Page 56 of Stirring Up Love
“You can’t swim in this weather!” Maybe she wouldn’t have to murder him after all. The elements would do it for her.
“But there’s a natural waterslide here.”
“For summertime. As you so astutely pointed out yesterday, it’sDecember.”
“In Arizona.” He unbuckled his belt.
“Northern Arizona. They’re predicting snow tonight.” She licked her lips, eyes zeroing in on the button of his jeans. “Are you planning to take those off?”
“I am.” He grinned.
“What?” Heat crawled up under her collar to blaze across her cheeks.
“I am”—his canines flashed—“planning to take these off.”
He’d moved on to the button of his jeans now, his belt hanging open. She swallowed.
“Eyes up here, Ms.Blake.” He snapped his fingers, and she jerked her eyes up, ears attuned to the sound of his zipper sliding down.
“You can’t just skinny-dip at a public park in December,” she hissed.
“Oh, so it would be okay in July?”
Was he actually about to strip down to his underwear right now, right here? And, more pressing ... Did shewanthim to?
Heck yeah, she did.
A clunking sound reached her ears. His belt. Hitting the ground. She shouldn’t. She must. She looked down. “You had swim trunks on this whole time?”
He nodded. “I’m not about to go to jail for public indecency. Then how would I torture you?”
“I’m sure you could torment me from the grave, Finnegan.” But she cocked her head. The swimsuit didn’t leave all that much to the imagination. Topless Finn was still a whole lot ...
She shook her head to clear it and squinted at him. “Did you put those on when you woke up this morning, weirdo?”
“No, I put them on after you agreed to the plan.” He stepped out of his puddle of jeans like all of this was commonplace. “The brochure mentioned a natural waterslide.”
“Okay, park ranger. Did the brochure also mention hypothermia? You’re shivering already.”
“Am not.”
“Are too.”
On impulse, Simone stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. The man was ridiculous, standing here half-naked—mostly naked—in freezing temps. She couldn’t stand idly by. It would be irresponsible.
“Simone?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Are you hugging me right now?”
“I’m saving your life.”
“If you’re trying to do the skin-to-skin thing, you forgot to unzip your coat.”
She shoved him away. “You are too much for your own good.”
“Too much what?”
