Page 32 of The Highlander’s Iron Hold

"It's a promise," came her laughing reply from the water.

Colin turned to find her neck-deep in the crystal pool, her hair floating around her like spun gold. "Ye comin’?" she asked boldly.

"Getting’ there," Colin replied, beginning to remove his own shirt.

" I suppose I can wait while ye catch up."

"How generous of ye," Colin said dryly.

"I'm known fer me patience," she replied with a straight face, then immediately contradicted herself. "Actually, nay, I'm nae. Hurry up before I get bored and swim away."

"Swim away? In me private loch?"

"Our private loch now," Morag corrected. "Marriage makes us equal partners, remember?"

"Daes it now?" Colin asked, wading into the water. "I'll have tae remember that."

"See that ye dae," Morag said, backing away as he approached. "Though I notice ye're movin’ rather slowly fer someone who supposedly grew up swimmin’."

"I'm savorin’ the moment," Colin said, moving closer.

"Or ye're afraid the water's too cold," Morag teased.

"Cold?" Colin lunged forward suddenly, sending a splash of water her way. "Daes that feel cold tae ye?"

Morag shrieked and splashed him back. "Ye're terrible! I was being perfectly civilized!"

"Civilized is overrated," Colin said, grinning as he moved through the water toward her with easy strokes. "Besides, I thought ye wanted tae see me swimmin’ technique."

"This is technique?" Morag asked, dodging another splash. "It looks more like the flailin’ of a drowning man."

"Drownin’?" Colin caught her easily as she tried to swim away, his arms coming around her waist. "I'll show ye drownin’, lass."

But instead of dunking her as threatened, he simply held her there in the water, both of them suddenly aware of how close they were.

"It's perfect," Morag said softly, floating on her back with her eyes closed. "I can see why ye love this place."

Ye' re perfect.

The thought came unbidden, catching Colin off guard with its intensity. Where had that come from? He barely knew this woman, yet watching her move through the water with such natural grace, seeing her face relaxed and genuinely happy for perhaps the first time since he'd met her...

Colin watched her, mesmerized by the graceful way she glided through the water. When she laughed and splashed him playfully, he found himself grinning and retaliating, their earlier tension giving way to something lighter and more intimate.

The game escalated until Morag tried to duck away from one of his splashes and lost her footing on the smooth stones beneath. Colin caught her instinctively, his arms coming around her waist to steady her, and suddenly she was pressed against his chest.

"I've got ye," Colin murmured, his voice rougher than usual.

"I can see that," Morag whispered back, but she made no move to pull away.

Time seemed to stop. Morag's hands had come up to rest against his shoulders, and her lips were parted in surprise, so close he could feel her breath against his skin. All Colin could focus on was the way her pupils had dilated, the rapid flutter of her pulse at the base of her throat.

Christ, she's bonny.

"Ye have very... steady hands."

"Years of sword training," Colin said, though his grip on her waist was anything but steady now. "Though this is considerably more pleasant than combat practice."

"Is it?" Morag asked, tilting her head slightly. "I thought maybe this was just another form of strategy fer ye. The Highland laird conquerin’ new territory."