But what kind of home life had Reyn grown up with? He loved his mother. Of that she was certain. But what had it meant to a young boy, growing up with no male role model?
“Did you miss not having a father?” She blurted the question that rose to mind before she could catch herself.
He turned a startled glance her way, then noticed the certificate in her hand. Frowning, he returned his gaze to the road. He took so long to answer, she’d almost decided he wasn’t going to when he mumbled, “Can’t miss something you’ve never known.”
“But there had to be days when you wished you had someone to throw a ball with you, or take you fishing. Do guy stuff with.”
He shrugged. “My mom threw a ball with me. I went fishing with my friends.”
She hummed her acknowledgment.
His piercing gray gaze shifted back to her. “I wanted a dad sometimes for Mom’s sake though. She seemed so lonely some days. Kinda sad.”
She held his gaze for a moment, and she saw in his chiseled face the same isolation and melancholy. She reached for him, aching to break through the walls he used to keep himself set apart, distant. She smoothed her fingers over his hair, kneaded the tight muscles in his neck. Though he didn’t pull away, neither did he show any reaction to her touch. He held himself stiff and apart, his expression closed. Except for the pain that swirled in his eyes like the morning fog.
He needed the same love and companionship he’d wished for his mother, yet he denied himself that very intimacy. She sensed that he’d shut that part of himself away in self-defense. But what was he protecting himself from?
She aimed to find out. Because she cared about him, because he’d cared enough to save Sara Russell, because someone who risked his life for others deserved to be happy. Whatever it took, she would save Reyn from his self-imposed prison.
When he dropped her off at her house, she handed him the autopsy report and birth certificate then caught his wrist before he pulled away. He raised his head with a querying look.
“Meet me by the bayou at the boat dock in ten minutes.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Why?”
“I want to show you something.”
Eyeing her suspiciously, he nodded. “Ten minutes.”
Nine minutes later, her feet thudded down the worn wooden planks of the boat dock. The quiet inlet of the bayou was nestled half a mile through the woods between her house and Lila’s. Reyn was already there, and the hollow clump of her footsteps drew his attention from the murky water. For as long as she could remember, the dock had been a private escape, a secluded spot where she could think or relax or sunbathe topless if she felt like it. Who would see her except the dragonflies and minnows?
“Hey.” She sat beside him, drawing her legs to her chest.
“So what’d you want to show me?”
“Just this. All of this.” She motioned with her hand to the lush pines, the knobby cypresses wading in the still, green-brown water, the hazy summer sky. “My private retreat. I figured you might need a peaceful place like this to do some thinking while you’re here.”
A corner of his mouth curled up, and he angled his face toward her. “Darlin’, I knew about this place before you were even born. Who do you think built this dock?”
Blinking her surprise, Olivia laughed. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope. Technically this is Gram’s property. I built this dock with my grandpa the summer before he died. I came here as a kid to feel close to him. And to fish.” His expression turned sly. “And to spy.”
She chewed slowly on the piece of cinnamon gum she’d gotten at the house and cocked her head. “Spy?”
He aimed a finger across the water to the far shore. “You see that house?”
“Yeah? That’s the Hortons’.” She didn’t need to look to know the white house he meant, so far away it looked like a miniature dollhouse.
“Well…” Reyn’s gaze dropped to her mouth where she blew a bubble with her gum and bit down to pop it. “I discovered as a kid that with a pair of binoculars, I could watch Principal Horton and his wife when they were in their backyard or if they stood in front of the glass sliding door to their family room.”
She gaped at him slack-jawed. “You little fink.”
He shrugged. “I told you I earned my bad reputation. I didn’t watch often, though. Mostly all he and his wife did was fight. I did catch their daughter making out with her boyfriend once. That made quite a show.”
She almost swallowed her gum. Instead she swatted at his arm. “Did Lila know what you were up to down here?”
“Doubt it. That was the point. It was my special private place.”
“And then it became mine. Funny, huh?”
He met her eyes and something electric crackled in the air between them, something beyond a shared hideout.
