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“I don’t know if I’d call it a ‘walk’” Rachel said, questioning his description of their short trek “But it orth it”

His finger hooked under her chin and tipped her head up so he could drop a light kiss on her lips His lidded gaze continued to study the a little leap of excitement within Rachel

“Get your shoes off and let’s go for a swinals he was giving, but it seemed wiser to listen to his voice

“Okay,” she breathed out

While he kicked off his canvas loafers, Rachel sat down on the sun-warmed stone to untie her shoelaces When both shoes were removed, his hand was there to pull Rachel to her feet Gard held onto the boulder as he led her down its gentle slope to the pool’s edge

“Is it deep?” She didn’t want to dive in without knowing and tentatively stuck a toe in the water to test the temperature She jerked it back “The water’s cold”

“No,” Gard corrected “The sun is hot, and the water is only wared her forward “Come on Let’s jump in”

“Hative sound came from her throat as she resisted the pressure of his hand “You jump in,” she said and started to sit down to ease herself slowly into the cool water “I prefer the gradual shock”

“Oh, no” With a pull of his hand he forced her upright, then scooped her wiggling and protesting body into his arms

The instant Rachel realized that there was no hope of struggling free, she wrapped her ar on “Gard, don’t” Her words were halfway between a plea and an empty threat

There was a coleam in his dark eyes as he looked down at her, cradled in his arh her for the sensation of her body curved against the solidness of his naked chest and the hard strength of his flexed ars It tightened her stos

Gard sensed the change in her reaction to the aze roamed possessively over her face His body heat see her flesh the way his look was igniting her desire

“I’ to let you back away this time” His low voice vibrated huskily over her, the comment an obvious reference to the way she had backed away fro to have to take the plunge”

“I know,” Rachel whispered, because she felt the inevitability of it At so a question of whether it hat she wanted and become instead when she wanted it to happen

A s”—his look was alive, glea with a h this”