beside him, her hand on his arm. “You okay?”
“What? Oh, um, yeah. Sure.”
She frowned at him, a cute little dimple deepening in her cheek. “I was going to ask
about the lake. Is it good for swimming?”
“It’s the best for swimming,” he told her, shaking himself free of the lingering mind
warp and focusing on the lady in front of him. “Is that what you’d like to do first?
Go swimming?”
Smiling, she nodded. “Seems like the thing to do.”
“And then what?” he asked her.
She shrugged. “Play it by ear, I guess.”
He nodded. “I’ll leave you to change.”
She dove from the dock at the water’s edge into the crystalline water while Holden
sat on the shore, too shaken to do more than watch. He’d been in a sorry state from
the moment she’d come down the stairs clad only in her bathing suit. He’d certainly
seen gorgeous women in less. In nothing. In bikinis that amounted to little more than
nothing. The suit Lucy wore was a demure one-piece tank. No plunging neckline or French-cut
leg openings. Just a simple tank. It was red. Spandex. Clingy. Her breasts were round
underneathit, her legs, long and shapely and exposed to him, her backside, perfect for squeezing.
And he wanted her more than he had before.
Dangerous, this game he was playing. How was he ever going to get through a year without
touching her?
She popped out of the water some distance from the dock, and looked back at him. “Aren’t
you coming in?” she called.
He almost said no. It was too much to ask for him to get into the water with her,
to be that close to her. But who was he kidding? He couldn’t say no to her. So he
got to his feet in his cutoff denim shorts, and walked to the edge of the dock. “How
cold is it?” he asked, sticking one foot into the water.
“Freezing! Deliciously freezing.”
He made a face. Then he dove into the water, which was even colder than he’d expected.
He shivered as he swam, and then emerged right beside her. The droplets that clung
to her skin shimmered in the sun, and her hair was slicked back and shiny, making
her black eyes seem even larger and darker than before. She slid backward in the water,
floating on her back and looking up at the sky. The cold water made her nipples stiff
underneath the suit, and he could only stare at them for a long moment.
“Holden?”
“Hmm?”
“Are you going to stand there shivering, or are you going to swim?” She rolled over,
and shot off through the water like an errant mermaid, kicking water into his face
as she left. Playful. He’d never seen her like this.
Holden shot off after her, catching her easily, andthen they turned and swam back toward the dock together. Holden climbed out, then
turned and offered her a hand up. She took it, let him pull her out of the water,
then stood beside him with her arms wrapped around her shoulders. He quickly snatched
up one of the towels he’d brought down, and draped it over her. His hand slid over
her shoulder, lingering there for just a moment before he made himself take it away.
With a sigh, he snatched the other towel and began rubbing himself down with it. And
he didn’t fail to notice the way she stole glances at him as he did. She seemed to
approve of his chest, his abs, which made him glad, and then made him crazy.
Maybe bringing her up here wasn’t such a great idea.
“Coming here was a wonderful idea, Holden,” she said, and it was so much as if she’d
read his mind that he looked up fast. “It’s just what we both needed, I think. There’s
so much tension at home.”
He nodded. “How’s it going with the baby?”
She blinked, looked up at him. “The…the baby?”
“The preemie?” As he spoke, he turned her and led her back onto the grassy bank. Halfway
to the house, a wide wooden bench sat where it had been for the last twenty-odd years,
and he took her to it, sat down beside her there.
“Oh, right.
“What? Oh, um, yeah. Sure.”
She frowned at him, a cute little dimple deepening in her cheek. “I was going to ask
about the lake. Is it good for swimming?”
“It’s the best for swimming,” he told her, shaking himself free of the lingering mind
warp and focusing on the lady in front of him. “Is that what you’d like to do first?
Go swimming?”
Smiling, she nodded. “Seems like the thing to do.”
“And then what?” he asked her.
She shrugged. “Play it by ear, I guess.”
He nodded. “I’ll leave you to change.”
She dove from the dock at the water’s edge into the crystalline water while Holden
sat on the shore, too shaken to do more than watch. He’d been in a sorry state from
the moment she’d come down the stairs clad only in her bathing suit. He’d certainly
seen gorgeous women in less. In nothing. In bikinis that amounted to little more than
nothing. The suit Lucy wore was a demure one-piece tank. No plunging neckline or French-cut
leg openings. Just a simple tank. It was red. Spandex. Clingy. Her breasts were round
underneathit, her legs, long and shapely and exposed to him, her backside, perfect for squeezing.
And he wanted her more than he had before.
Dangerous, this game he was playing. How was he ever going to get through a year without
touching her?
She popped out of the water some distance from the dock, and looked back at him. “Aren’t
you coming in?” she called.
He almost said no. It was too much to ask for him to get into the water with her,
to be that close to her. But who was he kidding? He couldn’t say no to her. So he
got to his feet in his cutoff denim shorts, and walked to the edge of the dock. “How
cold is it?” he asked, sticking one foot into the water.
“Freezing! Deliciously freezing.”
He made a face. Then he dove into the water, which was even colder than he’d expected.
He shivered as he swam, and then emerged right beside her. The droplets that clung
to her skin shimmered in the sun, and her hair was slicked back and shiny, making
her black eyes seem even larger and darker than before. She slid backward in the water,
floating on her back and looking up at the sky. The cold water made her nipples stiff
underneath the suit, and he could only stare at them for a long moment.
“Holden?”
“Hmm?”
“Are you going to stand there shivering, or are you going to swim?” She rolled over,
and shot off through the water like an errant mermaid, kicking water into his face
as she left. Playful. He’d never seen her like this.
Holden shot off after her, catching her easily, andthen they turned and swam back toward the dock together. Holden climbed out, then
turned and offered her a hand up. She took it, let him pull her out of the water,
then stood beside him with her arms wrapped around her shoulders. He quickly snatched
up one of the towels he’d brought down, and draped it over her. His hand slid over
her shoulder, lingering there for just a moment before he made himself take it away.
With a sigh, he snatched the other towel and began rubbing himself down with it. And
he didn’t fail to notice the way she stole glances at him as he did. She seemed to
approve of his chest, his abs, which made him glad, and then made him crazy.
Maybe bringing her up here wasn’t such a great idea.
“Coming here was a wonderful idea, Holden,” she said, and it was so much as if she’d
read his mind that he looked up fast. “It’s just what we both needed, I think. There’s
so much tension at home.”
He nodded. “How’s it going with the baby?”
She blinked, looked up at him. “The…the baby?”
“The preemie?” As he spoke, he turned her and led her back onto the grassy bank. Halfway
to the house, a wide wooden bench sat where it had been for the last twenty-odd years,
and he took her to it, sat down beside her there.
“Oh, right.
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