Nick UnCaged (Santuary #4) - Abbie Zanders Page 0,42
dynamic quickly.
Cage stood abruptly before he said or did something he’d regret, like telling her how much they had in common—or worse, pulling her onto his lap and kissing her senseless.
He needed a few minutes to regroup—preferably in the cold water of the lake.
“Before we do that, how about a swim?”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Bree
She smirked. “Right. In the forest?”
“The lake is just over there, beyond the trees. It’s a great way to cool down after an afternoon trail ride.”
His expression held a hint of amusement. She looked in the direction he’d indicated, trying to get her bearings. Her sense of direction wasn’t great on the best of days, but after zigzagging through the woods for a couple hours, she didn’t have a clue where they were relative to anything. He could be telling the truth, or he could be having fun with her.
Then, he began removing his boots. “Coming?”
“I don’t have a suit,” she hedged.
“You don’t need one.”
She shivered—as much from the thought of an evening skinny dip with a sexy SEAL as the idea of wading into water that wasn’t heavily chlorinated and contained by cement walls painted blue. “Aren’t there ... things in the lake?”
“Lots of things,” he agreed. “But they’re more afraid of you than you are of them.”
Wrong answer. She’d gone to the Jersey Shore once as a kid, and the memories of things brushing against her legs as she’d waded into the water still haunted her.
“Isn’t there some rule about not swimming right after you eat?”
He narrowed his eyes. “You don’t know how to swim, do you?”
“I can swim!” she protested. “I’m just not ... very good at it.”
“All right, suit yourself.” He threw another log on the fire. “Stay here. Don’t go wandering off. There are things in the woods, too. I’ll be back shortly.”
“You’re not serious!”
Apparently, he was serious because he sauntered off and disappeared into the trees. She remained by the fire, staring off into the darkness, which seemed to have suddenly intensified now that she was alone. Something ruffled the bushes off to the right, and she was on her feet. Then, another sound came from behind her.
“Screw this.”
Ignoring his warning, she moved quickly across the campsite, tracing his steps into the trees, only to emerge on a grassy shoreline.
Dark water lapped at the shore, reflecting the deep blue-black velvet of the sky, the gentle ripples frosting silver at the crests. She drew in a breath. It was a lovely view. But not quite as lovely as the male figure moving deeper into the water. All she could make out in the scant light was his silhouette, but what a silhouette it was! Broad shoulders and back, tapering down into a trim, narrow waist ...
Was he naked? She squinted, hoping for a better look, but it was impossible to tell.
He sank down before she got her answer and began to swim in a picture-perfect overhand crawl. She watched, mesmerized as his powerful arms rose out of the water and entered again, propelling him along without a sound.
She caught movement in the corner of her eye just before something swooped down toward her. She ducked and squealed in surprise.
When she turned back to the water, Nick was nowhere to be seen. She scanned left and right, searching but to no avail. The seconds ticked by as she waited for him to resurface. She listened carefully, too, but the only sounds she heard were the soft lapping of water against the shoreline, the warm summer breeze rustling the leaves, and the muted chirps of whatever nocturnal creatures were dancing in the air above her.
“Change your mind?”
Nick’s voice, coming from just to her right, startled her. She might have screamed a little.
“How did you ... you were just ...” she stammered out, her heart beating a mile a minute.
Then, she remembered that he was a Navy SEAL. Water and stealth were big parts of his training.
“No, I didn’t change my mind. I was just curious; that’s all. Did you have a good swim?”
Green eyes bored into hers from the darkness. “Yes.”
“Why are you hiding in the shadows?”
“Because you’re standing next to my clothes.”
She looked down, and yep, there were his jeans and T-shirt in a pile near her feet. A bolt of lust lanced through her as several naughty possibilities occurred to her, each of which involved her seeing him naked. Then, she reminded herself that she was there to do a job—not to ogle a gorgeous, naked Navy SEAL—even if it no longer felt like