Page 29 of Protected By the Billionaire Ex-SEAL

“Don’t get too far into the center. It’s already deep there.”

“Oh, my God. It’s cold.” But she dunks her head again as if she can’t get enough of that. At her next rise, her shoulders are trembling and her eyes are sparkling. “Seriously. It’s really cold.”

“Come out, then. Maybe it’s not a good idea…”

Before I can finish my sentence, she shakes her head.

“No. I love it here. You should join me. Maybe with two people in, it won’t be as cold.”

“It doesn’t work that way.”

I shake my head, too, when she goes underwater a third time, then swims out further before she twists her body to float. The thicker trees in that area cover her from the moonlight, which is just as well because…well, I don’t think the moonlight and her wet underwear plastered on her body are a good idea together.

After some minutes of her floating and the silence, she returns to swimming and turns to me. “Are you really not going in?”

“I have to watch over and protect you.”

“From what? The wild rabbits or the owl?”

I smirk. “Both.”

“When was the last time you swam in here?”

“I don’t know. Maybe a year ago.”

“Then come on in.”

I’m tempted. Too tempted, and that’s not good. But again, nostalgia kicks in and the water calls my name—and to be honest, I don’t think I’m in the kind of state to ignore it.

Before I can think about it, I’m stripping off my pants, too, then my shirt, as Raven watches me. Her gaze stays steady when I finally slip into the water and swear ripely.

“Shit. You weren’t kidding about the cold.”

She giggles and keeps swimming in her spot while I do the same in mine until my body adjusts to the temperature. I sigh after a while and close my eyes, just wanting to bask it all in. But my ears are on alert with her movements, especially when she wades closer.

“Did you bring your girls here, too?”

I open my eyes and note her curiosity, which doesn’t hold judgment. “No. Just Nick.”

“So, you just swim and talk?”

“Sometimes talk. Mostly swim. It’s a nice place to forget about problems.” When she hesitates again, I decide that I want to share this part of me. “Not girl problems. Career problems. I didn’t know what I wanted until I enlisted. I couldn’t make up my mind, and I felt bad because Clara and Nick always had their goals in life. Clara wanted to help people and Nick wanted to get away from here.”

“Did you love it from the start?”

“Hell, no. Training was brutal and I hated every second of it at the beginning. I didn’t let anyone know, though. Then it got better and I began to enjoy it. Mostly because I met great comrades.”

“But Nick’s still your best friend?”

“Yup. That won’t change. He’s like a brother to me.”

She smiles. “I don’t have a best friend. But I have a sister, and I suppose she’s my best friend. She travels a lot for work, though, so I miss her more often than I see her.”

“Does she know? About what your ex did?”

“No. If she knew, she’d come home early and lose her job. Even if I tell her not to.”

Her smile fades and she gets distracted with thoughts. It’s probably why she doesn’t see where she’s wading and stumbles. In the blink of an eye, I’m at her side and helping her up, then guiding her until she’s at the edge, where the water’s up to her shoulders.

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