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Ethan cut the engine off. “Dad told me that this was the original place where our families had our lands, and that tree there—” he pointed to an ancient elm, “—was the divider. When your family realized the soil was no good for their vines, they moved to the valley where the lake would wash out the minerals in the soil and left this part to us.
“Fortunately, these hills were perfect for my family to start their first hive,” Ethan added. “In between times, we used this place to fish. It’s got the best fishing spots.”
I blinked. “How did I not know that?”
“There’s a lot of our family history that wasn’t told to us,” Ethan replied. “Either they were ashamed of it, or it was too reprehensible to admit it.”
“Aren’t those the same though?” I asked.
“There is a thin line between tripping on a rock and shooting someone in the face and waiting till they turn around to shoot them in the back,” Ethan replied.
“Ugh,” I groaned. “Stop making all the sense around here. But…why did you bring me out here though?”
He cocked his elbow on the doorframe and ruffled his hair. “Because once upon a time, I wanted to see if our families could make peace for once. There was no reason to keep the one-upping each other for the rest of time.”
I sagged into my seat. “Honestly…I would like that too, but it’s our family we would have to convince. I don’t know if that is a hill I want to die on.”
Ethan gave a strange, strangled laugh. “Why in the fuck is Mrs. Kretchmer's lecture on Romeo and Juliet coming to mind right now?”
“Twohouseholds,bothalikeindignity, fromancientgrudgebreaktonewmutiny, wherecivilbloodmakescivilhandsunclean…” I murmured. “…It's oddly appropriate.”
I made to rebuff the star-crossed lovers’ part but clamped my lips shut so fast my teeth clicked—because we were star-crossed…something. Suddenly, the air grew so tense that I wanted to do anything but stay there. A ridiculous idea came to me, and I stepped out of the car, took my shoes off, and headed to the lake. Ethan’s headlights were on, and I pulled my jeans as I went toward the pond.
“Mia!” Ethan shouted behind me. “What the hell are you doing?”
I twisted to see him half out of the car, his arm slung over the door and incredulity stamped right on his face.
“Going for a swim,” I called, pulling my jeans away. “I never did this as a teen, so I’m doing it now.”
With my underwear and my top on, I waded into the warm water and smiled, then dunked under it and took my blouse off. I turned to throw it on the car when Ethan snatched the sodden cloth out of the air. He looked amused.
“If you want to skinny-dip, it all comes off, Mia,” he told me.
“Tough luck,” I shouted back. “Are you going to join me?”
I fully expected him to tell me no and that I was out of my mind when I heard the plunk of shoes and turned to see him wading in—in only his boxer briefs. Ethan’s long, sexy body was a masterpiece, with miles of taut muscles covered in tan skin, every inch of his defined pecs and abs delineated blocks of muscle, and the dark hair sprinkled over his chest and stomach led to a tempting happy trail below.
Ethan ducked under the water and came up dripping, his body slick and begging for a touch. I kept my hands to myself—or at least I tried. I ran a hand through his hair, and his eyes glimmered.
I was in a trance and followed a rivulet dropping down his temple, to his neck, over his collarbone, tracing its path with a fingertip. His neck arched as my finger traced over his neck muscle, and I loved the smooth tautness of his skin, like satin. His tattoo was three bands of dark ink separated by a thin sliver of his skin.
His slow, wicked smile made my pulse hammer in my ears. “Is this the reliving-your-missed-youth part of the night?”
“Maybe,” I replied.
The feel of his arms sliding around me, the scent of whatever the hell kind of expensive cologne he wore mixed with the scents around us, fresh water and damp earth, felt so primal. It also felt unbelievably strange, the two of us here in the middle of the night.
I slapped my hand on the water and splashed him.
Ethan reeled back and dashed the water from his eyes right before he lunged at me, and a tidal wave came rushing over me. I hacked up water, and I could barely see; Ethan was a blur in my vision, but I hurled water at him anyway.
I didn’t even make a sound when he wrapped his arms around me and trapped my hands. “No, you will not splash me again. Don’t let me take drastic measures.”
“L-like what?” I gasp-giggled.
The barest brush of his mouth set off a million tiny butterflies in my stomach and sparked a raging heat that ignited all the way through my body. And this was barely a taste—but I could still taste whisky on his tongue.
God, I was so attracted to him I was beginning to feel desperate. I groaned and opened my mouth. He plunged his tongue inside to tangle with mine, devouring me in the same way he did with his eyes. His strong arms wrapped around my waist and dragged me close until our hard bodies collided, and I felt his erection rubbing against my belly.
