Page 16 of The Naiad's Lover

Hiding from the rain, like any sensible man who had no other demands on his time. Reading a book, catching up on my correspondence, and drinking more coffee.

All by a crackling fire.

“You will not go into town?” he said.

“Not today. Tomorrow.”

“Unless it is a clear day tomorrow. If it is clear, we will go to the lake, and I’ll teach you to swim again.”

Was it wrong that I hoped it would continue to rain?

Yes. Wrong, and pointless. I wasn’t going to get out of this swimming business.

“Whatever the weather, I still have to go into town. I can do that in the afternoon. We can go to the lake in the morning.”

It was worth it, to see his smile.

I would never understand the bond he had with his lake, but it charmed me. And he wanted, desperately, to share his joy with me.

I glanced at the rain, still sheeting down, and reconsidered. It wasn’tthatcold. Should I…?

Sayan’s smile turned knowing. “Not today,” he said, leaning down and kissing me sweetly. “Tomorrow is soon enough. Although I think that you are quite mad to not appreciate all of this water.”

He released my face and slipped out of my hold, darting off the porch in a blur of movement. One instant he was before me, and the next he was standing out in the open.

He was drenched in seconds.

The rain gusted hard against him, whipping his long hair to one side, and he laughed with delight. His beautiful body shimmered, the shape of him blurred by the veil of thick rain hanging between us. He raised his arms out to the sides, arching his back andfeeling, with every part of his body.

I’d seen him do the same in the throes of making love.

Using both hands, he scraped his wet, dark hair off his face. He held still for another moment, staring at me through the curtain of rain, and then he was gone.

Our next lessonwent about as well as the first.

“I don’t know what thatmeans!” I said in frustration. “You keep telling me tofloatbut I don’t know how!”

“You just…you float. Youfloat!”

“Sayan—” I growled.

“You relax. Let the water take you.Float!”

He could not get his head around the fact I was entirely too preoccupied with the water taking me.

Specifically, with the water going up my nose, down my throat, and into my lungs.

I hadn’t even realised that I was afraid of the lake until Sayan tried to get me to frolic in it with him.

When I was traveling around the countryside in search of a remote and peaceful location in which to spend my quiet retirement, I’d heard talk of Laskeld and its beautiful lake. I’d heard talk of its naiad, too, although I’d dismissed that as nonsense designed to make fools of tourists.

I’d gone some distance out of my way to come and explore the area, took one look at the lake, and it was love at first sight. I’d been instantly captivated.

But I’d never once considered dunking myself in it.

Perhaps because I truly was the ignorant city-dweller Sayan had called me a few moments ago when, once again, I failed to let the watertakeme, and ended up spluttering and thrashing instead.

The problem was, I didn’t want to surrender.