Page 66 of Silent Heart

The things I felt for her were indescribable. I lifted her into my arms, pulling her close. While this decision could wait a few days, it had to be made.

And the ending was already written before our story began. The stars had crossed our paths, but they’d never said they would stay intertwined.

I laid Harley on the bed, tugged off my shirt, and slid in behind her. For a few hours, at least, I could pretend. These last few moments with her, whether they were the span of hours or a few days more, they would be clouded by the impending shift.

Soon, I would leave.

“It’s to keep you safe,” I promised. “I hope someday you’ll understand.”

Chapter 25 – Harley

There was about an hour before the storm broke. It was west of Delavan and headed directly toward us. The sunrise was blazing red, the lights making the lake look as though it was on fire.

Throwing the anchor over the side of Kole’s family’s big speed boat, I gestured to the deeper water. “Time to take the training wheels off.”

Kole grabbed the hem of his shirt. “The final test?”

“Mhmm,” I grinned. “And I have a reward for you if you pass.”

Those stormy eyes darkened, making heat crawl up my spine. Kole walked to the prow of the vessel, pulled his shirt over his head, and jumped into the lake, first throwing me a quick glance.

I knew he could swim well enough to make it to the first buoy that marked the swimming area for the summer camp. If I told him to, he could swim to the second, possibly the third. It was early enough in the morning that there weren’t kids about, and the only other boats were fishermen casting bobbers into the bays in hope of a bite.

Those strong arms carved through the water. One hand reached out to tap the buoy. And then Kole kept going. He reached the second, the third, and I shot to my feet. Son of a gun! He was going around the whole perimeter. Which was fine, if he didn’t have to make it back. I chewed on my lip, prepared to drive the boat over should he signal for help.

At the farthest buoy, he paused.

I couldfeelmore than see his devious grin. For a man that rarely smiled, those smirks, when the corner of his lips hooked up, were beyond precious to me.

Damn him for being so far away that I couldn’t capture a mental picture!

With an easy grace, he began to swim back. Pride swelled in my chest to see him. His technique was solid now. That coupled with his natural stamina, I had to admit to myself there was nothing else I could teach him.

Which meant our swimming lessons could turn into time spent doing other things.

But why wait until tomorrow’s slotted time? I shot a quick glance around, to make sure there was no one outside. With the long anchor, we’d drifted far enough away from the summer camp to be invisible. The fishermen were leaving because of the storm. That would also likely keep the kids indoors today. And the houses along the water line were dark. I knew for a fact three of them weren’t in town this week. Taking a deep breath, I did probably the craziest thing I ever considered doing.

Because I was utterly crazed for this man.

Going to the front of the boat, I pulled my coverup over my head. Then I slid both straps down my shoulders. I waited for Kole to pull close to the boat and stop. Without a word exchanged, I pushed the bathing suit down my body.

Kole’s hiss spread across the water.

Smiling, I tipped my head. “My job here is done; time to celebrate.”

“Get your fine ass in here,” the monster growled from the deep.

“Yes, sir.” With a shuddering inhale, I dove into the water.

Down here it was dark. A foreboding presence lurked on the edges. But part of my very essence belonged down here, below the surface.

I kicked hard, swimming through the water until I found exactly what I was after. I slid my arms around Kole, and he pulled me to the surface, his mouth crushing against mine in a hard kiss.

“You’re fucking intoxicating, my little sprite,” he rasped against my mouth.

I moaned. “I love that you think I’m a water fairy.”

A rough laugh barked from his throat. “That’s because you are, babe. From the moment you first dove off that boat, I couldn’t unsee it. You’ve got an affinity with the water.”

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