“I just thought you might be uncomfortable being the only woman on that side of the beach with her suit on,” he said with mock sincerity. “Just looking out for you,älskling.”
Niklas’s unshaven jaw tickled my skin.
“I’m not an exhibitionist,” he added, easing my body against the hard muscles of his chest. “Experimental is a better word for it.”
My cheeks warmed at the memory of the long, white beach and the clear, rolling waves. The day had been unseasonably warm for Australian winter, and Niklas and I took the ferry and then the bus out to the sleepy beach town for the afternoon. For once, I had left my camera behind, taking in the sparkling water from the edge of the boat with Niklas behind me, his body warming my skin.
“Swimming nude in Australia was fun,” I admitted. “But I’m not sure I can do it here.”
“Come on,” he whispered in my ear. “It’s dark out. Just give it a try.”
“So I just… take my clothes off?” I asked.
Niklas’s laugh rumbled, and his body tightened against mine.
“Or I can help you,” he said, reaching down for the hem of my dress. “Whatever you like.”
His last words came out in a soft growl as his hand slid up my thigh. Were we really going to skinny dip here, in his own yard? It was one thing to try this kind of crazy idea half the world away from home, but it was another thing to do this near my hometown. Still, I was certain no one would recognize me here—no one I knew lived in houses like these. And soon one or both of them might be leaving Detroit, and everything here would be over. I pushed the thought away, forcing myself to concentrate on something more immediate.
I turned around and slipped my hands under the hem of Niklas’s shirt, moving my fingers over the taut muscles of his stomach. He bent down and brushed his lips over mine.
My words came out breathless. “Have you ever swum here at night like this before?”
“I swim in the evening every now and then, but never like this,” he said. “I’ve never met anyone I’ve wanted to try it with before.”
His hand slid up my thigh again. Heat radiated off his body, irresistible in the cool night air. I lifted his shirt and pressed my lips to the flat muscles of his chest.
“Does this mean you’re willing?” His voice was a low rumble, hinting at other meanings in his question. His hand slipped under my panties and over my rear, pulling me closer.
“When you get me to this point, I’m willing to do just about anything,” I said, running my hands along the planes of his chest.
His chest moved with a chuckle. “I’ll remember that.”
Niklas released me and stepped back so my hands dropped from his chest. He lifted his shirt over his head and tossed it back onto the blanket in the grass. His gaze fell back on me, and the corner of his mouth turned up a little as he reached down for his belt buckle. Slowly, he undid his belt and the top button of his jeans. My mouth dropped open a little as my gaze fixed on the straining bulge in his jeans. He pulled down his zipper and his erection pulsed.
“Caroline.” Niklas’s voice startled me out of my daze. “If you watch me like that, we won’t make it into the water.”
I looked away, and I was sure he could see my fierce blush, even in the darkness. He had caught me staring at him before, and I wasn’t sure why this particular time made me feel uncomfortable.
Niklas took a couple steps forward and stroked my cheek until I looked up at him.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “It’s just that you turn me on so much and I…well, I get distracted. I start thinking about all the things I want to do with you.”
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me in, his warm breath in my hair. “You don’t have to be embarrassed about anything around me,” he said, stroking my hair. “It’s us, just like it was before we came to Detroit, right?”
I nodded, my face rubbing against the scattering of hair across his chest. Niklas brought out my desire to be touched, to be held, to feel the weight of him, and I was a little wary of this desire. I had left Detroit to find my own path to happiness. Was Niklas’s appeal a different kind of dependence, a temptation I should resist? Or was I learning how it felt to open the door to my heart?
Niklas was still holding me tight, my cheek pressed against his bare skin, the scent of him surrounding me as I breathed. If I just concentrated on how I felt right now, everything was perfect.
I raised my head off Niklas’s chest and looked into his eyes. The glow off the water reflected in them as he looked down at me. He didn’t ask or say anything this time. He just smiled.
“I think I’m ready for some skinny dipping,” I said.
Niklas’s eyes widened, and he bent down to kiss me.
“Then let’s get naked before you change your mind,” he whispered.
I gave a little snort of laughter. “You certainly know how to sweet-talk a girl.”
