folded clothes
and let her hair fan around her. She wanted shampoo and conditioner—not utilitarian soap. Soap she
shared with Marc. Impatiently she lathered her hair and sank beneath the surface to rinse it.
Marc wasn’t for her. They were as different as chalk from cheese. When she got back to her real world
she would forget all about him and get on with her life. The only reason her mind was consumed with him
at all was because of the close proximity. It wasn’t as if he could go unnoticed. He was large, menacing,
intriguing, handsome—whoa! She couldn’t think of him in those terms. No good could or would come of
it.
Something brushed her foot and slithered around her ankle. She gave a piercing shriek, shooting up out
of the water, scraping her leg on the rocks.
There were no footfalls, but suddenly he was there.
“What the hell is it now?” Marc came up behind her as she stood shivering on the bank.
He held a
flashlight in one hand and a gun in the other. He played the light on her face.
Heart pounding she squinted into the light. “There’s…there’s something in the water.” She shuddered as
the water from her clinging wet hair dripped down her bare legs.
He turned the light on the rippling surface of the pond. An annoying little smile played around the corners
of his mouth after he trained the narrow beam into the steaming water. A piece of vine, no more than six
inches long, floated just below the surface. “Yeah, I can see how this could scare the hell out of you.”
Tory gritted her teeth. How was she supposed to have seen it? Mr. Macho had kept the flashlight with
him. She glanced down, she was naked—again—and standing dripping on her neatly folded clothes.
With a moan she picked up the damp clothes and hugged them to her chest. “Turn around,” she
demanded, hot all over.
Marc turned around in a full circle. Directing the full force of his pale eyes on her naked skin. Up and
down, down and up. She felt the heat of his gaze like a caress. Her heart stopped, then started beating
triple time as he flicked off the flashlight, plunging them into the ethereal, faint sapphire glow from the
lake. It illuminated the hard planes of his cheekbones. His eyes glittered dangerously, as he watched her,
as if he couldn’t help himself.
She could see his body quite clearly in the soft iridescent glow of the water. Which meant he could see
her just as clearly—see the trickle of water slowly streaming between her breasts She clutched the
clothes tighter to her midriff, until her hand hurt. While she’d never felt it before, this intense, consuming
attraction had her ready to explode. Tory felt another trickle of water beading on her breast, and saw his
eyes follow its path. Mesmerized, she stood absolutely still, feeling her blood heat and surge through her
body.
His muscles flexed under satin-smooth skin. “Princess,” he warned in a strange deep tone that made her
nerve endings shiver. “Now would be a great time to cut and run.” He stepped closer, his footsteps muffled on the springy turf surrounding the pool. He was so close she
could feel the heat and power of his hard body all the way down her naked torso. His hand came up to
push her wet hair back over one shoulder. His touch was gentle, but his voice was harsh.
“Run.”
“I…can’t.” If her life depended on it, Tory couldn’t have moved right then.
“Tell me to stop.”
“I don’t want you to stop.”
He half chuckled, half groaned. “Drop the clothes, Tory.” The bundle of damp clothing fell to rest near her bare feet. She tilted her face up to look at him.
His finger traced over her lips. “I like your mouth. More than I should.” He drew in a sharp breath as he moved the rest of her long hair over the other shoulder until she stood
fully exposed before him. His shadowy eyes swept over her body. She felt strangely euphoric as she saw
the rapid rise and fall of his chest just inches away
and let her hair fan around her. She wanted shampoo and conditioner—not utilitarian soap. Soap she
shared with Marc. Impatiently she lathered her hair and sank beneath the surface to rinse it.
Marc wasn’t for her. They were as different as chalk from cheese. When she got back to her real world
she would forget all about him and get on with her life. The only reason her mind was consumed with him
at all was because of the close proximity. It wasn’t as if he could go unnoticed. He was large, menacing,
intriguing, handsome—whoa! She couldn’t think of him in those terms. No good could or would come of
it.
Something brushed her foot and slithered around her ankle. She gave a piercing shriek, shooting up out
of the water, scraping her leg on the rocks.
There were no footfalls, but suddenly he was there.
“What the hell is it now?” Marc came up behind her as she stood shivering on the bank.
He held a
flashlight in one hand and a gun in the other. He played the light on her face.
Heart pounding she squinted into the light. “There’s…there’s something in the water.” She shuddered as
the water from her clinging wet hair dripped down her bare legs.
He turned the light on the rippling surface of the pond. An annoying little smile played around the corners
of his mouth after he trained the narrow beam into the steaming water. A piece of vine, no more than six
inches long, floated just below the surface. “Yeah, I can see how this could scare the hell out of you.”
Tory gritted her teeth. How was she supposed to have seen it? Mr. Macho had kept the flashlight with
him. She glanced down, she was naked—again—and standing dripping on her neatly folded clothes.
With a moan she picked up the damp clothes and hugged them to her chest. “Turn around,” she
demanded, hot all over.
Marc turned around in a full circle. Directing the full force of his pale eyes on her naked skin. Up and
down, down and up. She felt the heat of his gaze like a caress. Her heart stopped, then started beating
triple time as he flicked off the flashlight, plunging them into the ethereal, faint sapphire glow from the
lake. It illuminated the hard planes of his cheekbones. His eyes glittered dangerously, as he watched her,
as if he couldn’t help himself.
She could see his body quite clearly in the soft iridescent glow of the water. Which meant he could see
her just as clearly—see the trickle of water slowly streaming between her breasts She clutched the
clothes tighter to her midriff, until her hand hurt. While she’d never felt it before, this intense, consuming
attraction had her ready to explode. Tory felt another trickle of water beading on her breast, and saw his
eyes follow its path. Mesmerized, she stood absolutely still, feeling her blood heat and surge through her
body.
His muscles flexed under satin-smooth skin. “Princess,” he warned in a strange deep tone that made her
nerve endings shiver. “Now would be a great time to cut and run.” He stepped closer, his footsteps muffled on the springy turf surrounding the pool. He was so close she
could feel the heat and power of his hard body all the way down her naked torso. His hand came up to
push her wet hair back over one shoulder. His touch was gentle, but his voice was harsh.
“Run.”
“I…can’t.” If her life depended on it, Tory couldn’t have moved right then.
“Tell me to stop.”
“I don’t want you to stop.”
He half chuckled, half groaned. “Drop the clothes, Tory.” The bundle of damp clothing fell to rest near her bare feet. She tilted her face up to look at him.
His finger traced over her lips. “I like your mouth. More than I should.” He drew in a sharp breath as he moved the rest of her long hair over the other shoulder until she stood
fully exposed before him. His shadowy eyes swept over her body. She felt strangely euphoric as she saw
the rapid rise and fall of his chest just inches away
Similar Books
