Page 7 of Ranger's Secret

Join her in the water, grab those hips, and drag her back to shore. Pin her down in the soft mud where the water meets the bank and fuck her senseless while the lake laps at her skin. Make her scream my name so loud it echoes off the mountain.

My hand crushes the bark of the tree I'm gripping, the only thing keeping me from charging into that water.

But I don't do that.

Not yet.

Instead, I move toward the shoreline where she's left everything behind. Her clothes are scattered in a careless pile. Boots kicked off, jacket folded neatly, shirt tossed aside. And right there on top, those fucking panties.

Black lace. Barely enough fabric to cover anything. Still warm from being pressed against her skin.

I crouch down and pick them up, rubbing the material against my fingers. I bring them to my face and breathe deep, and fuck, the scent of her nearly brings me to my knees.

Peaches. Sweet and ripe, clinging to the lace.

Not some bullshit perfume either. This isher scent.

My cock strains against my jeans as I drag the fabric under my nose again. All I can think about is burying my face between her thighs. How she'd taste on my tongue. How she'd sound when I make her come with my mouth.

I fist the panties tight and watch her floating out there like she owns the place. She moves through the water, completely oblivious to my presence.

Until she turns and sees me.

Everything stops. Her body goes rigid mid-stroke, her arms suspended in the water as her eyes lock onto mine. I watch the shock hit first, then the anger that follows, rolling off her in waves.

"Jagger!" Her voice whips across the water as she scrambles to cover herself, arms crossing over her chest. "You scared the hell out of me."

I hold up her clothes, letting her black panties dangle from my finger like a prize.

"Nice night for a swim, kitten."

Her mouth gapes, and the rush of power that gives me goes straight to my cock. She's realizing exactly how exposed she is, how completely at my mercy.

"Give me my clothes."

I cock my head, studying her. "Come get them."

She starts wading toward shore, arms still locked across her chest, water sluicing off her skin. "Stop being an asshole."

"You shouldn't be out here. Naked and alone, practically begging for trouble." My gaze drags over what I can see of her. "Lucky for you it's just me. Anyone else might not be so... understanding."

"You're such a dick." The words hiss out between clenched teeth as she moves closer. "Give me my clothes, Jagger. Now."

That little shake in her voice? That's not cold. That's me getting under her skin, exactly where I want to be.

"You want them, kitten?" I let the question hang between us. "Earn them."

Her mouth falls open, genuine shock replacing the anger. "What?"

"You heard me. You came out here alone. Stripped down to nothing. Slipped into my lake. Tell me you didn't want this."

"You're insane." But her voice cracks on the words. That edge of fear and desire tangling together in her throat.

“Then why risk it?” I press. “Why take your clothes off and wade into my lake like a gift left out in the open?”

She runs her tongue across her lips, and I want to bite that fucking mouth. "Fine," she spits out and starts moving toward me.

The water slides off her body like it knows better than to cling to what's mine. Every goddamn drop catches the moonlight.

---