Page 41 of Captured

“You seem very confident of how this evening is going to play out.”

He squeezed her hand. “I am well known for my strategic predictive abilities. You watch and see if it happens, and let me know how I do.”

“Well, your chivalry is noted. I can give you a list as long as my arm of guys I know who would have sex in a heartbeat—regardless of their relationship status—if they found themselves on a deserted island with someone who practically threw herself at them.”

“Miranos is not so deserted as that,” Dimitri said lightly. “But tell me about this throwing of yourself at me. It sounds like something I should be prepared for.” He stopped their walk and drew her close to him. “Like now, for instance. Show me now.”

Lauren couldn’t help herself. She allowed a giggle to escape as she pushed Dimitri away. “Well, to throw myself at you, I’ll need a running start. Don’t you know how this works at all?”

“My training in this maneuver is sadly lacking.”

She burst out with another laugh as she launched herself at him, splashing through the water and then jumping up, planning to push him over into the surf. Instead, he caught her easily, swinging her around in the water and locking her to his body, all heat and strength and laughter as he gathered her close. The water swirled and shimmied around them, the breeze kicking up the waves.

“I approve of this American practice of throwing,” he said. “We shall have to adopt it here in Oûros.”

“Well, you should be careful. You’ll never know what Americans might come flying out of the water at you when you least expect it.”

“I should enjoy that very much.”

Lauren’s breath caught as Dimitri leaned into her, nuzzling her mouth until she opened her lips to him. The warm breeze caressed her skin, the salt from the ocean water tasted uniquely perfect, and she sighed as he deepened the kiss, softening her hold on him until he cradled her in his arms.

Twenty-Six

Dimitri’s heart thudded almost painfully, but not from the paltry effort it took to hold Lauren above the water. She wasn’t a small woman, but perfectly proportioned to his body, as if she’d been carved from the very essence of the earth and sea for him personally. Her laughter thrilled through him, light and free, and it seemed more relaxed with each passing hour. It was as if the farther she strayed from the glittering precision of her life, the happier she was.

He knew why, of course. That it wasn’t him, it was theideaof him, the idea of being safe, unfettered by consequences, but also unhindered by danger. That the very concept of relaxing in someone’s arms without being watched or judged, without being photographed or recorded, was so unusual that she was building it up into some sort of fantasy vacation in her mind, some time out of time.

She shifted in his arms and breathed his name, and he revised his conclusion.

It was probably mostly about him.

He turned her toward the shore again, stepping easily through the water as Lauren leaned against his chest, her hand braced on his shirt, fingers warm against his skin where theyslipped into the button-down front. She was lithe and vital andhis, at least for now. And he’d been on this earth long enough, and seen enough injury and death, to understand the value of living in the moment.

He stopped briefly to swipe up his pants at the shoreline. Lauren giggled as he dipped her, making no move to stand on her own. For his part, he had no interest in letting her. They reached the blanket, and he set Lauren down on her feet, startled when she wobbled, then pitched to the side as if she was in the midst of a faint. He went down on a knee to steady her, and she laughed, pulling him farther down, until they both sprawled on the blanket.

“You’re right, this sand is very dangerous,” she said. “I don’t know how I lost my footing.”

“That’s only the beginning of your troubles, I’m afraid.” Dimitri stretched out alongside Lauren, reveling in the way she relaxed by his side, her face turned up to the stars, her smile easy, unforced. He smoothed out her hair by her face and turned his hand so his palm drifted along her cheek, as lightly as he could manage.

“You touch me sometimes like I’m going to break,” she chided him, and he smiled.

“Never that. I touch you like you are made of gold.”

She pouted. “That doesn’t sound very attractive.”

“On the contrary. Gold is hard—hard enough to smash something if you wield it, hard enough to stay pristine over the ages. But apply enough heat, and it melts in your hands, its brilliance undimmed though its form has completely changed. You’re gold not because of whatever money you have stashed away somewhere. You’re gold because you are strength and liquid fire. And I want to stir that fire in you now, to melt you down into nothing but sensation.”

She stared at him. “Theyseriouslyteach you how to talk that way in the military?”

He smiled as he reached down to his pants, freeing the condom. He wouldn’t need it, not at first. But, as he’d already learned from this woman, it paid to be ready whenever she was. “Our training is quite extensive,” he said, returning his hand to her waist. “And we learn very quickly that when it’s in our best interests to use strategic coercion, we must move ahead with full commitment.”

“Mmm.” Lauren lifted her hand to caress his cheek. In the starlight, she looked like something out of a painting, a mermaid cast ashore for a precious night, never to return. “And what is it you’re trying to strategically coerce me into, Captain Korba? I think you’ll find that I’m a soft touch.”

“I doubt that quite sincerely.” Dimitri lowered his head to brush Lauren’s lips with his. He had his opening now, and he knew he should take it. Subtly, easily pump her for information about Henry Smithson, about the threat that he posed to the royal family, if any. About his connection to the god Typhon—real or delusional. About the threat that he posed to her.

And yet, Dimitri found he wanted to do nothing more than stare at this woman, wanted to learn nothing more than what made her happy. He could start there, certainly. No one could fault him for beginning his interrogation with caution.

“Where did you originally plan to go on this European tour you arranged for your friends?” he asked. “Surely you didn’t plan to spend the whole of it in Oûros.”

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