When his gaze dropped to her chest and he reached toward her, a tingle of anticipation spun through her. His warm fingers grazed her skin as he lifted the ladybug from the hollow of her throat. She could feel her pulse beating wildly, like hummingbird wings, while he studied the pendant. The back of his hand skimmed her sensitive skin, and she longed to feel his hands all over her bare skin, stroking her.
“Is there a story here?” He nodded toward the pendant.
“My father gave it to me. He used to call me ladybug. Because of my red hair and spots.”
“Spots?”
“That’s what he called my freckles. Thank God most of them have faded.”
He studied her nose and cheeks with a heavy-lidded gaze. “I kinda like your spots. They’re sexy.”
Her breath hitched. Slowly she tugged her lips up in appreciation. “Thanks.”
His attention went to her mouth. The message in his smoky eyes was obvious. He wanted to kiss her. God, she’d do about anything for another one of his mind-blowing kisses. She returned his scrutiny, remembering how his lips had seared hers, branding her as his own.
He swallowed hard as he looked away, his body tense, and she watched the movement of muscles in his strong throat. He propped his arms on his knees as he stared out across the water, pulling the fabric of his shirt taut across his wide back and shoulders.
When he swiped at a bug buzzing by his long legs, she savored the athletic tone and the crinkly dark hairs on his calves. Kicking off her sandals, she crossed her own legs and ran a toe over the curve of his taut leg muscle, enjoying the tickle of the dark hair near his ankle. “Wanna show me what Horton’s daughter was doing with her boyfriend?”
His gaze collided with hers, and his eyes grew dark with desire. “I could.”
Her heart hammered an apprehensive rhythm, and her nerve endings hummed with expectation.
He blew out a harsh breath. “But I won’t.”
The jangle of welling excitement fizzled, but not her hope. She knew Reyn wanted her as much as she wanted him. And if she could melt his resistance, she’d have crossed an important hurtle toward breaking through his defenses, earning his trust and his confidence. She wanted an emotional connection as much, maybe more, than she wanted the physical intimacy. Knowing who he was deep inside was what mattered to her, what she’d lacked with Billy, what she owed her heart before she could let herself fall in love. But that was what Reyn seemed so determined to withhold. Himself, his heart, his soul. One step at a time.
One day at a time. He’d convinced himself he could resist the tempting beauty if he took each day as it came. If he mustered the willpower it took to resist her as he encountered each temptation to indulge, he’d be all right. Now he wondered if one minute, one second at a time weren’t more apt.
He knew what she was up to. She wanted to seduce him, despite his warnings of what she would be risking. The woman was persistent. She was wearing him down, and he felt ready to snap with all the sexual tension stringing him tight.
“Geez, I’m melting.” Olivia raked her fingers through her hair and caught the thick waves into a ponytail. She held the hair off her neck and fanne
d herself with her other hand.
He watched a drop of sweat trickle down the slim column of her neck to her back. Her skin glistened, and he knew if he gave in to the urge to nibble the curve of her throat, he’d taste her salty perspiration mixed with the honeyed sweetness of her skin. He’d been craving, and denying himself, a sample of her skin for days now. The enticing view of her neck, of her pulse fluttering in the dip near her chin, tested his willpower.
“We could always go up to the house.” The sun and humidity sapped his energy. And watching her perspire heated him from the inside, reminded him of ways to get sweaty that didn’t involve scorching sun and oppressive humidity.
“Maybe.” She let her hair fall back into place and climbed to her feet. “What I’d really like to do is go for a swim.”
She rolled her red chewing gum between her teeth as she eyed the water speculatively.
He considered the idea and shrugged. “I’m game. Get your swimsuit and meet me back here in a few minutes.”
Pushing himself up from the dock, he dusted off the seat of his shorts. He stooped to pick up his tennis shoes and straightened in time to see Olivia whip her T-shirt over her head. His breath caught in his lungs.
“What are you doing?”
She began unfastening her shorts. “Who needs a swimming suit? I usually just swim in my skivvies.”
