his clothes, and raced into the water. Carter dropped in his place.
“So.” He propped himself on one arm and lay on his side. “Did my eyes deceive me or was the unflappable Belle Adler struck speechless?” His grin was wolfish. “I take that as the highest compliment.”
I dodged the question. “Unflappable? Good word.”
“You’re not an ordinary person. You don’t deserve an ordinary description.”
“I take that as the highest compliment.”
“Circling back to you ogling me.” My groan didn’t slow him down. “As you can see, I’ll keep you very happy in that department.”
Matching him smirk for smirk, I said, “Having the equipment doesn’t mean you know how to use it.”
“Want a test drive?” Carter trailed his nose along the shell of my ear, dripping water that raced down the valley of my breasts. “You can find out just how well I handle.”
Heat pooled in my lower belly, clenching my legs. I prayed he didn’t notice.
I fixed on the guys in the water and regretted it instantly. Nora hung off Asher like a real barnacle. Her legs wrapped his waist and her head flung back. I couldn’t hear them over the waves, but her open mouth and bouncing boobs as she rode him made it clear what they were up to.
“No, thanks,” I said evenly, returning to him. “I assume this is all a part of your plan to use sex, sweetness, and bribes to cover up your trapping me in a loveless marriage. Can I ask you something?”
“Go for it.”
“What happens if you get what you want? You turn around and say just kidding to our families? Admit to your father that you did all of that to get more money out of him?”
“You know what, I haven’t thought that far ahead.” He stood and held his hand out to me. “The water’s warm.”
I looked from him to the naked frolickers. “I’m supposed to take it easy.”
“We will.” Carter took my hands and helped me up. “I’ll hold you.”
That shouldn’t have swayed me, and yet my feet followed him. “Keeping the boxers on?”
“No more viewing the goods until you sample them.”
“I have another question.”
The water licked at our toes. Carter scooped me up in one smooth move. I put my arms around his neck as we ventured into the waves.
“How do we come back from this, Carter?”
“It’s too soon to ask that question. This isn’t over yet.”
He stopped where the water reached my toes. I stretched out, letting go for the sea and Carter to capture me. He moved me in time, lifting with the waves, and lowering me back to him.
“It’s already gone too far,” I said.
“It went too far seven years ago. Now you and I have to play this out to the end.”
“Even if it destroys us?”
“Even then.”
Carter twisted, using me to draw circles in the water. I let my head fall back. Gazing up at that sky while Carter floated me close to him, it was another perfect scene that we were obligated to ruin.
“Then we’ll be destroyed. Draw the battle lines. Stockpile the ammo. I can’t give you what you want and I can’t marry you.”
“Shh,” he whispered. “See those five bright ones over there? That’s Cassiopeia.” I followed his tracing finger. “Next to her is her husband, Cepheus. They were twisted by love, vanity, duty, and obsession. In the end, Cepheus was willing to sacrifice their daughter to save his wife. There are casualties in every love story, Belle. I’m ready to sacrifice for ours.”
“Are we a love story?” I asked. My question was light. Curious.
“You say you did what you did to me out of love. My reasons are the same. One way or another, I’ll find out what happened to my real Brinley Dylan, and I’ll get her back.”
I didn’t reply. I couldn’t even if I wanted to.
“What’s this?” Owen splashed over to us. “Can anyone take Belle for a spin?”
“No.” Carter’s grip tightened on me, hoisting me out of the water and snapping me to his chest. I blinked up at him in surprise. “Keep swimming, Newman.”
“Come on. We’re doing truth or dare. Play with us, Belle.” Owen tugged me from his grip and twisted to join the others.
A wave came on us, smacking us in the face with a wall of seawater. It freed us gasping and sputtering, and I searched for Carter in the confusion.
I found him on the beach, snatching up his clothes and walking off.
FRIDAY NIGHT ARRIVED in a flurry of excitement. The first party of the summer