“Relax!” Luna said again. “Gracious, you’re stiff as a board!”
She had no idea how true that was.
“Sorry I didn’t warn you,” she continued, kicking easily and drawing him back toward the shallow ring around the edge of the pool. “It gets a bit deeper in the middle. Not terribly deep, only about seven feet I’d say. But enough to be scary if you’re not expecting it. You can put your feet down now.”
Nigel did as bidden and found himself on firm footing once more. To his grave disappointment, Luna released him as he found his balance. She swam around in front of him, her face lined with concern. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, I think so,” he admitted.
Until suddenly, he was not. Because Luna stood upright. And that brought quite a lot ofherout of the water and into his line of view. And despite her declarations that a slip was as good as a bathing costume, in absolutely no realm of reality was this the truth.
Nigel’s chest cavity hollowed out as his soul left his body.
He could see the outline of her brassiere under the satiny fabric. The delicate lace, clinging to soft mounds.
Heat rushed to certain quarters, and even though his lower half was still underwater, Nigel sank down abruptly and backed away from her.
Luna seemed to be mouthing something. Now that she was not so near, the sound of the waterfall interfered once more, along with the pounding of blood in his own ears. “What?” Nigel said, turning his head a little to one side.
She stepped closer, and he resisted the urge to throw himself backwards, splashing and flailing to maintain a respectful distance between them. “I said, is something the matter?” she repeated. “You look like you’re a bit off.”
“Erm . . .”
She looked around the pool, then motioned for him to follow her. Sinking back down into the water, she glided away, very smooth and effortless. Apparently, life in the Crimble Mountains growing up had afforded her ample opportunity to grow comfortable in a watery environment. At least her body was submerged once more, and while that didn’t prevent his imagination from leaping in and volunteering its services, Nigel shut it down hard.
“Respect,” he muttered and closed his eyes. “Youwillrespect this woman.”
Then, moving with extreme caution, he followed her around the edge of the pool to a little channel which flowed over into a smaller, lower pool. This was far enough away from the waterfall that they needn’t shout to be heard. Water lilies blooming from green pads abounded around the edges, and draping greenery cast it all in a lovely, filtered shade. It might be a bit cold under ordinary circumstances, but with the atmosphere as sweltering as it was, it felt extremely refreshing.
“Ooh!” Luna exclaimed, swimming in among water lilies. “The stems are a bit ticklish, aren’t they?”
Nigel looked at her. He couldn’t help it. His eye was drawn back to her with irresistible force. She looked positively enchanting surrounded by those blossoms. Like a wild fairy-creature, too madcap to be seductive and yet radiating a profound attraction neither his heart nor his body could ignore.
He set his jaw. Then, reaching out, he plucked up a water lily pad and blossom and plopped them on top of her head. “Hey, now!” Luna exclaimed, whirling to face him. Trailing lily stalks hung over her eyes, and water dripped down her face. But nothing could repress that smile of hers.
Nigel sat down a little deeper into the water, pulling his face into mock-stern lines. “Serves you right, nearly drowning a chap.”
She laughed again and pulled the water lily from her head. “You’re cooled down though, aren’t you?”
Well, parts of him were.
Not waiting for an answer, Luna turned and surveyed the space into which they’d come. “Those look like sunbathing platforms,” she said, pointing to outcroppings of flat stone, which extended over the lily pool at intervals. “Your father really thought of everything, didn’t he? This whole place is quite wonderful! I would have loved this when I was small. I can easily imagine it with half-a-dozen little ones running around like maniacs all over the place.”
“Yes,” Nigel acknowledged. “Dad definitely had more than two disappointing sons in mind when he built it.”
Luna played with the water lily, touching the waxy petals with one finger. “Maybe it’ll fulfill its purpose one day,” she murmured. Avoiding his eye, she turned her gaze around the pools again and up to the series of waterfalls. “Maybe your own children will play here.”
Nigel snorted softly. “No.”
She frowned at the abruptness of his answer and shot him a look. “Why not?”
“Because fatherhood is not in my future, Miss Talbot. I don’t need your tea-scrying to tell me that much.”
She studied him silently, her scrutiny more intent than he liked. Keeping low in the water, Nigel sidled away from her, deeper into the lilies, and pretended to be very interested in inspecting the bright blossoms.
But Luna wasn’t so easily put off. “And why do you say so, Mr. Grimm?” she demanded after a moment.
Nigel felt his mouth twist in a bitter smile. “What kind of a father would I make?”