Today, her panties were pale pink and matched the lacy bra hugging her breasts. The sunlight kissed the ripe curves of her womanly body, and her ivory skin glowed in the bright yellow beams. His response came instantly, his body humming with a carnal hunger.
“Are you with me?” She flashed him a devilish grin and stepped out of her shorts. “Come on, hot stuff. I dare you.”
He arched an eyebrow, and adrenaline shot through him. “You dare me?”
He looked toward the line of trees, muttering a curse. How did she know just the right buttons to push? He’d never walked away from a dare in his life, even when he knew caution was the better choice. His private battle with the demon drove him to push the envelope, to test his limits and never again let cowardice or doubts keep him from acting. Never again.
She stepped to the edge of the dock and gracefully dove in. When she emerged, she whooped. “Oh, man, it feels great. Get the lead out, fireman. I thought you guys knew how to hustle.”
He yanked off his shirt, battling down the stream of reasons why this wasn’t a good idea. He was tempting fate, risking a scandal that could hurt Gram if they were discovered, testing his own ability to keep his hands off her. Olivia swam over to the wood plank ladder nailed to the end of the dock and climbed out. The wet fabric of her bra and panties left little to his imagination. The thick ridge at his fly left little to her imagination concerning how she affected him.
She stepped close and grasped the button of his shorts. “Need some help?”
He cleared his throat and put a hand on each of her arms to push her away. “This is a bad idea, Olivia. I’m trying to be a gentleman around you, but you’re making it very hard.”
Her eyes sparkled with mischief, and she stroked a hand over his erection. “So I see.”
His breath hissed through his teeth, and he struggled to maintain a steely control over his body. “Don’t do that.”
“Why not? It’s obvious you want me, and I want you. So what’s the problem?”
“I don’t want you to get hurt.” He removed her hands from his shorts and stepped away.
She scowled at him, bracing her hands on her hips while water dripped off her in thin rivulets. “I’m a big girl, Reyn. I can take care of myself.”
The dusky pink tips of her breasts and the dark patch at the top of her thighs showed through her wet bra and panties.
He averted his gaze, forcing himself to rein in his lust. “I can’t give you any promises beyond right now. I’m not in this for anything long term.”
“Did I ask for anything long term?”
“I just don’t want to let you down…have you expecting something from me I can’t give,” he said, as much to remind himself as for her benefit.
“As much as I appreciate your candor and integrity, I don’t need you to protect me. Just come swim with me. Okay?” She took his hand and tugged him toward the end of the dock.
“You know swimming’s not all we’ll do.”
“Well, I can hope.” She flashed him a wicked grin, wiggled her eyebrows then dove smoothly into the water again.
Reyn groaned. If he hadn’t been hot before, he sure was now. Before his conscience could rear its head again, he dropped his shorts and kicked them over by his shoes. Turning toward the murky lake, he thought briefly of the danger of diving into unknown water. He brushed aside the concern, telling himself the water wasn’t unknown to Olivia. Following her lead, he dove shallowly for the same spot where she’d entered the lake.
The cool water hitting his heated skin shocked his system and sent an energizing jolt through him. He surfaced and swiped water from his face. Spotting Olivia close by, beaming at him, he swam toward her.
You know swimming’s not all we’ll do.
Well, I can hope.
As he had when diving into the murky lake, he pushed his doubts to the back of his mind. Olivia knew the risks of tangling with him and hadn’t balked. If sex with him was what she wanted, he would follow her lead. He’d warned her it would only be sex.
He stopped in front of her, close enough to see her dark brown eyelashes, spiked by the moisture clinging to them and framing golden eyes that sparkled with a joy for life.
Olivia looped her arms around his neck, and her legs brushed his as she treaded water along with him. “Nice dive. Good form.” Her lips tugged to one side. “Nice skivvies, too. I like blue.”
