His laughter meets my squeal, and before I know what’s happening, he pulls me under with him, my head completely submerged, his hands still holding my waist carefully, protectively.
Then we break the water line, and I gulp in huge lungfuls of air and his strong fingers wipe away the droplets of water from my eyes as he says huskily, “Does that feel better?”
My eyes pop open and I stare into his dark, intense gaze.
I say nothing, unable to look away, and as his gaze powers through me, I can form no words. I have no movement either, and only the cry of a bird overhead disturbs the sudden silence as we connect in a surprising moment of astonishment.
I recover first.
“Why?”
He doesn’t appear to be in a hurry to push me away; if anything, his hold tightens and he leans closer and whispers against my ear, “Medical emergency. You’re welcome.”
His breath is hot, dusting my cheek, and his touch is surprisingly gentle, his thumb applying small pressure to my waist, his chest pressed against mine, and his cock – fuck!
I have no power left in my limbs, and for some reason, tears spill down my face as I break a little inside.
“You’re crying.”
He states facts and I nod, my words tied in a jumble inside me.
He strokes my face, pulling me closer, and for some reason, I wrap my arms around him, well, half of him anyway, and sob on his shoulder as if he cracked my heart open and the pain seeps out.
CHAPTER 6
BLADE
She’s crying. I hate to see a woman cry. I’m not sure what to do but holding her is not a bad thing.
I wonder if Iwas the one who made her cry.
For some reason, I hate that thought. I like it when she smiles. When she attempts to make conversation despite the fact that it doesn’t come easy to me.
I like having her around because she’s easy company. She doesn’t talk non-stop, hit on me, or throw suggestive glances my way. She is pretty, easy on the eye and a feminine addition to a very masculine environment.
But she’s crying, and I’m not okay with that.
After a while, her sobs subside and she mumbles into my chest.
“I’m sorry.”
My muscles tense, and she pulls back and smiles. “I know, no apologies, but it appears I have a lot to apologize for.”
I frown. “What did I tell you earlier? Out here there are no rules. No problems and no fucks to give. If you want to scream your heart out, I won’t stop you, and if you decide to sing out of tune, I wouldn’t care. Run naked through the trees; I’d be good with that. But don’t curse. It doesn’t look good on you.”
The fact that she is chewing on her lip and gazing at me through her soulful eyes is an inconvenience because my cock has his own mind and likes what he sees.
I pull away slightly; she doesn’t need that to deal with as well as her problems, and she smiles, an act that catches on a little edge of my jaded heart.
“I’m not sure why I cried, really.” She sniffs.
“I suppose it’s because you’re being so kind. I’m not used to that.”
I jerk my head to the side of the stream.
“Come, we can dry out and test your memory if you like.”
She nods and I lift her out of the water as if she’s a feather and curse the fact her t-shirt is stretched across her breasts that are straining against the sodden fabric.
