Warmth rushed through him, and for a moment he felt bigger, taller than six foot four. “Do you come here often?”
She tapped her fingers on the bottle. “Nope. When I take a break from work, I usually travel. Preferably out of the country. What do you do for fun?”
He set his beer aside. “I meet friends, travel, date. Used to go hunting but an ex-girlfriend talked me out of it.”
She chuckled. “Aha. So not Texan of you to give up hunting. Who was she?”
“Adelaide. Nice girl. Loves animals and ranch life,” he said, hiding that Adelaide was also an heiress to one of the most prominent families in the South. “We dated for less than a year.”
She removed her sunglasses and turned to face him. A light hit her eyes, and she sucked in a breath, as if not sure if she’d like the answer. “What happened?”
He shrugged. Until now, Adelaide hadn’t really come to his mind, which really spoke for itself. “She was a good woman, but it didn’t really make me want to marry her. After what I’ve seen my father do to my mother as a husband… When I marry someone, I need to know for sure it’s the real deal and will last. I’d never put my future kids through a doomed marriage.”
The vein in her neck pulsed. “That’s kind of you to consider that aspect.” She shuffled in her seat, looking away from him, and slipped the sunglasses back on. “Do you want to get your feet wet?” She stood before he replied and marched the several feet covering the distance to the shallow border of the lake.
He watched her move, wondering if maybe the subject had gotten too personal again, and then he surged to his feet and followed her. They’d come here to have a good time and enjoy each other’s company.
She removed her shoes, sat down, and slid her feet into the lake. A beat later, she squealed. “It’s cold.”
He tossed his shoes to the side and sat next to her. The moment he thrust his feet into the water, a chilly sensation nearly numbed his toes. Yep. “You’re right.”
“When I was a little girl, I used to go with my neighbor to a swamp nearby. We spent hours there after school, playing, pretending the alligators would get us,” she said, moving her feet inside the water like the story had an effect on her.
He bit back a smile. “I’m surprised you didn’t get chased by alligators.”
“Oh trust me, we saw quite a few. Bobby was ten, a year older than me, but so much more impressionable. The sight of iguanas or any weird reptile would be enough to send him running the other way,” she said, amusement leaking into her voice.
“Then why did he go with you? If he was so scared?”
“He lived nearby for a couple of years. We supported each other. We both had mothers who were too worried about their own lives to give us much attention—we didn’t have to talk about it, but we understood each other.”
“Kids adapt easily,” he said.
She threaded her fingers and shot him a look. A mix of hope and fear gleamed in her azure irises, and he found himself leaning closer, his pulse racing. A wish to erase all the ugliness from her childhood stabbed at him.
“Yeah. I also think he could have had a crush on me.” She injected some humor in her voice, nudging his elbow. “Otherwise why would he have endured possible alligator attacks?”
“Now that makes sense. I’d endure alligator attacks for you too—in fact, if they dare come near you, I’d smoke them to make sure you were safe.”
She laughed. The low, rich, sexy sound made him crave more of it. “You said you no longer hunted.”
“Not for pleasure. But I’d do it for you, Madam. I’d get into an alligator infested swamp just to get you to notice me, let alone save you from harm.”
She patted his shoulder, all easy-going energy. “You’re all talk, Mr. Taylor,” she said, then flashed him a smile that contracted his gut for a moment, then released it, quickly, along with a throb traveling through his body. “If you’re so sure, why don’t you show it to me? Maybe a mean fish will come my way and bite me—”
He didn’t let her finish. Without worrying about removing his clothes, he dunked into the water and, a second later, the fierce coolness surrounded him, tightening his shoulders. He came to the surface, glancing at her.
She covered her mouth with her hand, a shade of pink staining her cheeks. “I can’t believe you did that. I was thinking at most you’d sweep me off my feet and take me back to where our things are.”
“Well, your feet are in the water, and if you get any aquatic threat from this lake, I’ll be here to fight it,” he said. Yeah he’d fight it all right, if his bones didn’t freeze first. His shirt and jeans clung to his body, making his moves heavier, but he didn’t wince.
“Aren’t you cold?” she asked.
“Nah. You get used to it,” he lied.
A glint of mischief flashed in her eyes, and swiftly, she dipped in the water, too. He stretched out to reach for her, but she returned to the surface quickly, gasping. “You’re a liar.”
“Why did you join me?”
She circled her arms around his neck. “Because if you’ll be uncomfortable because of me, I’ll be uncomfortable because of you. It’s only fair.” Wet hair framed her face, droplets still streaming down her cheeks. He’d thought she’d looked gorgeous without makeup but this—this was even better. This was real. “Also, I figured because this water is so damn cold, I’d be safe in your arms.”
He snickered. “Not if you’re going to be holding me like this.”
She kissed his cheek. “This is a trap, isn’t it? I thought you’d keep me safe from harm, when I should have
