Page 47 of Silent Heart

Sipping the fake fruity flavor, I stared over the greying backyard. Harley thought I was worried about her being in danger from me. That was only part of the truth. She could never know the rest. My family was surrounded by secrets. I dealt with things she couldn’t even imagine. If she knew, she’d run screaming.

If she stayed with me, she’d be in constant danger.

We couldn’t spend many more days together. It was time to let her go while things were still light and fun between us. I might have this strange flicker in my chest, but it couldn’t be acted upon. I sure as hell couldn’t let her pick up the same strange ailment. Her fascination with me needed to remain purely physical.

The soft pad of feet sent my heart beating double. Harley ghosted to my side, hopping onto the counter. Her knee drew up, and she rested her cheek against the bare skin.

“Morning,” she whispered.

Saints, she was beautiful, wrapped in a blanket and still draped in sleepiness. “Morning,” I replied. “Sleep well?”

“Mhmm.” She smiled. “You? I think you actually slept.”

“Yeah,” I lied.

“Are we going swimming this morning?” She tipped her head to the energizing fruit punch in my hands. “Or are you doing a different workout?”

The insinuation in her voice sent a surge of blood south, and my dick stiffened. I couldn’t help it. The way her tongue slid over the words had my mind going to memories of her smooth, flushed skin moving against mine.

“Swimming,” I chose, knowing it was the safer of the options.

“Okay. But I don’t have a bathing suit,” Harley yawned, covering her mouth. “If I can borrow one of your shirts, I’ll make that work. Or I could wear my bra and panties—since they cover more than a bikini.”

Saints preserve me.I was going to burn from the inside out before we were done.

***

Down at the dock, Harley shivered. The clouds were thick, which made the temperature cooler.

“You’ve really never had swimming lessons?” Harley’s voice floated down to me.

I continued to tread the water, enjoying the sight of her in the bra and panties. She’d been a little shy at the beginning of the lesson, but as we swam, she’d lost any nervousness over her attire. While I would like to take credit for it, it was her love of the sport. The woman was a princess straight from the mythical city of Atlantis. Harley mesmerized me. It was beautiful, a saint’s damn honor, to watch her glide through the water.

Now, as she danced on her toes to ward off the chill, I battled the temptation to peel the wet, improvised swimwear off her and warm her up.

“I’ve swum before,” I said.

Her gaze thinned at the vague answer.

If she knew the kind of swimming they had me do during my military training, would she be mad at the deception? It was Luka who lied to her about me needing lessons. I just hadn’t seen fit to correct him.

I’ll have to thank the little shit.For better or worse, these morning swims were the highlight of my days in exile.

The sound of a boat motor puttered across the water. Iknewthat sound. It was her fishing boat.

Harley jumped to grab one of the towels on the back of the sparkly watercraft that still didn’t work. But that was Kazimir’s problem. He was the one who purchased the fucking thing for the lake house.

Harley wrapped the towel under her arms, glancing repeatedly at the approaching fishing boat. There were three males speeding toward us. They didn’t carve through the lake with the same skill that Harley did when she sailed over. I glided through the dark water and pulled myself onto the ladder to be on equal footing when they arrived.

“Morning, Har,” one of the three men called.

“Hi, Drake, what’s up?” Harley stood her ground, pinning the man with an annoyed look.

That was her family’s boat, but what was this man doing driving it?

“You weren’t answering your phone. Gran’s worried,” the one in a loose tank top that showed sharp tan lines on his freckled arms said. He ogled the house, only tearing his eyes away from the grand structure to gaze at my cousin’s sparkly speedboat.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us?” The one with salt in his red hair stared straight at me.

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