Page 66 of Serenade Me

“Still in Annecy.”

“I mean… this spot. Where are we?”

“Do you like it?”

She slides off the bike and takes a few steps forward. We’re mere feet from the water. But it’s so still I hold my breath, as if scared she doesn’t realize that that the glass like reflection is an illusion. That it’s not the night sky she’ll be stepping into.

“It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

I rock back on my heels, still straddling the bike, watching her skin turn an almost translucent quality, ethereal, in the hazy light.

“Agreed.”

She doesn’t hear me and takes a few more steps forward. Then, before I can stop her, she kicks off her sandals and runs into the water, up to her waist, before diving under, engulfed by the lake.

“Anca!” I call out and run to the edge of the water, throwing my leather jacket off and reaching for my boots.

She surfaces, her head emerging first from the water, breaking the seamless face of the lake, her arms rising to follow, splashing overhead, drawing an arc of crystal clear drops against the night.

“Come in here. The water’s beautiful.”

I know she must be crazy. This time of year, the water has only just thawed, trickling directly from the Swiss alps. I can see my breath against the cold air and yet she’s wading in the water like it’s a heated pool.

“You’re crazy.” I shake my head.

She ignores my words and dives under again, the shallow water hugging to the curve of her ass as she wades out further.

“Anca!” I shout in a whisper, not wanting to disturb the inhabitants of the nearby houses. Not wanting to disturb the indescribable peacefulness in the air.

She doesn’t answer and I can see her body draw ripples under the water as she swims even further out.

“Fucking hell.” I murmur as I realize I have no choice.

I kick off my boots and take a tentative step into the water.

“Shiiiiiittt,” my breath hisses, as my body tenses from the cold. How is she swimming in this? “Seriously, will anyone even know if I leave her out here?” The image of Jez flashes instantly in my brain and I sigh and try to ignore the cold as I wade right in.

She emerges from the water again, running her hands over her hair, pushing it away from her face. She grins at me and crooks a finger, urging me deeper.

“This was NOT what I had in mind when I suggested the motorbike ride,” I murmur to myself as I wade out to her, feeling the cold water seep through my clothes and chill my bones.

She watches me, her eyes never leaving mine. As I near her, within ten feet, I see her hand moving back and forth under the water, creating ripples that reach me, little circular waves that crash against my body before creeping to all corners of the lake. Then, before I can lift my arms in response, I watch her drag her hand from the water, and splash me.

I catch a handful of stinging cold across my face, my mouth still open in surprise. Her laughter echoes across the water, and she grins as she lowers herself into the water, cupping her hands full of freezing lake water. I run to her, my legs stiff from the cold and dragging under the water, but I reach her just as she tries to launch her next attack at me, catching her arms by her side and holding her laughing, wriggling body against me.

“You’re going to pay for that!” I promise her, and she squeals, trying to escape. I turn her to face me, and in an instant, her laughing mouth freezes, before she presses her lips against mine. The cold water turns into liquid silk. Warm and inviting in a second. Her arms come up around me, her hands in my hair, my hands cupping her ass, lifting her legs to wrap around my waist.

The blood rushes to my groin, and I want her. Want her more than I’ve ever wanted anything. She groans against my mouth, feeling my need grow hard against her. Even surrounded by the cold, she heats up every part of me. I’m immune to it all, everything but her.

“Marius…”

“Fuck, Anca… God, I can’t get enough of you,” I growl against her mouth as we pant for breath before tracing the line of her neck with my tongue.

She purrs in response, and I feel her reach under the water, in that space between us, grasping my hardness in her hand. It’s like an electric shock through my whole body, and I can’t help but bite down against her shoulder.

“Ugh… Marius…” She groans, as if in pain.

“Sorry...”