“My backyard is completely private. No swimsuits. Everything is on the table, remember? So let’s start with a little skinny-dipping.” He dropped my wrist and walked backward toward the door. “Isn’t this what Operation Exploration is all about?”
“You want to go skinny-dipping?” Why did my voice sound three octaves higher than usual?
“I do.” His voice was gravelly. “Trust me. You’ll enjoy it, Jeege. Unless you’re afraid to be naked with me?”
For a moment I thought I’d stopped breathing, and I blew out a breath to pull myself together. My pulse raced, and my body heated in a way I’d never experienced.
I was going to do this.
I was going to skinny-dip with Cutler, and allow myself to do whatever I wanted.
I cleared my throat, tipping my chin up. “I’m not afraid. I just don’t love cold water.”
His tongue swept out to wet his bottom lip, and I had to force myself not to react. “Trust me. You won’t be cold for long. Come on.”
I followed him outside. The leaves on the large trees in his backyard were rustling in the slight breeze, but it was still warm outside. It was dark, and I tipped my head up, taking in all the stars in the sky.
It was so peaceful out here—something I’d miss terribly when I moved to New York. Los Angeles was always loud and bustling, and I’d craved the quiet that I’d grown up with whenI’d lived there. The quiet that you usually found in a small town where there wasn’t traffic and the sound of horns blaring at all hours.
We made our way down to the dock, and the dark blue water looked almost black. The only light was coming from the stars and the moon, along with a few of Cutler’s patio lights in the distance. He didn’t hesitate as he tore his tee over his head, giving me a perfect view of his muscled chest and chiseled abs. And then, before I could process anything, he tugged his shorts off right along with his briefs, kicking them to the side as he stood completely naked in front of me.
He just grinned and raised a brow as if he was waiting, and I stood there gaping at him.
My God.
The man was just—not normal.
His body was complete perfection.
And his penis was as impressive as it had been a few weeks ago.
“I’ll meet you in the water, Jeege.” He turned, giving me a spectacular view of his hard, muscled ass, just before he dove into the water. He came up to the surface and shook his head and howled. “It’s great. Get in here.”
My breaths were shallow, and I forced myself to pull it together as I yanked down the straps of my tank top, then shimmied out of my jean skirt as it fell in a puddle on the deck beneath my feet. I unsnapped my bra, glancing in the water to see Cutler standing with his elbows resting on the deck and his eyes on me.
Watching me.
The heat and want and desire impossible to miss in his gaze.
I let my bra fall and then used my thumbs to tug my panties down my legs, kicking them to the side.
I am really doing this.
I wanted to experience things that I hadn’t experienced, and jumping in the lake at night naked with a man was definitely not something I’d ever done before.
A ladder was attached to the deck, and I turned around, chuckling internally that my ass was just a foot away from his face. As I took the first step down, his hands found my waist and he pulled me down, submerging us both beneath the water. I used my arms and surged to the surface as I gasped and laughed at the same time.
“Not nice, Bear.” I splashed water at his face as I moved my arms and legs in circles to keep my head above the surface, while he stood with ease. I pointed my toes and tried to touch the bottom, but Cutler had almost a foot on me, so only one of us could reach the bottom, and it certainly wasn’t me.
“Listen, Jeege. You tried to enter the water the same way you write contracts. Very slowly. I’m an impatient man.”
He looked ridiculously sexy with the top of his chest exposed, his dark hair pushed away from his handsome face as water droplets fell down his cheeks.
I was working hard to stay afloat, and he stepped closer. “Stop being stubborn and hold on to me.”
“I’m not being stubborn,” I said, my breathing labored, because yes, I was being stubborn. “I thought I would try to get some exercise in. You know I love to multitask.”
I reached for his shoulders, still keeping my body a few inches away from pressing against him as I locked my gaze with his.
