"You sure do bring them OUT a lot," she retorts. She twitches at the water's edge, gazing at me longingly as I splash. "So…seriously. No fish? No snakes? No bugs?"
"Nothing." I make a big show of spinning in a circle. "I am whole."
"Fuck it, I'm coming in, then." She hesitates for a moment, her hand going to her top, and I wonder if she's going to strip down, too. Modesty wins, though, and she leaves her clothes on, pulling off her shoes instead. She casts them aside and then slides into the water, fully dressed. The moment she does, she tilts her head back and moans. "Oh my god, you're right. This feels amazing."
That little moan fascinates me. I watch her as she wades toward me in the shallow water. It only comes up to her breasts, but the fabric of her clothing sticks to her lithe body, outlining everything. Her cheeks are flushed with heat, but her nipples are tight under her wet top. I shouldn't be looking. I should absolutely not be looking.
But Alice is utterly gorgeous, and I can't look away. When she smiles, my insides knot up and I feel the curious need to both protect her and claim her.
"Nice, right?" I dip under the water before she can answer, wetting my hair and then rising to my feet again. Rivulets of water sluice down my face and chest, and I push back my hair from my brow, the floppy lock that never stays in place dangling over one eye. I twist it and shove it back between my horns. "This is refreshing after all the heat."
"Mmm, it is." Alice sighs and floats on her back for a moment. Then, she jerks to her feet so suddenly that my senses go on alert. "Kaspar!"
"What? What is it?" I look around for danger.
Alice splashes me. "I just realized you've lost my scent. You weren't supposed to get wet. You're supposed to be wearing my scent so Sterre won't attack you."
Is that all? I grin at her. "Oops. Guess you'll have to reapply it."
Her eyes narrow. "You did that on purpose, didn't you? You just want me to rub all over you again."
"Me? I'm utterly innocent."
One yellow brow goes up. "There's nothing innocent about you."
I grin at that, because she's not wrong. I wasn't exactly thinking about scents when I jumped into the water…but I'm not sorry. "You'll just have to kiss me again to assert dominance, won't you?"
Those eyes narrow at me again.
26
ALICE
Is he daring me to kiss him again? Does he think I won't? Because I feel like I'm being dared, and I'm not about to back down from a challenge.
So I wade a little closer to him in the water, ignoring that smug grin he's got on his face. He's low in the shallow water, only his head and arching horns sticking out. I put my hand on his neck, and before I can think about the consequences of my actions, drag him toward me and kiss him again.
Kaspar groans, and then his hands are on my ass, hauling me up against him. Our wet bodies press against each other as our mouths collide, and this time I'm not the one controlling the kiss. This time, Kaspar's just as hungry to kiss me back, and it becomes a tug-of-war between us.
A very sexy tug-of-war.
His mouth closes over mine. His tongue strokes alongside mine, slick and full of ridges. He tastes amazing, too. Considering that we've had nothing but water and tabs for weeks now, he shouldn't taste so damn good. He also shouldn't be this good at kissing, or his lips this soft. It's unfair and distracting.
As distracting as the flick of his tongue against mine.
Kaspar kisses the way he barrels through life—with a hundred percent enthusiasm and zero holding back. His big hands hold me in place, and for a moment, I feel so sheltered, so sexy, so perfect, that I'm lost in the kiss. I'm lost in his mouth and the way he groans when my tongue touches his. I'm lost in the taste and the feel of him, and nothing else matters.
"Alice," he breathes when we break, both of us gasping for breath. "Let's go to shore."
Shore? I blink up at him, dazed from kisses. And then I realize what he's saying. Let's go to shore so we can fuck.
I push him away. I'm not ready for that. Not yet. I'm not even sure I should be kissing him, except that it feels like a dare when I do, and one I'm not ready to resist. I swim away a few steps, turning my back to him so he can't see how hard my nipples are against the wet fabric of my top. "You can go to shore. I'm going to enjoy the water a bit longer."