Page 48 of The Scout

And then I saw her.

Isabel.

She was in the pool, her arms resting on the ledge, shoulders slick with water, skin glistening in the moonlight. Her dark hair was slicked back, droplets trailing down her throat, disappearing beneath the waterline.

Relief hit me like a fist to the gut.

Then anger.

I stepped forward, my voice low, even. Dangerous.

“Leave.”

The conversation between my brothers cut off immediately.

Marcus glanced up, reading the look on my face. He didn’t argue. Noah exhaled through his nose, shaking his head slightly, but stood. Charlie hesitated the longest, his gaze flicking between Isabel and me before he drained the rest of his drink and pushed off the chair.

One by one, they walked away.

I didn’t watch them go.

I was too busy looking at her.

She wasn’t running now. But she should have.

Because I wasn’t walking away this time.

She was still sitting there, watching me with those wide green eyes, her lips parted slightly. She was safe. She was here.

I should have been furious. Should have dragged her inside, read her the riot act for running off when I was trying to protect her.

But all I could think about was how much I fucking needed her.

I pulled my shirt over my head in one fluid motion, tossing it aside. My boots, my belt, my jeans—gone in seconds. She sucked in a sharp breath, her fingers gripping the lounge chair as I stepped toward the edge of the pool, wearing nothing but hunger and reckless fucking desire.

Then, I was in the water.

I moved through it like a predator, silent and certain, my eyes locked on hers as I closed the distance. She sat frozen, her pulse visible at the base of her throat.

She should have run.

She didn’t.

I reached her in one smooth motion, my hands finding her waist, pulling her into the water with me. She gasped as the warmth surrounded us, her fingers instinctively clutching at my shoulders.

“Ryker—”

I silenced her with my mouth, capturing her lips in a searing, claiming kiss. She melted against me, her body soft and warm and fucking perfect.

My hands slid over her, gripping, exploring, taking. I found the hem of her thin shirt and yanked it over her head, baring her to me, my breath catching at the sight of her soaked skin glistening in the moonlight.

Then, her panties. Gone in one rough pull, shredded fabric floating uselessly away as I lifted her, positioning her exactly where I wanted her.

No hesitation. No second thoughts.

I thrust inside her in one powerful motion, swallowing her gasp as I filled her completely, my body pressing her against the side of the pool.

She clenched around me, tight,perfect, her nails digging into my shoulders as I moved.

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