Beyond the Breaking Point - Lori Sjoberg Page 0,46

short distance away, and a bit of relief went through her when she saw his back instead of his face. It gave her a modicum of privacy, and she appreciated his discretion.

Then again, it wasn’t all that much privacy, considering Wade was in the water.

As if sensing her presence, his eyes flicked open, his gaze catching hers, and her internal thermostat cranked up five or ten degrees.

“You might as well come in,” he called out. “I’ve yet to find anything in here that might want to devour you.”

The way he said devour sent a tingle down her spine.

After one last nervous look around, she stripped down to her plain white cotton panties and even plainer white cotton bra, stacked her clothes in a pile at the edge of the rocky shore, and walked into the shallows.

And stopped dead in her tracks when a chill whipped through her. “Crap, that’s cold.”

Wade scoffed as he moved toward her. “Don’t be such a baby. It feels good once you’re in.”

Teeth gritted, she stepped farther into the pond, the water rising with each step until it reached her waist. Then she froze again, her eyes widening with panic. “Oh, my God, something touched my leg.”

“Relax. It’s probably just an eel.”

Every last drop of blood drained away from her face. Her voice shot up half an octave when she said, “Eels? Are you serious?”

She didn’t know anything about eels. Did they bite? Were they poisonous? How aggressive were they toward people? She looked down at the water but didn’t see anything swimming—or would they be slithering?—about.

Wade made a sound that resembled a snort, a tinge of humor forming on his usually serious face. “Nah, I’m just fucking with you.”

Outrage had her mouth dropping open. “You think that was funny?”

“Lighten up, Bones. That look on your face was priceless.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Jackass. You scared me half to death.” Using both hands, she splashed him with a huge wave of water.

Something wild glinted in his eyes, and she let out a yelp when he lunged for her. She almost got away, but he snagged her ankle and pulled her back like a fish on a line. He scooped her up into his arms as though she weighed nothing and carried her out to the deeper water.

She squirmed in an attempt to break free, but his grip only tightened, pulling her more firmly against him. “Wade—Wade, no! Don’t you dare—”

Before she could finish the sentence, he tossed her in.

Soaked and sputtering, she popped up for air and scraped hair away from her eyes. Wade stood a few feet away, looking mighty damn pleased with himself, so she did the only thing a mature woman would do—she splashed him again.

The corners of his eyes pinched. “Oh, that’s it. You’re going under the fall.”

In the blink of an eye, he caught her around the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder, treating her to an upside-down view of his ass. She thrashed, laughing as she tried to free herself, even though she knew it was futile.

“Put me down!”

“Not a chance, Bones. Actions have consequences.”

They were close now; she could feel the spray of the fall on the backs of her legs. Another foot or two, and he’d make good on his threat to dunk her under it.

“Stop! Uncle! You win, okay?” she shouted over the roar of the water. “Now put me down.”

With a sigh of reluctance, he loosened his grip on her legs. As he eased her down, she slid across his bare chest, and she held back a moan that would have let him know how much the contact affected her.

The air was hot, the water cold, and his body the perfect combination of rock-hard muscles and warm, taut skin. She stared at his chest, cataloging the collection of scars while trying to figure out what caused each of them. Her focus fixed on a round, puckered mark just above his left pectoral muscle.

“Exit wound from the bullet,” he said, as if reading her mind.

She brushed one finger over a burn scar on his abdomen, and the muscles quivered beneath her touch. “And this?”

“I don’t know.” His voice was low, husky. “It must have happened after I passed out.”

Looking up, she met his moss-green gaze and saw a spark of light, a flare of heat, and unmistakable masculine interest. A shiver worked its way up her spine, and she thought, Dear Lord, I’m in trouble.

“I, uh…I should…” Her mind went blank on what she intended to say. It