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Holly hell.
My mouth falls open slightly, and he’s stuck there for a moment, watching me with a hunger I know he’s pushing himself hard to suppress.
Suddenly, the water is not that bad.
We swim for a while, letting the water take away some of the tension from our muscles. I spend most of the time floating on my back, letting the sun warm my body. It’s so soothing, my ears beneath the surface, listening to the rush of the waterfall. It’s not close to us, this pool is big enough that its waves are light here. But underwater, it’s like a different world. One that calms and heals. An odd type of therapy.
I’ve always known I wanted to live next to water. It’s why Hanna and I bought our houses pretty much on the beach, on Falk Isle. I want to do exactly this as much as possible. But… with all that’s happening, this baby growing inside of me, everything’s muddled in my brain. It’s too early for a decision, but even so, is Queenscove the right place for this?
I drop my feet and rise, treading water, the sounds of the forest replacing the loud underwater void, and find Ronan leaning against a large rock, watching me. His strong, long arms are spread wide on either side of him as he braces them against the rock, his head tilted slightly, his gaze filled with need he quickly shadows when he catches my eyes.
“I’m sorry, I kind of lost myself.”
He shakes his head, but says nothing in response. I can’t take my eyes off of his, the intensity of his stare reaching for me like tentacles through the water, wrapping around me, all of me, snaking through my blood and gripping my flesh from the inside out. My parted lips are suddenly dry, my mouth parched, my soul on fire.
Yet neither of us moves.
My breaths quicken, but treading water has nothing to do with that effort.
I’m not sure I’ve seen this greedy look in his eyes before. This desire demands more than my body. No, it wants all of me. It wants my soul, my heart, it wants to steal it all and never let go. Ever.
I wouldn’t hesitate to give it all to him.
Not when that gaze makes me feel like there could be a harem of attractive women around us, and he wouldn’t notice any of them. That need is for me and me alone.
And to think we were almost broken apart. After Hanna was murdered… I was next. There was no doubt about that.
I swipe my hands through the water, moving toward him, when he suddenly breaks the intense silence.
“I think we should go back.”
His words startle me. Did I mistake the look in his eyes? The… intention? He swims to shore, and I catch a glimpse of his wet boxers—I most definitely was not mistaken. His erection can barely be contained. Turning his back to me quickly, he sheds the underwear, giving me the most delicious view I could have ever asked for of his taught round ass, before pulling his sweatpants on.
I can’t imagine that feels pleasant. His skin is still wet. Why is he in such a hurry?
“Come, little witch.” He turns to me, hand outstretched in my direction, as beads of water slide over the ridges of his muscles, over his torso carved of stone, the contour of his shaft far too defined behind the light fabric of his sweatpants.
Parched…
So I go to him, leaving the sanctuary of the water, and place my hand in his. I don’t even attempt to mask the way I’m looking at him. He’s goddamn magnificent.
We didn’t come prepared, no towels, nothing to dry ourselves with. Luckily, my dress is fairly casual and loose, but I’m still not looking forward to it clinging to my wet body. Only, I don’t have a choice and Ronan helps me pull it down over my head, before guiding me to turn, so he can zip the back. He does it fast, too fast, and there’s a pang of disappointment in my chest. Then he guides me to turn back around, his hands lingering on my waist, slowly sliding down my hips, and I think there are fireworks going off in my belly. I didn’t realize how much I missed his touch, this type of comfort, not the innocent kind, until today.
But that damn worry and guilt flashes in his eyes all over again, and he stops, taking a step back.
Guilt…
For one moment, one beautiful moment in this stunning place, I forgot about those teeth embedded in me.
I thank him anyway.
“For what?” he asks.
“Bringing me here. It helped. I needed it.” A little too much.
“Yeah… me too. Come on, little witch, let’s get some food, then you have to rest. It’s a big day tomorrow.”
Just on cue, my stomach makes an embarrassing rumble that earns me a chuckle from Ronan. This pregnancy makes this hunger pop in out of nowhere. I could just see food and suddenly I’m hungry. Even if I just ate. But it seems to fade when I focus on what Ronan said after… tomorrow. It’s a big day indeed. The day of all the goodbyes I’m not ready for, of the pain, the finality of it all.
