But then I see a head of dark hair, and everything inside me smiles.
My hero can swim.
But he’s not happy about it.
Remington’s dark head rises from the water, completely alive and beautifully soaked.
His infamous glare immediately finds me.
“I thought maybe you couldn’t swim,” I tease as he stands, giving his dripping tresses an angry shake.
“And I thought you didn’t have a death wish. Guess we were both wrong.”
He moves through the current like it’s nothing—like the river knows the devil is in its midst and willingly parts around him, so he can corner his prey without hindrance.
My vagina loves it.
“I thought you drowned,” I say when he draws closer, flashing him a wicked smile that shows his little glare does nothing but excite me. “I was coming to save you, but I should have known the river had no chance against you.”
Fury reigns in his dark eyes as he comes to stand in front of me. “What you should have known is that I would come foryou.”
He’s not in a playful mood. I get that. This water isn’t the warmest. “I’m sorry for pushing you in. I—”
Like a viper, he strikes quickly, yanking me against him with one hand while the other fists my hair, snatching my head back and exposing my throat. I’m pinned and helpless, shivering in a current powerful enough to drag me under for miles.
And. I. Don’t. Care.
“Tell me something, love.” The warmth of his breath skims my jaw, sending chills over my skin. “Do you enjoy provoking me?”
The tip of his nose drags along my cheek, and for a moment, all I can do is feel.
Feel the pressure of his hold—the unrelenting strength ensuring my compliance as he milks the truth from my exposed body. The coolness of his soaked clothes and the hard lines of muscles hidden beneath them. The scruff that has grown since his morning shave against the smoothness of my face. His heartbeat as it pounds against his chest into mine.
It’s a moment that seems to fade everything around us into fine mist along our bodies.
We are trespassers in the Garden of Eden, tasting the forbidden fruit.
“Answer me.”
He grips me tighter until I have no choice but to relax into his hold.
“Do you enjoy provoking me, Eden?”
I try shaking my head, but it doesn’t move. “No,” I rasp, swallowing harshly. “Iloveit.”
If we weren’t alone in the middle of a river, I would swear the fish gasped in shock. But then I realize the noise I heard through the buzzing in my ears was Remington, growling like something primal lived inside him.
“I’m going to destroy you, love.” His teeth scrape against my skin, and it’s as erotic as it is exciting—especially when I lean into his bite, daring him to go further.
“Do you promise?”
I’ve already told him he can’t ruin what’s already been destroyed. But what he can do is ravage the broken and make all the jagged pieces unite in pleasure.
We are one and the same.
My brokenness longs to share his pain—to protect the fragility of the goodness hidden beneath our scars.
We were meant for this moment.