Where the Sun Hides (Seasons of Betrayal #1)(81)

The air had a chill as it was late fall, and winter would be coming soon, but it wasn’t bad.

“Violet,” Kaz said, half amused and half warning, “do not go into that water.”

She wasn’t listening. Before Kaz could reach out and grab her again, she was already heading toward the water lapping at the pier. Her toes hit cold water first, but her feet and ankles quickly followed when a small rush moved up the sand.

Kaz was right.

It was like ice had been poured onto her skin.

Still, Violet didn’t move. Her dress rested just above her knees, high enough not to worry about it getting wet. The stinging sensation of the freezing water eventually dulled to the point it was bearable.

But she didn’t care.

Spinning around, she faced Kaz.

He just shook his head, still leaning against the car and watching her like she was the most important thing to grace his presence for the day.

“How long are you going to stand out there freezing your feet off?” he asked.

“Maybe until you come get me.”

Kaz made a dismissive sound. “You’ll be waiting for a long time. I know how cold that water is.”

“But what if the water got really high, really fast?”

“It won’t.”

“But what if?” she pressed.

Kaz sighed. “I suppose I would have to come out and get you.”

“Don’t sound so excited about saving my life, now.”

In a blink, his amused features hardened, turning cold. “Violet, had I thought there was any risk to your life, you wouldn’t be standing in that water in the first place.”

Oh.

For something that was as sweet and protective as that statement had been, Kaz had spoken it rather candidly and with a sobering quality that edged the words.

Violet turned back around, watching another rush of water come in and lap at her ankles. It was enough to send her flying out of the water, as the prickling sensation of the coldness was too much on her legs for a second round. Kaz laughed at her until she was all the way back up to the front of the Porsche, and far away from the water’s cold touch.

“Told you,” he said, smug as f*ck.

Violet shot him a playful glare as she bent down to put her shoes back on. She didn’t even get the chance to grab the first shoe before she was lifted off the ground. She only realized what happened when her backside met the hood of the Porsche, and Kaz’s smirk filled her vision once more.

“What are you—”

Violet’s words drifted away when Kaz pulled one of her legs up, and his hands closed around her freezing foot. Over and over, he rubbed his palms against her cold skin until the stinging sensation was gone and it didn’t hurt as much. He did the same to her other foot without a word, seemingly unbothered by the sand getting all over his suit and her dress.

“I may not get in the water for you, but I will certainly warm you up after,” he told her.

“I’ll take that deal.”

By the time Kaz was satisfied he had sufficiently warmed Violet up again, he dropped her feet and stepped in between her widened legs.

“This was nice,” she said.

Kaz’s hands landed on her thighs, skipping up under the hem of her dress just enough to make her grin. “What was?”

“This. Pretty decent, for a second date, I think.”

“I didn’t say this was a date.”

“It’s kind of like one.”

“When was the first?” he asked, a smile growing.

“The diner.”

“Ah.” Kaz tipped his head down, his nose touching hers a second before his lips grazed her mouth softly. “We kind of did things backward, no?”

“How so?”

“Get to know someone. Date them. That sort of thing. We did it all backward.”

“I don’t mind,” Violet whispered against his lips.

Kaz kissed her again. “Me, either.”

“By the way …”

His mouth hesitated against the path it was starting to make down her jaw. “What?”

“You were right.”

“I usually am, but enlighten me.”

Violet squeezed her thighs around his hips, forcing him closer. “Smartass. The picture. I sent it knowing it wouldn’t be innocent for you. After all, you took far too much enjoyment putting that bite mark there.”

Kaz let out a hard breath, the warmth pulsing along her neck. “Yeah.”

She let her hands travel down his chest, lower to his stomach, and then grazing over the front of his slacks, barely touching where she knew he was hard and likely aching.

“Care to make me another?”

Violet smiled when she felt Kaz’s teeth bare to her cheek. “Like a matching set?”

“We can go with that.”

“Don’t tempt me,” he warned quietly.

“No tempting. Demanding. I like seeing it.”

“In that case …”

Kaz’s mouth crashed down on Violet’s as his fingers dug into her thighs, keeping her firmly in place and her legs wide. She gasped his name in a breathy laugh, earning her a nip of his teeth to her bottom lip as his hands traveled higher under her dress.

He fisted the sides of her panties, yanking on the fabric until she lifted just high enough for him to pull them down her legs.