Page 65 of Runaway Hearts: Seduced by Danger

“Oh… you can’t. My best friend Arietta bought it in Italy last year. It’s…” I bite my lower lip.

I wore it for you.“It’s ruined,” I whisper.

Kai stands there, watching me pull at the fabric, and his jaw works. Something flashes in his eyes, but it’s gone so quickly I can’t be sure it was there.

“Let me see.”

I freeze momentarily before realizing he’s asking about the scratches on my arms. I hold them out to him, and he inspects the shallow cuts. His touch is careful, and something about it makes my skin heat up.

But it doesn’t last.

“Let’s get out of here,” he whispers.

The cold water laps against us as he surveys the distance to the embankment, his jaw setting with determination.

We wade out of the swamp into clearer water, leaving a trail of mud and debris behind, then head toward a quiet corner of the embankment on foot until we’re finally out of the water. My sandals squelch and slide onto the rocky beach as I get out. My hair is clumped. A calm place where the lake is undisturbed. My skin shivers.

Half-decomposed leaves, rotten branches, and lumps of damp dirt now weigh down the once-flowing layers of fabric. I return to knee-deep waters to shake most of the disgusting shit out of my dress. Next are my legs. And back to solid ground. I pull the waterlogged hem of my dress up to wring out some of the water.

At least I don’t smell like a swamp monster.

Kai gaze lingers on my wet clothes, and I follow his line of sight, realizing my nipples are poking through the thin fabric. I blush. My heart thunders in my chest like a wild stallion. Heat creeps up my neck, spreading across my cheeks. I’m suddenly conscious of every inch of my body, every line highlighted by the wet fabric clinging to me.

Does he like what he sees?

But then, Kai turns and coughs. He takes off his snug black shirt and wrings it out.

It’s strange because he never hesitated to flaunt his body around me before. A few droplets of gray water reach the ground. A long scar catches my attention. It’s a fine line from his right shoulder plate to his side, finishing just above the cut I stitched two days ago.

When he removes his jeans, a large clump of mud slips from my hair and drops with a loud plop.

He pulls his shirt back on, raking his fingers through his damp hair until it stands up in wild spikes. “We should get back home before catching a cold,” he mutters and twists his jeans to get out most of the water.

His navy boxers hug his ass, and damn, I can’t look away. The grooves in his thigh muscles call to me. I take a step forward.

Something weird melts behind my sternum. A balm against the cold. He wriggles his jeans back on and turns to me.

Kai takes a deep breath, his chest rising and falling beneath the damp fabric of his shirt. He avoids my gaze, focusing on a point just beyond my shoulder. “We’ll stop at the restrooms to remove all the dirt we can.”

I wonder how his skin feels like…

I swallow hard and bite my tongue.

And then, a shudder enlivens my whole frame as I catch a glimpse of a swelling behind his zipper.

He clears his throat and raises an eyebrow as if he knows exactly where my focus is. My cheeks are on fire.

But I can do nothing else but blink.

A primal arousal floods in my veins, but it’s quickly silenced by the drunken whistles and lewd chuckles from a group of men nearby. I take a step back. Kai’s gaze darts to them, protective anger blazing in his eyes before he steps in front of me.

He lifts his hand as if to touch me but stops halfway. “Let’s go.”

My head recedes to have a better look, “Are you okay? You look pissed.”

“Marianne.” Kai’s expression turns to steel, the intensity in his gaze enough to silence everything inside me, if only for a moment. “I’m not a good man, but I’m real with you. I’m so fucking honest,it’s ruining me.” His eyes have too much annoyance to know if he’s honest. But I think he is. “And right now,” he growls, stepping closer so the boundary between us blurs. “Those men are about to lose their eyes for the way they’re looking at you.”

I feel a confidence building inside me, a strength I didn’t know I had.

---