But she was shrieking when she hit the water, swallowed it, came up choking. "You fool. You idiot. You—" She swallowed more when he pushed her head under.
What he hadn't counted on was that Laura Templeton had been captain of her swim team, had won a drawer full of medals, and had more than once successfully defended herself against a big brother's bullying.
While he treaded water and roared with laughter, she nipped fluidly between his legs, grabbed hold where a man was most vulnerable, and squeezed. She could hear the muffled echo of his yelp, smiled grimly, and yanked downward.
Streaking away, she broke the surface and waited smugly for him to wheeze out breaths and flail toward the side.
"Now that," she said, slicking back her dripping hair, "was funny."
He had his breath back, mostly, and eyed her narrowly. "Want to fight dirty, sugar?"
"This is my element, Michael. You're in over your head."
"Think so?" He'd done more than a few water stunts in his day. He pushed off the side and pursued.
She was faster than he'd given her credit for, and slicker. He knew when he was being taunted—the way she nipped just out of reach in a dive for the bottom. The fluidity with which she changed direction and dodged.
They surfaced again, watching each other over the lapping water. "Wet jeans are constricting."
She cocked her head. "If you need an excuse." She snagged one of her shoes as it floated by, sighed. "Four pair in one day. Has to be a record." Philosophically, she planted her feet and stood.
The water streamed off her, glued the thin material of her blouse to the high, full curve of breast, to the narrow torso and subtle flare of hip. In the shadowed light her dripping hair curled wildly and glowed like wet gold.
"Now you are playing dirty," he murmured.
Pouring the water out of her shoe, she looked over at him. Her hand remained aloft, her eyes on his as he slowly skimmed through the water toward her. As he stood, he slid his hands over her thighs, hips, sides, and left them molded to her breasts.
"Michael." The shoe dropped out of her hand and plopped into the water. "We can't."
"I'm just going to kiss you." His hands slipped wetly to her back, down to cup her bottom as he eased back until they were floating again. "And touch you. And drive us both a little crazy."
"Oh." Her head was already spinning as his teeth caught her lip, tugged. "Well, if that's all."
She wrapped herself around him, let him take her through the cool water. It was her mouth that grew hungrier, more avid, seeking his over and over again, going deeper with tongues tangling, breath clashing.
Need pounded through him with anvil shocks. She was destroying him, her legs gripped hard so that her tight little body molded to his, her hips moving seductively so that sex rubbed sex.
"Laura—"
But she answered with an impatient moan, tunneling her hands through his hair, savaging his throat. His loins began to throb like a wound.
"Hold on a minute."
"I want you." Her voice was thick, the words hot against his skin. "I want you. I want you."
"We can't do this here." Could they? His mind went blank when her mouth fit to his again. He sank with her so that the water surrounded them. Her hair floated out, like the mermaid who watched them from the bottom.
He wanted to keep sinking, sinking, just like this with his mouth hard on hers. Sink into a world where air didn't matter, light didn't matter. Where there was nothing but her and this churning, sweet ache of need.
When they surfaced again, he shook his head, trying to clear it. Then kicked once to keep them afloat. "No." It wasn't a word he'd expected to say to a woman under the circumstances. And it came out weak as he pressed her head onto his shoulder. "You'd better give me a minute."
She floated with him, dizzy with desire, dazed with triumph. "I seduced you."
"Sugar, you damn near killed me."
She threw her head back and laughed. "I seduced you," she repeated, her face glowing. "I didn't know I could. It's… liberating."
"You come on over to my place tonight and you can be as liberated as you want. Right now, keep your hands off me."