it’s okay, it’s private here, it’s dusk, and there’s no-one to see.’
‘You’re here.’
He mentally toasted her ability to ruin another evening, as he opened his door, jumped down, grabbed towels from the back, and flung her door wide. Needling, because she was denying him the enthusiasm the place deserved.
‘For someone who makes a living taking your clothes off you’re very prudish.’ He joked.
There was enough light left in the day for him to know she was looking daggers at him.
‘I don’t, and I’m not.’ Add huffy and angry to awkward and exacting.
He had to dig deep, and make a big effort to pull her around. Somewhere, in the dusk, amongst the ruffles of her skirt he found her hand. Warm. Slender. Surprisingly small, given the flock of butterflies it released in his chest. Closing his fist around it, he squeezed. ‘Just come for a walk then.’
He felt her give in, her hand flexing away from his grasp. And she was out, taking off, slipping ahead of him through the shadows, and by the time he reached the water’s edge she’d already kicked off her shoes and was ankle deep, ruffling her skirts, stamping.
‘It’s freezing!’
Despite the chill, he sensed her thawing.
‘That’s the whole point. It’s invigorating, but it’s easier if you do it a lot because your skin gets used to the cold.’
She was in up to her knees now, skirt bunched up, tucked under her short denim jacket. Standing still, as the moon slid up the sky, and emerged over the tree tops on the opposite bank.
‘Look, Ed.’ Her voice was urgent, and she was pointing upstream. ‘The moon’s lighting up the water.’
‘I told you you’d like it. And moonlight swimming is something else.’ He hesitated, not knowing whether to push it. ‘You don’t have to do it, but I’m going in.’
He flung down the towels, shrugged off his shirt, whipped down his jeans, and two seconds later he let out a shout as he stormed in, and the icy water hit his skin and smacked the breath from his body.
***
Buff naked man alert!
And even if it was almost dark, what a body!
The deep breath Millie drew as she saw Ed hit the water went on forever, but still didn’t seem to be giving her enough oxygen. She shook her head, raised an eyebrow in the shadows, and smiled silently, as she watched him gasping at the chill, his head bobbing as he jack-knifed in the silvery water.
‘Careful you don’t drown, I don’t have a lifeguard certificate!’ she called, shouting anything to cover her confusion.
And that had pretty much sealed it. She was going to have to go in too. There was no way on earth she could stand here and watch him emerge from the water. It had been bad enough sitting next to him in the Land Rover, watching his lean tanned forearms wrestling with the steering wheel. The sight of him naked would push her already surging hormones beyond the danger zone and out the other side.
Back there, the thought of swimming with him had set her alarm systems jangling, until he’d found her hand. That couldn’t have made her move faster if he’d been electrically charged. But going phwoaaarrr at the sight of a hunky male was one thing. Acting on it was something else entirely. One strict no-go area. Or it was when she had her rational head on. Despite the warmth of the air she shivered again, chewing her nail as she struggled to work out the ambiguity of her reactions. Traveling along those bumpy rutted lanes seemed to have knocked the sense clean out of her.
‘If you’re coming in, fast is the only way to do it!’ He was thrashing around, still facing the bank. ‘That way you don’t feel the cold!’
Thanks for that Mr Mitchum. She damn well would be fast, not because of the cold, but because she had to take him by surprise. But what to wear? She weighed up the options. Shorts and vest? Knickers and bra? None of the above?
Playing for time. ‘What’s it like in there?’
‘Cool!’
Were those his teeth chattering?
‘You’re here.’
He mentally toasted her ability to ruin another evening, as he opened his door, jumped down, grabbed towels from the back, and flung her door wide. Needling, because she was denying him the enthusiasm the place deserved.
‘For someone who makes a living taking your clothes off you’re very prudish.’ He joked.
There was enough light left in the day for him to know she was looking daggers at him.
‘I don’t, and I’m not.’ Add huffy and angry to awkward and exacting.
He had to dig deep, and make a big effort to pull her around. Somewhere, in the dusk, amongst the ruffles of her skirt he found her hand. Warm. Slender. Surprisingly small, given the flock of butterflies it released in his chest. Closing his fist around it, he squeezed. ‘Just come for a walk then.’
He felt her give in, her hand flexing away from his grasp. And she was out, taking off, slipping ahead of him through the shadows, and by the time he reached the water’s edge she’d already kicked off her shoes and was ankle deep, ruffling her skirts, stamping.
‘It’s freezing!’
Despite the chill, he sensed her thawing.
‘That’s the whole point. It’s invigorating, but it’s easier if you do it a lot because your skin gets used to the cold.’
She was in up to her knees now, skirt bunched up, tucked under her short denim jacket. Standing still, as the moon slid up the sky, and emerged over the tree tops on the opposite bank.
‘Look, Ed.’ Her voice was urgent, and she was pointing upstream. ‘The moon’s lighting up the water.’
‘I told you you’d like it. And moonlight swimming is something else.’ He hesitated, not knowing whether to push it. ‘You don’t have to do it, but I’m going in.’
He flung down the towels, shrugged off his shirt, whipped down his jeans, and two seconds later he let out a shout as he stormed in, and the icy water hit his skin and smacked the breath from his body.
***
Buff naked man alert!
And even if it was almost dark, what a body!
The deep breath Millie drew as she saw Ed hit the water went on forever, but still didn’t seem to be giving her enough oxygen. She shook her head, raised an eyebrow in the shadows, and smiled silently, as she watched him gasping at the chill, his head bobbing as he jack-knifed in the silvery water.
‘Careful you don’t drown, I don’t have a lifeguard certificate!’ she called, shouting anything to cover her confusion.
And that had pretty much sealed it. She was going to have to go in too. There was no way on earth she could stand here and watch him emerge from the water. It had been bad enough sitting next to him in the Land Rover, watching his lean tanned forearms wrestling with the steering wheel. The sight of him naked would push her already surging hormones beyond the danger zone and out the other side.
Back there, the thought of swimming with him had set her alarm systems jangling, until he’d found her hand. That couldn’t have made her move faster if he’d been electrically charged. But going phwoaaarrr at the sight of a hunky male was one thing. Acting on it was something else entirely. One strict no-go area. Or it was when she had her rational head on. Despite the warmth of the air she shivered again, chewing her nail as she struggled to work out the ambiguity of her reactions. Traveling along those bumpy rutted lanes seemed to have knocked the sense clean out of her.
‘If you’re coming in, fast is the only way to do it!’ He was thrashing around, still facing the bank. ‘That way you don’t feel the cold!’
Thanks for that Mr Mitchum. She damn well would be fast, not because of the cold, but because she had to take him by surprise. But what to wear? She weighed up the options. Shorts and vest? Knickers and bra? None of the above?
Playing for time. ‘What’s it like in there?’
‘Cool!’
Were those his teeth chattering?
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