She ran her toes over his calf, and sparks of desire shot through him. He pulled her closer, so that her body aligned with his, her breasts grazing his chest. As he treaded water, he stared into her eyes, absorbing like a dry sponge the happiness she radiated. Her spirited nature reached an empty place inside him and filled the cold places in his soul with sunshine. Her optimism and vibrancy were intoxicating, addicting. Something he needed, especially today, especially after reading the autopsy report. God, he needed what Olivia offered. Escape. Solace. A temporary reprieve.
He ran a hand over her back, and the slick silkiness of her skin in the water conjured erotic images in his mind.
“Now isn’t this better than staying cooped up inside in the air conditioning?” She tweaked his earlobe then pulled away to swim the sidestroke toward the dock.
“You know, this bayou is full of snakes and leeches and other slimy creatures.”
Olivia laughed. “If you’re trying to frighten me, Reyn, it won’t work. The snakes don’t bother me, and in all the years I’ve been swimming here, I’ve never gotten a leech on me.” She reached the ladder and turned to face him while she held the top rung. “As far as other slimy creatures go, Billy Russell stayed in Baton Rouge after graduating LSU, so I don’t figure he’s lurking around here.”
Her cattish comment caught him off guard, and he had to laugh as he swam toward her.
“Oh my gosh.” Her worried expression caused a flare of panic in his gut.
“What?” He checked behind him to make certain there wasn’t a cottonmouth bearing down on him.
“You laughed. You actually laughed.”
He caught one of the wood planks of the homemade ladder and pulled up beside her. “Yeah. So?”
She stroked his cheek, her brow knit with concern. “Aren’t you afraid of cracking that stony face. Even a smile could do serious damage to your scowling countenance.”
He sobered. “My what?”
She dragged a fingernail over his chin. “You heard me.”
“Is that what you think? Have I been that bad?” He wrapped his hand around hers and rubbed his thumb along her wrist.
“Worse.”
He winced. “Ouch. Well, we have been dealing with some pretty seri
ous stuff. And I’m worried about Gram. But a stony face? That sounds bad. What do you recommend?”
“I think we should give you something to smile about.” The husky, suggestive tone of her voice was enough to earn a half smile from him. Plucking her gum out of her mouth, she tossed it in the water with a little splunk.
He slid an arm around her waist and hauled her closer. Steadying himself on the ladder with one foot on the bottom rung and an arm looped through the top rung, he cupped a hand on her bottom and pulled her hips against his. Dipping his head, he caught her lips. In return, she anchored his head between her hands to deepen the kiss. He traced his tongue over the seam of her lips, and she invited him inside, meeting his plundering tongue with her own. The satiny surfaces of her mouth proved a feast for his senses. He tasted her cinnamon gum and her eagerness. She tasted sweet, feminine. Forbidden. He lost himself in the heady rush of sensation, indulged in the pleasure of her welcoming lips moving under his.
Sighing, she sank against him, and the crush of her breasts against his chest caused a shudder to race through him. Olivia wrapped her legs around his hips, and even in the cool water, he felt her heat when she rubbed herself along his erection. A groan rumbled from his throat, and his body ached for more. Despite her eagerness, he fought to keep things slow and savor what she offered him.
Gliding his hand over her back, he found the clasp of her bra and worked to unhook it with one hand. After a moment, she reached behind her and finished the task for him. With his heart thundering, he peeled the wet fabric away and tossed the scrap of pink lace on the dock.
With her legs still hooked around his hips, she held his arms and arched her back, offering herself to his view. To his touch. He brushed a finger over the rosy tips of her breasts and watched her nipples bead in response. The sight landed a sucker punch of lust to his gut. He covered one breast with his free hand and squeezed the soft swell then swooped down on the other with his mouth. He sucked her swollen nipple between his teeth and flicked it with his tongue.
She cried out, clutching his arms until her fingernails bit into his skin. Her legs tightened around him, and fire flashed through him. Drawing greedily on her taut nipple, he soon grew impatient with their awkward position and growled his frustration and hunger for her. He pulled her upright slowly, working his lips, his tongue from her breast to her chin. He trailed his fingers over her skin lightly like a lazy dragonfly buzzing over the surface of the water.
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