skinny-dipping with you, Snoopy.” His smile was brief but wide. “Like I said, Brommy and Anton are out and about.”
“And you don’t want them seeing you naked,” I said, as if this made perfect sense.
“I’m very shy.”
“Sure you are.” I kicked my foot, sending ripples his way. “But I meant regular swimming.”
He was wearing a threadbare T-shirt of indeterminable color and athletic shorts that hung low and loose on his trim hips.
I eyed him up and down, enjoying the way he tried so hard not to fidget. “Stop dithering, and get in.”
Lucian scowled. “Bossy.” But he stripped off his shirt, which was every bit as hot as the last time he’d done it—more, really, because now I got to witness it up close and in full detail.
Quirking a straight brow at me as if to say “You asked for it,” he dove in the deep end.
My belly tightened as he arrowed under the water, heading my way. He broke through the surface a few feet from me, wet and gorgeous and smiling with his eyes. If I wasn’t already in water, I would have melted into a puddle of lust just looking at him.
Lucian combed his dripping hair back with his fingers as he treaded water before me. “Any reason you’re swimming, Em?”
“Should there be?” I let go of the edge and headed his way.
Lucian immediately jerked back, keeping the distance equal between us. “Didn’t take you for a night swimmer.”
I moved forward again slowly. “You made it look so good; I thought I’d try.”
It was too dark to tell, but I could have sworn he blushed. But then his eyes narrowed. “You’re flirting.”
“Am I?” I totally was. I couldn’t help it; Lucian was kind of adorable when he reacted to my blatant attempts as though confused but intrigued. So often, he unbalanced me with his cool authority. It was satisfying to return the favor.
Competitor at heart, Lucian rallied. He planted his feet; he was tall enough to stand without dipping underwater. “You know you are.” Lucian’s gaze moved over me carefully, as though he was attempting to read my mind. “You’re not trying to make me feel better about myself, are you?”
I paused, floating there, my heart squeezing tight. “I’m flirting with you because I enjoy it. I never know what you’ll say, and it usually makes me laugh.”
“Ah. I’m to play the role of jester.”
“Are you deliberately trying to tick me off? Do you want me to go?”
His eyes glinted. “I don’t want you to go.”
“So you’re trying to annoy me.”
His chuckle was warm and sent little flutters of pleasure through my insides. “Just keeping you on your toes, Em.”
That I could work with. I shot forward, ready to swim, and he darted aside like he thought I might jump him. I rolled my eyes, swimming around him in a lazy circle. “You’re kind of twitchy tonight.”
“Twitchy.” He apparently didn’t like the sound of that.
“Mmm. Like you don’t know whether or not to flee.”
“You got that right. This line of conversation is tempting me to run right about now.”
Funny.
I continued to circle, but he followed, keeping me in his sights.
“Is it because we’ve seen each other naked?” I asked.
Lucian jerked so hard he splashed himself. “Jesus, Em.”
I fought a grin. “What? It’s true. You told me you watched Dark Castle.”
“Anya wasn’t fully nude—”
“As good as. Aside from showing that little V of hair—”
“God . . . ,” he moaned expansively.
“I was basically naked.”
“You’re trying to kill me. That’s it, isn’t it?”
The thick rasp of his voice had me smiling.
“Don’t be such a prude.”
“If you knew what was running through my mind, you’d never accuse me of being a prude.”
My heart skipped another beat, and I found myself treading water again. “Do tell.”
“Never you mind.” Somehow, he’d drifted closer, edging me into a corner. “Now cut it out. There’s a huge difference between seeing Princess Anya half-undressed on a TV screen and seeing you naked.”
He seemed so thoroughly put out on my behalf about it that I could only stare at him in wonder.
“I fail to understand why.”
Dark brows threatened to meet in the middle. “First off, that wasn’t you. That was Anya, a character. She’s make-believe. You’re real.”
The flutters in my belly soared up into the vicinity of my chest. “That’s . . . sweet.”
As though he hadn’t heard me, Lucian continued on in lecture mode. “Secondly, I can’t reach through a screen and touch those pretty breasts.”
I bobbled, nearly going under. The flutters turned into a storm,