Griff ranme through exercise after exercise. He was just as hard, if not harder, a taskmaster as Kaia. I still couldn’t beat him, even trying everything I could to get under his guard. But he was too quick, always one step ahead.
I sat in a slump on the ground, utterly spent, my brand-new dress drenched with sweat and pooling around me like the water next to us. I hadn’t factored in the humidity—breathing was like moving underwater. Between that and all the wielding I had done, I was surprised I wasn’t splayed out on the ground.
His shadow fell over me.
“Let’s cool off in the ocean.” He extended a hand and hauled me to my feet.
I looked up at him. “I can’t swim. And I’d ruin my dress.”
“You won’t have to swim in your dress.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I amnotswimming naked.”
He let out a bark of laughter. “Freya already has it covered. And don’t worry, I won’t let you drown.” His smile lit up his face.
There was no way I could say no to that amount of joy. Especially when I remembered swimming was one of his favorite things.
Freya, already changed, quickly claimed me, and dragging me into the house, handed me a bathing suit. She had picked this up earlier when we were at the shop. I held it up and raised my eyebrows, looking for the rest of it. Shaking my head, I shimmied into it.
It was a corset top without sleeves, just straps that kept it up, cut low in the front, a vee shape falling between my breasts. Its alternating purple colors, one light and one dark, crisscrossed over my breasts, before knotting at my waist and flowing into a skirt—which ended mid-thigh. I was by no means a prude, but… I let out a heavy exhale. That was a lot of skin on display.
“Are you sure this is what you wear?”
She looked at me askance, but was wearing the same thing as me, just in green. “Why do you ask?”
“There’s just not much of it.” I shrugged on the matching robe, and tied my hair up on top of my head.
“Trust me. This is right. He’ll love it.”
I followed her back outside, wondering whichheshe was referring to.
The twins were already in the water. Finn was splashing around and Griff was industriously swimming laps. Freya threw off her robe and dove into the water. She had perfect form, unsurprising for someone who’d grown up here. I couldn’t imagine it, being so comfortable with the water that you went in headfirst.
I sat on the edge of the dock and dangled my feet in the water. It was surprisingly warm, like bathwater after it had sat for a bit. I skimmed my hand along the surface, and it jumped up to greet me, splashing gently over my hand, beckoning me in. I was tempted, but that was an awfully big step.
Griff would have none of my hesitation, however. He swam overand held out his hands. “Come on, Princess,” he coaxed, his face splitting with a grin. “Your water channel won’t let you drown. And if you don’t trust that, trust me.”
“Get in here, Lexie!” Finn called, splashing Freya. She let out a shriek and dove under, popping up behind him and dunking him. He came back up out of the water, shaking his hair out of his eyes. She swam away and he chased after her, promising retribution.
Griff was still waiting, arms outstretched. “Jump,” he urged gently. “I’ll catch you.”
His smile and the laughter was infectious. I had to join in. I slid off the robe, baring that expanse of skin. Griff blinked and swallowed visibly.
Just friends, huh, Champion?Maybe this was worth it.
I took a big breath and slid into the water, and he was right there, his hands firmly around my waist. I locked my arms around his neck, his bare chest against my scantily clad one, and a warmth that didn’t come from the water washed over me. He towed me around, getting me used to it, showing me how to kick my feet to tread the water like he was doing. I started to relax and released a bit of the death grip I had on him. The water bobbed us up and down, the waves gentle out here, ebbing and flowing peacefully, pushing us closer together.
“Lie back,” he urged.
I followed his directions and allowed myself to float, the waves gently moving my body. He stayed close to me, one hand supporting me, but I started to understand the appeal of this. Our eyes met, and there was a softness in his that I rarely saw. He opened his mouth to say something but never got the chance.
“My turn!” Finn cried, coming out of nowhere.
I let out a shriek as he grabbed my arm and started hauling me around, far more exuberantly than Griff did. He took me out farther than I had ventured with Griff. Those waves were significantly higher than the small, gentle waves near the house.
“Finn, I don’t know about this?—”
I barely had time to get the word out before a massive wavecrashed over me and I went under. I lost hold of Finn, tumbling in the water. Before I had time to panic, the water pushed me back up and spit me out. I flailed for a moment, my hair plastered over my face, struggling to get a breath in.
