Page 25 of (Un)Spoken

“You will,” she said, pushing back to put some space between us. But before she could go too far, I grabbed her wrist, bringing her back to me.

“Not so fast, trouble.” I chuckled. “You owe me something.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ll work on my list tonight, I promise.”

I placed my hand on my chest in mock horror. “I opened up, offered you my darkest secrets, and that’s all you’re going to give me?” She stared at me. “I think it’s time to put your guts to the test, trouble.” I leaned in, inhaling another hit of her intoxicating scent. “I think you should cross something off right now.”

I expected some resistance, but this girl never ceased to surprise me. Victoria glanced over my shoulder, smiling brightly at the lake. She placed her hand on mine, and I released her wrist. I almost reached for her again, but something about her smirk stopped me. She spun and walked backward toward the water, her hands going to the straps of her dress.

“You know, ever since I got here, I’ve wanted to swim in the lake.”

I chuckled. “We gotta work on your fears, trouble. You could have gone swimming at any time. Hell, there’s a great beach only a couple of miles down the road.”

“You didn’t let me finish,” she teased. “But I didn’t bring a bathing suit. Thought it would be too cold.” She shrugged her shoulder. “So I guess I’m checking two things off mylist today. Swimming in the lake…” She stopped long enough to let her dress pool at her feet, kicking it further into the sand. “And skinny dipping.”

My mouth dried as I took in her body, my eyes tracing every line of her curves. Her sun-kissed skin glowed in the fading daylight, making her pale underwear stand out even more. She was soft and feminine, my deepest desires brought to life. As she turned, showing off the curves of her firm ass, she called out over her shoulder, “You going to stare all night, or are you going to join me?”

Without another thought, I started pulling off my shoes, fumbling to join her as she walked deeper into the lake.

Victoria Campbell was a siren, luring me into a watery grave. And like the men of legend, I was helpless to her call, needing to follow her, even at my own peril.

The water cut like glass when I stepped into it. Despite the lingering summer heat, the water was frigid, almost enough to make me doubt my choice to follow Victoria. But when she dove under the water, the cold was the least of my worries. I swam faster, almost reaching the same spot when she popped back up with a broad smile on her face. “Took you long enough,” she chuckled. “God, I did not think it would be this cold.”

I pulled her into my arms, sighing deeply as her legs collided with mine. “I can help you out with that.”

For a moment, Cole’s face flashed in my mind, sternly telling me to stay the fuck away from his baby sister.Sorry, buddy, never going to happen.It’d be easier to cut out my tongue than stay away from her.

She leaned in, nothing but mischief written on her face. All of Victoria had captured me, but this version? The carefree, devious one? She was quickly becoming my favorite.

As her legs wrapped around my waist, my hands foundher thighs under the water. I run my thumbs along her bare skin, wanting to move closer to her core. Victoria chuckled, leaning to whisper in my ear, “Thank you for helping me out. I’m feeling warmer already.”

“Trust me, trouble,” I groaned as I squeezed her thighs a little harder. “This is a lot more self-serving than you realize. I’ve been dying to get you back in my arms. This is just a convenient excuse.”

Her eyes widened as she looked at me. Her voice cracked a little as she asked, “You have?”

I pulled her harder into me, letting her feel what havoc her body was wrecking on my lower half. She gasped as she felt my length against her stomach. “You’ve been driving me crazy all week, Tor. I’m at the edge of my rope, and every time you wiggle in my arms, it’s getting harder and harder to hold back.”

“Then stop holding back.” Her smile got even wider, and she shifted closer to me, her lips pressing against my ear. “But…you’ll have to catch me first.”

She giggled as she shoved against my chest, swimming farther out into the lake. I waited, watching her move gracefully. As she got about ten yards away, she turned back to me. “Not even going to try to keep up?”

“This fucking girl,” I grumbled, unable to hold back my grin. She squealed as I pushed off, using all my swimming experience to catch up to her. When I got close enough, I reached out, grabbing her ankle. She tried to splash me back, but I had her back in my arms before she knew it. I chuckled at her pout. “Gotcha.”

She shivered as I held her, and I noticed the goosebumps breaking out over her body. “Shit,” I hissed. “We need to get you back to shore and into some warm clothes.”

“Wait…” Victoria said, her fingernails digging into my arms. “One more moment of bravery before we go.”

Tentatively, she reached up, brushing my lips lightly with hers. It was barely enough to count as a kiss, but that small gesture lit my skin on fire. She pulled back just as quickly, her eyes widened in shock or horror. “Adam, I’m so sorry?—”

Her words died as I crashed my lips to hers, needing more. That one touch turned me into a man possessed, only thinking about Victoria. My hands gripped her supple curves, lifting her so I could devour her properly. Her tongue brushed mine, and all rational thoughts left my mind. I needed this woman, craved her like I did my next breath. Forget acting, forget anything else in this world—all I needed was more forbidden moments like this, with Victoria Campbell in my arms.

But just as she relaxed in my embrace, a loud cheer erupted from the party on the shores. The sound broke the dam in my mind, the one preventing me from thinking rationally. I pulled back, searching Victoria’s eyes, taking in her swollen lips. “Tor, I?—”

“Don’t,” she whispered, placing her hand on my mouth. “Don’t overthink this. It’s one night; that’s all I’m asking for. I want one night with you before I go back to my normal life.”

One night.

Her words soured on my tongue, dousing any thoughts I had of taking things further. Was that really all she wanted?

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