Page 33 of Baited

She stood up to her knees in the waves, her hands outstretched to skim her fingertips over the water. His feet sunkinto the thick wet sand, then into the waves. Soft blond tendrils curled over her neck, her slim, tanned back arched before gently curving over her backside. The dainty black bottoms revealed her lush and full cheeks. Desire ripped through him.

“Riley,” he called. She spun around in the water to face him.

Her eyes crinkled with pleasure. She pursed her lips together, but the effort didn’t take the first sign of delight away from her eyes.

“Hey,” she said softly as he closed the distance between them. Her body moved in line with his and together they moved deeper into the sea. “I didn’t know you were coming here today.”

His knuckles grazed against hers as the uneven sand beneath the water swayed their steps. The water creeped higher on his legs, and with a glance down he saw it reached her hips.

“It’s hot as hell out. I don’t think there’s a better place to be.”

“You can say that again. I haven’t made it to the water since I’ve been back, but I couldn’t spend my day off in the house today.” Her voice trailed off.

He lowered his gaze to watch her lips roll in as if she regretted the words. She hadn’t enjoyed the beach because she’d been too busy endangering herself. He held back the remark that would only spark her anger and took in the crowd of people lingering in the water and edged out further.

Riley kept pace, and when the water reached his abdomen and her chest, the mill of people had thinned. He turned in the water so his back faced the waves. Riley bounced toward him, the water lapped around her throat. He stopped swimming backward. “Too deep?”

She shook her head. “No, it’s fine.”

“Can you touch the bottom?”

She chuckled. “Not really.”

He extended his hand beneath the water and she curled her arm around his shoulder. Her toes brushed his shins and she wiped a droplet of water from her cheek.

“Thanks.”

Her slim body touched his stomach and his arms ached to draw her closer to him. Her knee brushed against his thigh. Even though her hand settled loosely on his shoulder, she was still treading water and not placing her weight on him. Slowly, he drew his arm around her waist, pulling her closer so she didn’t have to fight to stay afloat. The muscles in his arm twitched, as if anticipating her recoil.

She didn’t pull away but her clear, green eyes, which rivaled the Atlantic waters, landed on his face. Her chest rose and fell next to his in a slow, steady rhythm. The ends of the tendrils that had escaped restriction from the knot atop her head dangled in the water. Her body relaxed in his hold and her legs moved around his waist so he cradled her in his arms.

“Are you all right here or do you want to move closer to shore?”

“This is okay.” Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper. “But I don’t like being out too far. I’m not a strong swimmer and I’d rather not be shark food.”

Slowly, he inched toward shore, and then stopped after a few feet. “Ah, so she finally lets her guard down.”

Her eyebrows snapped down. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re showing me something that scares you, that’s all. It’s a good thing.”

Her face relaxed. Under the water, his fingers flexed on the naked skin at her back. The warmth between her legs pressed tightly against his abdomen. For him, the water reached his shoulders. For her, it would be over her head.

“I like it,” he added.

Her eyes darkened. Her tongue swept across her bottom teeth. “Don’t get used to it.”

He laughed. “I’ll try not to. But I’d like to talk about some things.”

Her eyebrow arched. “As if we don’t talk enough?”

Not nearly as much as he’d like. But he swallowed the words.

“Every time I try to talk to you about anything serious you change the subject. This is the first time you haven’t put a wall up and I like seeing a glimmer of your personality, other than the rock-hard exterior you showcase.” His voice dipped, “You can trust me.”

She tensed in his hold. He braced for her to swim away but instead she leaned lazily back into the support of his hands.

“All right, you have my attention. Let’s talk.”

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