Page 51 of Rush

Linc smiled back, lifting his chin.

Oz’s hand, which still rested on his shoulder, tightened into a firm grip. “But just so we’re clear, an ass kicking is still in your future if you hurt her.”

“If I’m stupid enough to let her get away, I’d deserve one.”

“Glad we’re on the same page.” Oz gave his shoulder one last slap before taking the last sip of the beer he held. Then he set it on the bartop and swiped the back of his hand across his mouth. “Come on, let’s go join our women and kicktheirasses at darts.”

“That won’t be hard.”

And just like that, any residual tension was gone when he heard Oz’s deep belly laugh.

***

When they got home Nora made a beeline straight for the fridge while Linc set her packages down on the table. “You made out like a bandit tonight.”

“Your friends were allverygenerous.” She grabbed a bottle of water, cracked it open, and downed half its contents in one go.

“How many of those apple martini things did you have?” Though not swaying or giggling, Linc wanted to be sure she wasn’t drunk before he enacted his plan on how to end their evening.

“Only one. Sadly, I can’t use intoxication as an excuse for why you kicked my ass at darts. That pitiful display waspurenatural talent.”

Chuckling, he pulled her into his arms. His lips met hers, lingering, before asking, “It’s a nice night out. What do you say to a midnight swim?”

“If it comes with more kisses like that one, I’m game.”

“Oh, it does.” Because he couldn’t resist, he gave her one more soft kiss to prove his point and then took her hand and walked her toward the living room.

She stopped him as they passed the stairs. “Wait. Aren’t we going to change into our suits?”

“Not for the kind of swim I have in mind. You ever been skinny dipping?”

“Not since I was three.” She paused, looking like she wanted to say something else but didn’t.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

He stepped closer to her, his hand cupping her face. “You can ask me anything. I’ll always be honest.”

“That’s what I’m worried about. My mom always told me, don’t ask questions you might not like the answers to.”

Guessing what she wanted to know, he said, “If you’re wondering if I’ve ever been skinny dipping with a woman, the answer is no. This will be a new experience for me too.”

Tipping her head back, she smiled up at him. “I like that answer.”

She followed him into the mild night air where the only sound was the soft chirping of crickets in the distance. His swimming pool had been custom built by a local company, complete with rock features and attached overflow spa. Hewalked over to that now, flipping the switch to start the jets and warm the water.

He turned back to Nora, his eyes greedily devouring her as she started stripping, tossing her top then her jeans onto the concrete. He stalked toward her, peeling off his own shirt and tossing it to the side. Her eyes raked over his chest, a sly smile forming on her lips, and fuck him if his jeans didn’t grow uncomfortably tight. With a growl, he reached for her, pulling her close and grinding himself into her belly as he captured her lips for a kiss.

As his eyes had earlier, his mouth devoured her now. He reached between them, unsnapping his jeans, pulling down the zipper to give his dick some much needed relief.

“Take off your bra and panties,” he murmured against her lips before taking a step back to kick off his shoes and peel out of his jeans. Then, with no warning, he gathered her into his arms and jumped into the pool, her scream cutting off short when their heads hit the water.

She came up sputtering. He came up grinning.

Her hands found his shoulders as his feet found purchase on the pool floor.

“That was a dirty trick.” Her legs wrapped around him as she let go of him with one hand to swipe the water from her face.

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