Worth It (Forbidden Men #6)(40)

Instant hard-on.

I wanted to invade that space, own it and make it mine. Not even the iciness of the pit could dampen how desperately my dick wanted to explore. But I was still grateful to be underwater so she couldn’t see proof of just how much my teenage hormones wanted her.

I didn’t cajole or say a single thing to get her to join me, but she gave in to the temptation, anyway, and suddenly ripped the shirt the rest of the way over her head before letting it fall on top of her beach bag.

My throat went dry. She was utterly breathtaking in a lanky yet graceful way. I had never wanted anyone the way I wanted her.

“Black suit,” I managed to croak. After clearing my throat, I added, “Smart thinking.”

God, had I just said something? I think I’d just said something, and it’d been really stupid.

But Felicity sent me a smile anyway, making me feel like the f*cking man. “I didn’t want to stain anything.”

I knew she was talking about clothes, but all I could think was how meeting me out here alone in the woods could stain her reputation, and I almost told her to go home. But then she toed off her flip-flops, and even that affected me, reminding me of how it’d felt to hold her ankle in my hand the day before. She’d had such soft, perfect skin. I didn’t want her going anywhere but into the water, with me.

Her red hair glistened in the sunlight as she eased hesitantly toward the edge of the dock. I had no idea how she managed to make the locks look as wild as they were tame, but the mix of controlled chaos only made me more obsessed with it.

I’m pretty sure I’d managed to get my hands in her hair every time we’d met in the woods so far. And she’d let me. That was what made my craving for her grow stronger. She might be an innocent and not want what I ultimately wanted, which was sex of course—teenage boy here, remember—but she still felt the vibe between us. The pull. The chemistry. And I’d bet money it was just as intense for her as it was for me.

Not that I would act on it. Ever. She was only fifteen. I was eighteen. Her family was the enemy. I was too poor to even be able to treat her out to a decent date. And f*ck, I wasn’t much more experienced than she was. But that didn’t stop me from wanting her, or using her face in my head as inspiration every morning when I jerked off in the shower.

Watching her dip her toe into the cool depths was definitely another one for the spank bank.

Immediately squeaking out her dislike, she jumped back away from the edge of the dock. “Oh my God. It’s freezing.”

I splashed my arms around me lazily. “It feels good once you get used to it. Trust me.”

The glance she sent me had to be the most untrusting scowl I’d ever seen. She shuddered once as if still feeling the chill of the water and then hugged herself.

“So, you’re going to teach me how to do this swimming thing, right?”

“Huh?” I shook my head, a little disbelieving. How could she not know how to swim? Couldn’t the rich and almighty Bainbridge afford to send his daughter to the best damn swimming lessons around?

“How about I just dive in, and we’ll go from there? Okay?” she suggested.

“What? No!” I waved my arms to stop that idea dead and headed toward the dock to assist her.

Damn it, I should’ve brought floaties or something. We were going to have to ease her into this if she was a beginner.

Except she’d already backed up a few steps to give herself a running start. Before I knew exactly what she was going to do, she clamped her fingers over her nose, sprinted forward, and was hurling herself full force over the water, arms and legs wind milling as she screamed out her delight.

“Felicity!”

Heart lodged in my throat, I could only gape as she torpedoed into the depths and was swallowed under the surface. The splash-back waves shoved me away, but it only took me a second to plow through them, swimming forward, desperate to reach her.

When she didn’t come up, and didn’t come up, I panicked.

“Oh, shit. Ohshit, ohshit, ohshit. Damn it, Felicity, where are you?”

I was about to dive under the surface and start search and rescue, when she said, “Right behind you.”

I whirled around to find her grinning madly and floating without any problems whatsoever.

Clutching my chest, I gaped and panted out my relief. Then I exploded. “What the hell?”

She laughed. The damn girl actually laughed. “What? Did you really think I couldn’t swim?”

“Yes! You said...” Shit, what had she said?

Smile bright and innocent and full of so much joy and sunshine that my angry fear instantly diminished, she gave me a small playful splash. “I said maybe you could teach me a thing or two, you know, in case you knew a few tricks I didn’t.”

“Oh, City Girl,” I murmured, shaking my head ominously. “You’re going to pay for this.”

I dove at her, and she screamed, lurching to the side.

No longer even remotely mad for the way she’d just shaved a year off my life, all I wanted to do was catch her so I could kiss the hell out of her.

She was slippery and fast, but I was faster. It only took me seconds to secure her into my arms from behind and rumble, “Got you,” in her ear.

Laughing hard and loud, she tried to wiggle free. But she found herself good and trapped. Finally giving up the fight, she rested her head back on my shoulder, and her spine seemed to melt against my chest as she sighed contentedly.