flashed white in the moonlight. “Either way is satisfactory to me. On your mark, my lady.”
Luke moved even with her, placating her pride some. At least he wasn’t allowing her a lead. Perhaps she was unbalanced to believe she could compete with a man of his strength, but she could boast less body mass, which had to work to her advantage.
“Go!” she yelled and dove under the water. When she broke the surface, she kicked like a child in a full-blown tantrum. Her long strokes set a quick and steady rhythm. Luke kept pace with her. She tried to ignore his proximity and concentrated on executing flawless movements. When he pulled ahead, she pushed harder to keep the lead from widening. Her lungs were burning, but she refused to quit. If he beat her, then so be it, but she would never hand over the victory to him.
He reached shallower water around the island a moment before her and tried to stand, but she grabbed the seat of his drawers and pulled as hard as she could. He lost his footing and fell face down. She scrambled to get her footing on the slick lake bottom and raced for the island.
“You little devil!” He snagged her around the waist before she went more than a step and hauled her back. She twisted in his hold, trying to break loose, but her legs tangled with his and she fell on top of him. His head went under, and when he resurfaced, sputtering, he trapped her against his chest. She struggled, determined to be victorious, but she couldn’t break free.
Giving up, she stilled, her hand resting between their bodies as she sprawled on top of him. His heartbeat matched her erratic tempo and they were panting.
“Fine,” she laughed. “You win.”
He sat up and settled her on his lap facing him. His arm around her lower back kept her from escaping, but she no longer knew if she cared to be free.
“You are a worthy competitor.”
She warmed in response to his praise. “I told you,” she grumbled, but she couldn’t hold back her pleased smile. “Next time I will beat you.”
“I look forward to next time.” He brushed his thumb across her cheek in a gentle arc. “May I claim my prize now?”
Her heart skipped. “A kiss?”
Luke’s fingers cradled her neck and he urged her forward until they were lip to lip with barely a breath between them. “Yes.”
“I had forgotten you collected winnings in…kisses,” she said on an exhale.
“Only from beautiful women who challenge me.” His smile was but a brief flash before his mouth came down on hers, hot and captivating. She could think of nothing besides the feel of his lips coaxing her to surrender to her deepest wishes. She wanted him, too. For the rest of her life.
When their kiss ended, she stared beyond his shoulder to the dark outline of the cottage in the distance. She counted the lighted windows in an attempt to calm her racing pulse. She fiddled with the wet curls lying against his collar. “What do you think Lana and Lord Andrew are doing this evening?”
“I can’t say I care.”
She risked looking at him again. “Will they be searching for us?”
Her hair had lost its pins and hung around her shoulders. He pushed her hair behind her back and massaged her neck. “I doubt they will notice we are missing.”
“They do seem engrossed with each other at times, which make them less than ideal chaperones.” She closed her eyes as he kneaded a particularly tense spot at the base of her head.
His lips touched her temple and lingered. “I had assumed you wouldn’t want someone monitoring you every moment. Are you unhappy I chose them?”
“No. I don’t know. Maybe.” If she had more diligent chaperones, she wouldn’t be in this predicament, wondering if she should give in to temptation or begin to act like a lady and insist they return to the house. She pulled back to see Luke’s face, but it remained in shadow. “Did you know they would allow me more freedom?”
“I had a suspicion. Drew has never been one to adhere to propriety, and he reserves judgment in most instances.” He eased her from his lap. His shirt was plastered to his body, and his muscles shifted beneath the saturated linen. “Let’s rest on the island.”
When he stood and moved toward land, his drawers molded to his bottom and thighs.
She must have made a noise, because he glanced over his shoulder.