He led the way and she followed.
When she reached the pond, she stopped. An oasis in the middle of rolling hills. Curtained off by trees and framed with lush green grass, the secluded location presented a pretty picture of peaceful serenity. Her irritability evaporated.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Brian and I used to pretend it was the place where fairies lived. Magical people for a magical place.” He took the reins from her and led the horses closer so they could get a drink.
“Fairies?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“If it makes you feel better, there were a couple of dragons, too.” He shrugged. “We were kids with vivid imaginations. Didn’t you ever pretend you were in a different land with magical creatures?”
“No.” Her parents had told Nikki fantasies were great time wasters. If you wanted something, you went after it by working hard. The dreamers were the ones who usually had nothing.
Odd, but Cal had quite a lot, and he’d reached his goals even though he’d apparently had strange musings. She felt as though she’d missed something along the way while she was growing up.
“Do you swim?” he asked as he loosely tethered the horses to a bush so they could eat the grass without running off.
Swim? She used the pool every day she went to the gym. “I’m a very good swimmer.”
“The water is nice this time of year.”
Her pulse quickened. “I’m not wearing a suit.”
“You don’t need one out here. Don’t tell me you’ve never been skinny dipping.”
The water looked inviting. Swimming was her passion. The heat of the sultry Texas sun beating down on her shoulders was a great inducement and she knew exactly what it would lead to.
“Skinny dipping?” Nikki asked, eyeing the dark waters with more than a little trepidation.
“You look nervous,” Cal said.
She frowned. “Not about getting naked. I’m not in the least ashamed of my body.”
“And you shouldn’t be.” His gaze swept over her in a way that made her body tingle. “If you’re afraid of the water, don’t be. There’s nothing in there that’ll hurt you.”
Okay, she’d try just about anything once even if she wasn’t so sure what was beneath the murky water. She wasn’t a coward. She unbuttoned her shirt and tossed it across a bush. Her bra followed. She looked at him. Cal wasn’t doing anything but watching her.
“You are planning on swimming, aren’t you?”
“Oh, yeah, that and a whole lot more.”
Chapter 16
Nikki was glad she and Cal were on the same page, because she wanted to do a whole lot more, too. Except that he wasn’t getting naked.
“You aren’t going to take off your clothes?” Now that would be a shame.
Cal reached for his top button. “I’m enjoying the view.”
“Is that so?” She grinned as she toed off her boots, then unbuttoned her jeans and slowly slid the zipper down. She kicked out of her jeans, leaving her black lacy thong on as she tugged off her socks. Then slowly, seductively, she removed the thong, too.
“Have you ever had sex in the water?”
It wasn’t so much a question as it was a promise. Her nipples tightened as a familiar ache swept over her.
“I think I’m about to.”
Nikki walked to the water’s edge and hesitantly stepped in. It was cooler than she expected. The bottom was smooth, soft except for an occasional rock. Okay, she could do this. She waded out a little farther.
Not long ago, she would’ve laughed if anyone had told her she’d be swimming in something other than a pool, or living on a ranch in a cabin without utilities. Or milking a cow, gathering eggs, or churning butter.
Or that she would meet a very incredible man and they would have fantastic, mind-blowing sex.
Or that she would be deceiving the man in the hopes of getting a story.
Drat, why did she have to think about that now? She quickly pushed that thought to the far recesses of her mind. She’d worry about the consequences of her actions later.
When she was waist deep, she dropped down until the water covered her head. Cold enveloped her, but different from a winter day. It was more exhilarating and exciting and…fun. She pushed with her feet and shot back up, shoving the hair from her face as she turned toward the bank.
No, she wouldn’t think about the story she was trying to get. Not right now, not when Cal’s passion-filled gaze captured hers.
His heated look started at the top of her head, lingered on her breasts, then moved downward as if he could see past the shadowy water to her legs, which trembled so hard from need she could barely stand.
She didn’t take a breath until he turned away to untie the leather strips at the back of his saddle. He brought the blanket that had been rolled up and laid it on top of a large rock.
Tossing his hat to the side, Cal grasped the bottom of his black T-shirt, and in one movement, he tugged it over his head. A fine sheen of sweat covered his sun-bronzed skin. Nikki swallowed hard to remove the lump that had formed in her throat. Heat coursed through her body like hot wax dripping down the sides of a melting candle.
Entranced, she found herself unable to look away as his hand slid down his stomach, over his six-pack abs, and down to the first button of his jeans. He tugged it through the buttonhole and continued with the second, third, and fourth. Hooking his hands into the waistband, he pushed the denim down, revealing white briefs.
There was enough exposed skin to make her muscles turn to the consistency of pudding. She tried to drag her gaze away, to think about anything besides the fact she wanted him so bad she’d probably raised the temperature of the water at least a degree. But she could only stare as he performed his striptease.
No, she didn’t look away. Hell, she had an incredible urge to yell, “Take it off, take it all off!” But she already knew he would. He was stripping for her and it was a hell of a turn-on.
He hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his briefs and smiled. A slow, sexy smile that said he knew exactly what she wanted. Then when she was about ready to launch herself out of the water and throw herself at him, he pushed his briefs downward, revealing his incredible erection. Her mouth went dry; her body burned for him.
He grabbed a condom out of his jeans before dropping them behind him, and sliding it on in slow motion. Her hands itched to be the one to do that, to caress him. He stepped into the water and advanced. She took a step toward him, wanting to feel his arms around her.
He grinned devilishly, then dove into the water, a ripple the only sign of where he’d been.
Now where was he?
Water splashed. She whirled around. He stood before her, water dripping down his face. Cal laid a hand on her shoulder, slid his fingers down until they curled around her arm, and tugged her toward him. She trembled, knew he felt her reaction. His eyebrows arched upward as his other hand brushed across the fullness of her bottom lip.
“Do you know how incredibly beautiful you are? The first time I saw you, I wanted you.” His words scraped against her skin.
He lowered his head until his mouth covered hers. She drew in a quick, sharp breath and tasted his need. His tongue stroked hers. He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek, his touch sending a spasm of pleasure over her.
“I want you,” he murmured.
“I want you, too.” He drew her closer, and she pressed against him.
Cal knew this was wrong, but it felt too damned good to stop. When he gazed into the golden-brown depths of her eyes, he could only think of how right it felt. He wanted her like he’d wanted no other woman. He’d sensed the fire inside her from day one. And even knowing he’d probably get burned, he had to have her again.
A groan escaped his lips when he cupped her breast, the nipple already hard from the cold water. He rolled it beneath his thumb.
