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ERIC STARED DOWN at this woman he’d known his entire life. He’d misjudged her. Her wild actions were a shield to protect her from feeling too much, too soon. Georgia had survived a type of hell he could barely imagine, pulling her friend’s body from a burning vehicle. How did a person move past that and return to day-to-day life? He didn’t know. He had a feeling nobody did. But she was doing it. Her so-called rushes were a defense mechanism, a way of coping while she gave herself time to heal.
Just like her words.
I bet you’re wishing you’d chosen to go skinny-dipping in the pond when you had the chance.
No. He’d gladly face another grueling day discussing the hows and whys surrounding a forest fire, if it meant Georgia would open up to him about the one part of her life he knew so little about. He’d been waiting for her to let him in and trust that he could help her.
But he had a feeling she’d reached her limit. Maybe right now, freezing her memories in the cold water of his pond was exactly what she needed.
“Let’s do it now,” he said.
“Do what?”
“Swim in the pond. Right now.”
“Eric.”
He placed his index finger under her chin, lifting it slightly. “I dare you.”
She smiled and he sensed her relief. This was what she needed right now. They could talk about her memories later. Tonight, tomorrow, whenever she wanted to, he’d be there to listen. “I’ll grab Nate’s monitor,” she said. “You get the towels.”
Georgia stepped back, pulling her T-shirt over her head and tossing it on the table beside their abandoned meal. She plucked the monitor off the counter. Eric unbuttoned his dress shirt as he moved to the door leading to the garage. He opened it, reaching inside for the stacks of towels kept on a shelf. Then he followed her out into the night.
Stepping over her discarded shorts, he headed for the dock. A full moon illuminated the outline of Georgia’s naked body standing on the dock’s edge, poised to dive. He stopped in the grass, memorizing the slope of her curves. She’d never looked more perfect than she did at this moment with her naked body on the verge of movement under the Oregon night sky.
A second later, she disappeared into the water. Eric broke into a run. Dropping the towels on the docks, he stripped off the rest of his clothes before following her into the pond. The cold shocked his senses at first, so different from the late summer night air, but as he swam along the surface toward Georgia, his body adjusted.
“Feel better?” he asked, capturing her in his arms. With her body pressed against his chest, he leaned back, using the water for support as they drifted toward the shore.
“Yes.”
With her back to his front, he couldn’t see her face. But she felt relaxed in his arms.
“And you?” she asked.
“Georgia, I felt better the moment I saw you tonight,” he said. “But now that I have you here, naked in my arms, I feel pretty damn good.”
She broke free from his hold and turned. “How good?”
Grabbing her hand, he used two powerful kicks to push through the water until they reached a place where he could stand. She swam willingly into his embrace, wrapping her legs around his waist, her arms looping around his neck.
Unlike the first night on his bed or the time at his condo, she felt completely free with him and her desires. Whatever had been holding her back, those fears she’d mentioned earlier, which were closely bound to her time at war, weren’t here now.
Despite the cool water, Eric’s body responded to the feel of her against him. And so did his heart. He’d done a lot of good and right things in his life. But he’d never helped someone by simply listening.
Holding her head in his hands, he kissed her, thoroughly and deeply. For the first time
since she’d plunged their friendship into new waters, he explored her. She wasn’t just the girl he’d had a crush on for years. Georgia was a brave, resilient woman. He’d thought she needed him, but he was beginning to suspect it was the other way around.
She drew back, breaking their kiss. “You’re shaking.”
“You are too,” he said, smiling. “The water is fucking cold.”
She moved, her breasts rubbing against his chest, her legs tightening around his middle.
“That’s the whole point,” she said. “The cold water, it’s supposed to be a rush, remember?”
“Yeah. I’m feeling it alright.” He turned and started walking to the shore, still holding her body tight against him, craving the contact as much as the warmth. “But I think it’s time to get out.”
