Page 30 of The Naiad's Lover

He unwound his arm and sculled backwards, leaving me to tread water and watching me carefully.

I did it without fuss or panic. Had he done such a thing a few sessions ago, I’d have been splashing about and clinging to him, insisting that he take me back to solid ground at once.

Now, I didn’t feel the need to. Yes, I had learned how to float, and could thrash myself in one ungainly direction or the other, but that wasn’t the source of my confidence. Sayan was. My faith in him had overridden my most basic survival instincts in the same way his trust in me had led him into my home, and my bed.

Sayan continued to watch me, his eyes bright as the sun hit them, shrinking the pupils and turning the beautiful green of his irises translucent.

His cheeks glowed pink and his long dark lashes were spiked with water. He slowly dipped lower, hiding his smile below the waves.

I splashed closer.

He sculled away, keeping out of my reach.

I flipped a cupped handful of water at him and he lunged at me, dragged me briefly beneath the surface with him, and boosted me back up. I laughed even as my heart pounded.

Scraping my wet hair away from my face, I looked all around but saw no sign of him.

Something brushed against the backs of my thighs then slid up to my arse for a quick squeeze of both cheeks before falling away.

Taking a deep breath, I dropped beneath the surface and opened my eyes.

Sayan was suspended in the water beneath me. His lean body was all shadow and light. His long green hair drifted around him in an ever-moving nimbus. His wondering gaze was fixed on my face.

I didn’t want to look away, but the need for air soon made my chest tighten. I quickly popped back up and took a few deep breaths. I spread my arms and legs and let the water take me—as Sayan and Ral had instructed many,manytimes—relaxing into a facedown float.

I opened my eyes again.

Sayan turned in the water to mirror my pose, and he rose up towards me until our bodies touched. He was warm against my lake-chilled skin. His hair tangled around me like waterweed and his hands went to my face to hold me as he pressed his lips to mine.

Oh. It was beautiful, it was magical, it was?—

I thoughtlessly took in a breath through my nose, and then it was nothing but hacking and coughing as I flailed around, trying to get the stinging shock of cold water out of my passages.

I was still thrashing and coughing when I suddenly felt the familiar (blessed) firmness of the pebbled shore at my back. Sayan was leaning over me, his long hair falling to my chest and to the ground either side of us as he watched me with a mix of anxiety and amusement.

Feeling like a complete fool, I went on the offensive. I grabbed him, rolled him beneath me, and kissed him.

He went gracefully, even though we both knew I couldn’t move him if he didn’t want to be moved. Even if I took him by surprise.

I kissed him until my nose began to aggressively run, at which point I gave up, rolled off, and flopped beside him to stare up at the sky.

“Are you all right?” Sayan said, turning onto his side and setting a hand on my chest, stroking soothingly. From the tone of his voice, the amusement now outweighed the anxiety.

“I’m fine. I just forgot about the need to breathe when kissing.”

“Mm.”

His fingers lightly grazed my mouth and I lay there as he stroked gently, teasingly.

I sneezed.

Sayan stilled, then laughed.

“Ugh.” I pushed myself up to sitting and scrubbed my eyes. I couldn’t possibly have snortedthatmuch water up my nose, but it felt as if I was leaking. “I think it’s time to go home.”

He was already handing me a towel and helping me up.

I went straightto the pump as soon as we reached the cabin.

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