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She grinned impishly. “Looks like I was able to convince you to join me for a swim after all.”
Richard lunged to catch her in his arms, but she splashed him in the face and swam away. “This isn’t funny, Leticia!” he shouted as he glided after her.
“I think it’s quite hilarious,” she returned then she ducked under the water and disappeared once more.
“I won’t be fooled by your tricks again,” he whispered, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to hear him. He stood for a moment and calculated the trajectory she would take, based on the place where she started swimming. He moved then in that direction and came to a stop right as she resurfaced, bumping her forehead against his chest as she did so.
“What—?” she spluttered, spitting water out of her mouth. “How did you—?”
He reached forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tightly to his chest. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you to beware of the dangerous sea creature who lurks in this river?”
She giggled. “Sea creatures don’t live in rivers. You must be thinking of the hideous river monster.”
“Hideous? I seem to recall that you once described me as being devastatingly handsome. Have I fallen so far in your estimation in such a short time?”
“No.” Leticia wriggled against him. “I’ve always thought you had something special about you. Maybe it is the curious color of your hair…so dark…it reminds me of a raven’s feathers.” She shimmied one of her hands free and reached upward, grabbing the tips of one of his locks. She gave it a gentle tug. “But perhaps I was only seeing what I wanted to see—” As she spoke, she wound her hands through his hair, and as she did so, she hauled him closer to her.
“May I?” he asked as he dipped his head and prepared to kiss her.
“You’re asking permission this time?”
“I thought, seeing as you’ve forbidden me to kiss you again, I should ask.”
“Yes,” Leticia said with a heavy sigh, “you must always follow the rules.”
“Always,” he returned then he rubbed his nose against hers, prompting her to answer his question.
She released the hold she had on him then, and her shoulders slumped. “I do not think it wise to continue in this manner.”
“You’re right,” Richard agreed, and he let go of her. She looked struck by his quick movements as her eyes widened. For a split second, he imagined that she wanted him to take her in his arms again, but since she did not say as much, he determined it was best not to act on the matter. Instead, he turned toward shore and leisurely swam in that direction.
He could feel Leticia at his side, smoothly making her way through the water, but he did not turn his head to look at her. Naturally, as she was wont to do, she beat him to the shoreline and emerged from the water just ahead of him. As he suspected, the wet day dress clung to her frame, accentuating all the curves that he had only imagined were there before. He looked her over carefully, noticing the way the dress nipped in at her petite waist but moved slightly outward because of the shape of her hips. The way the fabric clung to her thighs made Richard feel aroused, and he hesitated before coming to a standing position, willing himself to relax.
“Aren’t you coming?” she called as she moved fully onto the bank and began twisting her hair in a knot to wring out some of the water.
“Just a minute,” he squeaked. He cleared his throat and tried once more. “Just a moment, please.” She stood there, gazing at him, and the way the late afternoon sun highlighted her shape made it very difficult to focus his mind so he might be able to leave the water. “Do you think you could turn away?” he called.
She laughed in a perky way. “Because you do not wish for me to see your manly form?”
“Something like that,” he mumbled, but he wasn’t so concerned with her seeing him. He needed a moment’s privacy so that he could chase away his lascivious thoughts.
“Fine,” she teased. “I will close my eyes.” She did as she promised, and he took the moment’s reprieve to scamper from the water, willing himself not to even look in her direction as he was sure he would be just as attracted to her, no matter the angle. He rushed toward the spot where he’d dropped his coat.
“You may open your eyes now,” he called, and she spun back toward him at once, peeking at him through the screen her fingers were making.
“Are you sure it’s safe?”
“Absolutely,” he replied. He sat on the edge of the grass then and removed his boots. They were a sodden mess, and he momentarily felt sorry for his valet as he knew it was going to be troublesome to make them look good as new again. He began pulling his coat over the top of his drenched shirt, and as he did, Leticia came to sit beside him in the tall grass.
“What is that?” she asked, nodding toward his pocket.
He had just tapped his fingers to his list, as he did on occasion, and he was surprised she had noticed such a small gesture. “What?”
She reached forward and used her index finger to tap lightly at his pocket. “You’ve done that…almost as long as I’ve known you. I always just thought it was a peculiar mannerism of yours, but now, I can see that you’re hiding something in that pocket.” She craned her neck. “What is it?”
“It’s my list,” he said as he took the folded piece of parchment from the pocket. He tried smoothing it out without getting it wet, but that was impossible as both he and Leticia were soaked.
“Uh,” she snorted. “If I had known it was that old thing, I never would have bothered mentioning it.” Then, she paused and plucked a piece of grass from behind her. Slowly she rolled the long stalk through her fingers. “Do you mean to tell me that every time you do this…” she paused and made as if to tap her invisible pocket, “you are only checking to see that your list is still in place?”
