Page 53 of When He Hunts

He removed his gun and put it down on the dock. No sense in it getting wet. If Luna was going in the water, so was he. But… “We’re supposed to head out this morning. This place was just a stop for the night.”

She was already in water up to her thighs. A little shiver skated over her. Because seventy-two degrees really wasn’t that warm.

His arms crossed over his chest.

“I just want to swim, really fast.” She turned toward him. “It’s so beautiful. They are beautiful. The water is beautiful. And I’m here, and you’re here and it’s just—why not?” With those words, she sank beneath the surface of the water.

You’re the beautiful thing I see.

Had he seriously been dumb enough not to think she was beautiful the first time he’d spoken with her?

And just how long was she staying under the water?

He edged toward the steps.

She broke through the surface of the water, about five feet from where she’d gone under. “Amazing!” A shiver racked her whole body. “Colder than expected, butamazing.You can see forever beneath the water.” A grin covered her face. “Come in with me!”

Into the cold water that was making her shiver.

The water that was making her smile.

Ronan hadn’t bothered with shoes before he began searching for her, and he just wore his sweats. So…he went in with no hesitation. He didn’t sink gently into the water. He cut through it and came up right next to her. Ronan didn’t care about the slight cold. When he caught her in his arms, he cared about how she felt against him. How her nipples were hard and pebbled against his chest. How her dark hair framed her face. How her whole expression was lit up. And when he kissed her, her lips were wet and ready, and she kissed him back with passionate abandon.

“Swim with me?” Luna murmured against his mouth.

He shouldn’t. They had to get moving. He needed to shave and try to get ready for his new identity.Her husband.He already felt plenty possessive of her, so it should be an easy enough role to assume. As for Luna, he’d finally get to see her use her acting talent. He was curious about how she would play the role of his wife.

Wife.

Stopping to swim in the spring wasn’t on the agenda, but he couldn’t refuse her. What would it hurt? Just a few moments, and it made her happy. So he swam.

When she splashed him, he didn’t splash back. He just caught her. Kissed her. Let her go. And did the same routine again. Her laughter rang out, and a heaviness around his shoulders seemed to ease.

Sometimes, you didn’t notice a burden you were carrying until it started to lighten.

Her arms curled around his neck. Her legs wrapped around his waist. He did not feel any cold. He just felt her. Her mouth was on his again. Her tongue dipping into his mouth. Her breasts pressed to his chest, and he thought about how easy it would be to slip inside of her.

Because he hadn’t gotten enough of her the previous night.

Wasn’t sure that he could get enough.

Her mouth pulled from his. “Thank you,” she told him.

“For what?”

“You didn’t want to come into the water.” A shiver skated over her. “But you did it for me.” Her mouth skimmed his again. “Now guess what I’m going to do for you?”

“You don’t have to do anything. We need to get going, though.” The new roles they had to play. Hiding in plain sight.

Her mouth moved toward his ear. She murmured just what she was going to do to him.

Ronan immediately rescheduled their morning. “Okay, absolutely, one hundred percent, you can do that.” He wasn’t an idiot. If the woman wanted to put her tongue and mouth on him, she could have at it.

Then he would have her.

She pulled away. Laughed. Looked so incredibly happy. “Race you back to the house?”

Oh. Adorable.

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