That makes sense, I suppose. It’s not like there are any warm, fluffy towels waiting on the other side.
“Fear not, Nia Quill. I can close my eyes so that I do not look at you disrobed.”
“I don’t mind.” He’s seen me in a drenched gown in the fountain and in my swimming costume. My bra and knickers aren’t that much more revealing. What does bother me, however, is the amount of muck caked on my skirts. I understand the need for warm clothes, but at the moment, I’d rather be clean. “Would it be possible to wash my dress?”
“Once we reach the other side, I will build a fire. Then you may wash your dress.”
That sounds like a fair compromise. At least he listened to me and took my request into consideration. Nolan probably would’ve rolled his eyes and told me to get over it.
I strip out of my dress and shift. My bra and knickers aren’t the most beautiful, but they’re serviceable enough. This is no different from the day we swam together at the quarry.
Only it is.
Today, I’m no longer trying to mend my relationship with Nolan. I am free and single, and Maddox is finally looking at me. Not just looking but staring with so much fire in his gaze that I might spontaneously combust.
How did I not see his lie about his Unseelie woman for what it was? The man wears every emotion on his face. A face that is turning away from me as he unfastens the buckle on his belt.
Probably for the best. If he kept looking at me like that, there’s no telling what I might’ve done.
I drop my things by his feet and start for the river.
The water laps at my toes, rolling lazily past. Holy hell. I’ve never felt water this cold.
I’m going to be a block of ice by the time I reach the other shore.
Maddox comes up beside me, our clothes bundled together and a pair of dark short pants tight over his thick thighs.
I dare not let my eyes linger for fear of what else I might see.
He adjusts his hold on our garments, passing them from one hand to the other. “We could find another way to cross if you would prefer.”
“Really? Do you have a boat I don’t know about?” I clip, my teeth already starting to chatter.
His lips twitch. “There may be a pass where the river is not so wide.”
Right now, my body needs to be clean more than it needs to be warm.
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of a little cold water.” Biting my lip, I take another step deeper into the frigid depths, making it to my knees before the shivers begin.
Maddox wades into the water behind me, his damp shorts clinging to him in the most lascivious way, especially the unmistakable ridge of his?—
I force myself to look forward even as heat climbs my spine. Pools low in my belly.
That’s one way to warm up.
I dive beneath the surface and let the frigid stream steal all the inappropriate thoughts from my mind, swimming untilmy arms feel like lead weights. Behind me, Maddox holds our clothes aloft, pushing the water aside with only one hand and a steady beat of powerful kicks.
Thank heavens he didn’t let me try to fight the current.
Even here, with the river barely flowing, each stroke steals far too much of my energy, leaving me empty and trembling.
When my arms grow too heavy to continue, I roll over to float on my back, breathing, searching for the will to carry on.
“You are almost there,” Maddox calls.
Doesn’t feel like it. Is it my imagination, or is the shore farther than it was only a moment ago? Tell me the current isn’t pulling me backward.
“Come, Nia Quill. A trout would never let the river win.”
