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“How’s this for spontaneous?”
And then, still holding Blair, he jumped in.
Chapter Ten
Blairsurfacedwithabarking laugh, still held in Kaien’s strong arms. He hadn’t let her go, kicking up from the shallow depths as her arms wrapped around his neck. Her hair streamed in rivulets down her back, her borrowed flannel soaked and soggy against her skin.
Shrieking, she said, “Oh! It’s cold!”
“It’s the Adirondacks,” he chuckled. “Of course it’s cold.”
Kaien’s powerful legs kicked beneath them, and she didn’t want to know how deep this portion of the lake was. Strong arms held her waist, and, hating the feeling of her feet dangling in the dark, she wrapped them around his torso. Tightening her hold on his neck, she inadvertently drew herself nearer to the man who’d taken them for an impromptu dip.
Their faces, closer now, hovered within inches of each other. Even in the moonlit dark, she could see his gaze hood as he looked at her lips. Breath mingling in the scant space between them, Blair softened, wondering what it’d be like to kiss him again—this time, in full control of her faculties.
But the moment was stolen before she could act on her impulse.
A howl tore his attention away from her. “We should get back.”
She nodded, continuing to cling to him in the murky waters. They didn’t speak as he used one arm to swim toward the small, rocky shore only a few yards away. By the time they reached land, he slowly lowered her to stand on her feet.
The smile that’d briefly graced his lips was long gone.
“That was fun.Andspontaneous.” She bumped her shoulder against his. “I’m proud of you.”
The comment pulled his attention away from the dark trees that surrounded them. He frowned down at her, as if surprised by her commentary, but said nothing. Instead, he glanced back at the woods, ever watchful. Still, she didn’t fail to notice the hint of a grin as he turned away.
It was only moments before they returned to the relative safety of the cabin. Almost immediately, Kaien headed to the bedroom returning with three towels and a fresh set of clothes for her. As he handed two to her, she cast him a quizzical look.
“Two?”
“One for you, one for your hair.”
Fighting the smile that accompanied the sentiment, she ran a towel through her hair, wringing the dampness from the long blonde strands. The wooden floor beneath her was a pool of water, but she wasn’t ready to strip—most certainly not in front of Kaien.
He didn’t hold the same reservations. Kaien stripped out of his waterlogged shirt and her mouth immediately went dry. Every muscle in her body stilled as she lapped up the sight of him, unashamedly perusing the perfect canvas of his skin. Blair would never pass on an opportunity to examine such a man, but Kaien was head and shoulders above the competition.
The bond pulsed between them, her blooming desire shooting through the connection with frightening potency.
His eyes flashed when he spun to her. What’d been companionability only moments before had shifted to a hunger that was colored by passion.
In that instant, she knew what would soon follow. Raeths were nothing if not possessive of their mates, and the change was all she needed to remind her of where her heart truly lay.
“Desire does not equal matehood, Kaien.”
His eyes thinned. “I never said it did.”
“We might’ve had fun today, but that doesn’t mean I’ve changed my mind,” she warned. “I just don’t want you to get your hopes up.”
Frustration, twinned with a thin thread of resentment, flowed back through the bond between them. It tasted of Kaien, an inexplicable connection to the man that stood before her.
Almost instantly, he reverted to the icily polite man he’d been just days before. “Thank you—so much—for the reminder, Blair.”
He stalked away, leaving her alone in the small living room. Staring after him, she quickly dressed in the fresh set of clothes he’d provided her. She listened carefully for his return, but it seemed he was doing much the same in the small bedroom.
After she dressed, the only sound in the cabin was that of the wind hitting the shingles and the siding. Even straining her hearing, she couldn’t make out any sound coming from Kaien.
Sucking in a breath, she took one step toward the bedroom door before it suddenly opened and revealed the daunting frame of the Raeth. He must’ve read the relief on her face—or through the bond—and he soundlessly sneered at her.
