guess it would. What about love spells? Are those illegal? Because I could swear you slipped a potion into my tea to make me feel the way I do.”
“How do you feel?” He reached for her hand, lacing their fingers together.
Her heart rate kicked up like it did every time he touched her, and she held his gaze as she searched for the right words to describe her emotions. “Like I hit the jackpot at a Lake Charles casino, and the coins are so shiny, my crow is beside herself with giddiness. Seriously, she won’t stop cawing in my head.”
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “The feeling is mutual, and I promise it’s not from a spell.”
“What are you going to tell your client about the artifact?”
“Not to worry. My negotiation skills are unmatched.”
“Ooo…” She walked her fingers up his arm. “Somebody thinks highly of himself.”
He chuckled and looked at the creek. “How high did the water used to reach?”
“All the way up to our blanket twenty years ago.” She gestured to their picnic a few yards away.
“How deep is it now?”
“Let’s find out.” She pushed him over the edge, which in hindsight wasn’t the smartest thing she could have done. He was fifty pounds heavier and twenty times stronger than her, and when he latched on to her wrist, he almost dragged her into the water with him.
But Alice was quick, and she shifted like her life depended on it, her wing slipping from his grasp as she took to the sky, while he landed in the creek with a giant kersploosh.
He sputtered as he shot to his feet, wiping the water from his eyes. “Payback is a bitch, Alice,” he called, laughing as she circled above. “Just wait.”
She landed in the grass and shifted to human, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry about that. I couldn’t help myself.”
“I’m sure.” He smiled and shook his head. “It’s deeper here than on my property. It’s nice.” Peeling his shirt off, he threw it onto the bank before sinking deeper in the water and taking off his shoes.
He tossed those next to his shirt and swam toward the edge, looking at her with so much heat in his gaze, her clothes nearly melted off on their own. “It’s a shame I’m swimming alone.”
How did he do that with just his eyes? Honestly, the water covered him up to his neck, so it was simply the look on his face that had her hormones spinning into overdrive. “You’re right. Swimming alone is dangerous.” She took off her shirt and slipped out of her pants. “What if you got a cramp and needed to be rescued? I couldn’t help you from the bank.”
Biting her lip, she glanced around to be sure no one else had decided to trek out this far for a picnic and then shimmied out of her remaining clothes. She dropped them on the blanket, folding it over to cover the evidence, and then folded it one more time for good measure before jumping into the creek, naked as a jaybird.
Donovan took her in his arms, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. “Why do you think it’s only jays who are referred to as naked?” she asked.
“Good question.” He slid his hands across her bare back. “My crow captures the epitome of naked beauty. From now on, the expression will be ‘naked as a crow.’”
Alice giggled, her stomach fluttering. “Oh, I’m your crow, am I?”
“I don’t intend to share you.”
“I don’t want to be shared.” Hot damn. Did he have any idea how sexy he was? She was about to show him.
Reaching for the button on his jeans, she glanced over his shoulder and found a game warden approaching through the brush. “Crap on a cracker!” She slid from Donovan’s arms and sank below the surface up to her neck. “I can’t afford another mark on my record.”
“Another mark? What have you been arrested for?” He rose to his feet, standing between her and the officer’s view.
“Just trespassing, but the judge said if he saw me again, next time I’d serve jail time.” She could not go to jail. Not if she ever wanted a chance in city politics.
Donovan rested his hands on her shoulders. “It’s not illegal to swim in the creek, is it?”
“No, but I’m naked! Skinny dipping on public land is most definitely illegal. Can’t you freeze him for a minute or something? Give me time to put my clothes on?”
He pursed his lips. “Can