Mist's Edge (The Broken Lands #2) - T.A. White Page 0,40

and blinked away water to glare at Fallon. That was her intention anyway. Fallon had disappeared.

“Fallon?” She waded a step toward where he’d just been, noticing belatedly the pile of clothes in his place.

A hand grabbed her ankle and then yanked. She went under with a shriek.

They surfaced at the same time. She splashed him in the face which triggered retaliation as he wrapped her in a bear hug and sank under again. She came up laughing, his hard chest pressed against her back and his arms wrapped around her front.

“Do you give up?”

Shea tilted her head so she could look at his face. “How did you even get undressed and into the water so fast?”

He gave her a smug smile. “I was very motivated.”

She snorted and tried to splash him again. He dunked her twice more.

“Give up yet?” he said in her ear, sending shivers racing down her spine.

“Yes, yes I give up.”

His arms loosened, and she took two steps forward, a smile pulling at her face. She gave him a sly backwards gaze before sending a wave of water his way, feeling victorious when it hit him square in the face.

“Victory is mine,” she crowed before diving into the water and scissor-kicking for the opposite size of the grotto.

The muffled sound of splashing water reached her as he arrowed toward her. She evaded his grasp, slipping from his hand with a move that would have impressed a fish. They played this game for several more minutes until he cornered her at one end of the pool, her hands pinned behind her back and his face close to hers.

“What was that you were saying?” he murmured, a dark wicked look in his eyes.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Shea tried to keep a straight face but feared the mirth showed through despite her best efforts.

His smile was that of a conqueror, arrogant and dark, and just a little bit cruel. “If you were anybody else, such actions would have resulted in a swift and painful punishment.”

She lifted one eyebrow. “Oh?”

He nodded solemnly. He leaned forward pressing a kiss to the side of her neck, following it up with a sharp nip. Shea bit down on her moan, warmth spreading through her core, but she wasn’t ready to give up the game just yet.

“Well, you should know by now, Warlord. This pathfinder rarely does what she’s supposed to.”

Shea twisted her wrists, sliding out of his grip. At the same time, she kicked his leg out from under him in a move Trenton had spent considerable time teaching her over the last few months. Done properly, it could seriously injure someone. Ideally, it would send her opponent crashing to the ground. Fallon staggered but didn’t fall. It was enough that Shea was able to slip past him.

She aimed a smile at him as she treaded water at the deeper end of the pool.

The look he gave her was half fascination, half determination, and all possession. It sent a thrill of adrenaline through Shea. She took off, avoiding his grab. The two of them romped for another hour, each giving as much as they got.

It was a rare opportunity to play, something Fallon told her he’d never had the chance to do as a child. So much of his life was spent protecting his mother or in training that he’d never been able to be a child. While she’d had plenty of opportunity to play games when she was younger, it was a forgotten art until she met Fallon. As an adult, she had to be serious and restrained when living in the villages, not wanting to give them any reason to see fault with her. She’d never realized how much of a strain it had put on her until she’d experienced the light-heartedness playing with Fallon could bring. He was the only person to bring out that part of her, and she took pleasure in these small moments, rare though they were.

Fallon lunged forward, catching her before she could slip away, his momentum carrying them to the side of the pool. A seriousness had entered his face. Shea stood still as he lowered his head ever so slowly to hers, giving her a dozen chances to turn away if that was what she wanted.

She lost patience with the slow tease, bridging that last little distance and pressing her lips against his. For a long moment, his lips remained hard, then they softened and suddenly he was kissing her like he