Page 154 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

“You can wash and I’ll wait,” I offer. No matter how much I’d like to snatch the pin from him, it’s clear he’s not going to give itto me without a fight—and I’m currently too worn out to engage in one.

“No. You will wash, too.”

“But—”

“I’d like to be able to stand next to the female I’m courting without holding my breath, Minnie,” he adds with a sigh.

I nibble on my lip. He does have a point. Although… I could certainly use this to keep him at arm’s length. Though logical, I find that the idea doesn’t appeal.

“But we don’t have a change of clothes?—”

“We do. I made sure to pack some since I assumed something like this would happen.”

I gawk at him. He’s ready for everything, isn’t he? Though I’d like nothing more than to be mad at him since he clearly went through my clothes, I decide to let it slide—this time.

“Fine,” I acquiesce.

He beams at me. We go back to the car to get the change of clothes, after which he leads the way to the lake. All the while, I’m trying to brace myself for the cold I’ll encounter.

The lake is not as close as he’d made it out to be. It takes us more than thirty minutes to reach it. It’s on the other side of the hill! How did he even know it was there is beside me.

Luckily, it’s surrounded by trees, meaning that no one will be able to see us.

“You take that side, I will take this side,” I say as I dig my foot into the dirt and draw a line to delineate each half of the lake.

“Minnie!” He groans.

“And you will go in first and stand with your back to me,” I add.

“You’d better not try to leave and steal the pin,” he warns.

Well, I did not think about that, though now that he mentions it…

“Vow it. Vow that you will not steal the pin and leave. And vow that you will wash.”

I roll my eyes at him. Smart male.

“Fine, fine. I vow to wash and not steal the pin and leave.”

“Good.”

Without further ado, he unbuttons his jacket and throws it to the ground. He’s wearing a white shirt underneath that he quickly chucks, too. He’s now only in a tank top and I blink nervously at his muscles.

Is it suddenly warm?

I should turn away like I told him to do. I shouldn’t be watching him undress, especially since with every piece of clothing he removes, something vibrates in my lower belly.

He doesn’t tell me to turn, though. He’s smirking at me as he removes his tank top.

Now he’s bare-chested and my heart thuds horrifically loud in my chest. Goodness, it’s definitely getting warm.

Then his hands are on his belt, unbuckling it and throwing it to the side. The sound of the zipper going down finally punches some sense into me and I quickly turn just as he lowers his trousers down his legs.

I’m mortified but also too damn curious. It’s a battle with myself not to turn and watch him in his naked glory, something I’ve been thinking about quite a bit as of late.

Who am I kidding? I’ve been thinking about it every single night while we’ve been sleeping in the same cabin.

Only when I hear the sound of water splashing around do I finally turn.

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