon.
She didn’t ask.
She didn’t have to any more.
Olivia’s breath caught as Emma tugged her through the narrow path between the cabins, gravel crunching beneath their hurried footsteps. The late heat of the day clung to them, sticky and heavy, feeding the crackling tension between their bodies.
Emma shoved open the door to her cabin and pulled Olivia inside with a roughness that made something low and hungry twist in Olivia’s belly.
The door slammed shut behind them. The air inside was cooler, but it didn’t matter. Olivia felt feverish, her pulse hammering against her ribs as she met Emma’s darkened gaze.
Emma looked at her like a starving woman, eyes hot and mouth curved into a predatory smirk. Without a word, she crowded Olivia back against the door, pinning her with the force of her body. Olivia gasped, her back hitting the wood with a soft thud, but it was the look in Emma’s eyes that truly stole her breath.
"You’ve been teasing me all damn day, sugar," Emma growled low against her ear, her accent thick, her breath hot against Olivia’s flushed skin. "Gettin' yourself all wet again, and not just with that water."
Olivia whimpered softly as Emma’s hand slid up the soaked fabric of Olivia’s shirt, fingers brushing just beneath the hem, teasing the sensitive skin of her waist.
"Tell me what you want," Emma murmured, lips grazing the shell of Olivia’s ear. "Say it, sweetheart. I wanna hear you beg."
