Page 9 (1/2)

So was the one next to it What the hell? A gap yawned between the second cage and another, which looked just as ele step toward it, then spun when I heard sos can splash in the water Fish juators wind their way through the deep But not here In the winter these ators away

Sadly, the voluator than fish or turtle I glanced again at the e escaped wild animals? Would Grace run into more than a wolf?

I suddenly wished I&039;d asked for a radio and, while I was at it, a gun

Draard the water, Iquarters until I stood at the top of the sandy incline that led to the lake

The loasn&039;t visible past the towering trees The surface of the lake resean near the center; tiny circles spread wider and wider as it rolled toward the shore

Panic gripped e to run back to the car and drive away

"Stop it," Iin a lake that could hurt me

Unless we had a lake h Most reports of such things were h to have been birthed in radioactive waste

However, standing out here, alone in the night where I didn&039;t belong, I understood how people could believe in monsters

Whatever had caused the swell broke the surface At least six feet long, it strea ly spineless body beneath a late-suing inch by inch, until it became a man Water flowed over broad shoulders, trailed down a s lower

Malachi Cartwright lifted his hands and slicked his hair out of his eyes, thehis biceps to flex, his abs to harden

I couldn&039;t speak, couldn&039;ttime since I&039;d seen a naked man, and I&039;d never seen one like this

He tilted his face upward, breathing in deeply as if trying to draw the very essence of the night within

I perched at the top of the incline; with no hts, I remained shrouded in shadow Frozen, fascinated, I hovered

Theacross the water like the sun When it hit hihed like he&039;d found an oasis in the low sparkled on the droplets ofthe wax of a pure white candle

I don&039;t kno long we stood there, hi hian to slog through the knee-deep water toward the shore, and he sawith silver

I could do nothing but stare into his dark, endless eyes as he crossed the sand, climbed the incline, and kissed me

I shouldn&039;t have been surprised What did I expect when he&039;d caught ? Perforan ritual beneath the , I shouldn&039;t have been watching, but once I&039;d seen him I hadn&039;t been able to stop

His lips were cool Moist and sweet, they capturedaround us, as if we kissed beneath a springtime rain

He plucked the pins froers tightening on my scalp as he tilted my head so he could delveheld captive, but there was also arousal, a sensation so barren in my life, I couldn&039;t pull away, seduced by the possibilities it presented

His tongue met mine with a force and a boldness that increased both the arousal and the fear I ta the contours of his mouth with asped, the sound stark against the gentle lap of the waves His handsdown ainst hithat ran down the ht of summer the water was just above icy, which meant most tourists liked to look at the place but not touch Cartwright obviously had no proble against me was any indication

His ed at the neck ofover the nipple before he did soue

I panicked, shoving at his chest, kicking at his shins I couldn&039;t see ood in the past

He releaseddown hard in the sand Scraped by his beard, my chin burned My eyes teared, both eht brushed lanced down;low aled htly and prayed I wouldn&039;t cry

"I - I&039;h ize for in a situation like this

Cartwright stared toward the lake, and thethe bronze skin silver He seeod abandoned by the shore Although I doubted any statue would be carved with an erection of that size

He didn&039;t make any move to cover himself, but I hadn&039;t seen any clothes nearby, not even a towel I suppose he&039;d thought himself alone, protected from trespassers by a contract clause and common decency

"Why did you cory tone "I didn&039;t I - "

"What?" He whirled towardmyself for it but unable to stop

He froze at itation "I wouldn&039;t hurt you, Claire"

It was the first time he&039;d said my name Too bad I couldn&039;t enjoy the way the word rolled off his tongue Couldn&039;t sit here and dreaue had rolled overwas back, and I didn&039;t kno to et out of here

"Wait" He took a step forward

I couldn&039;t help it I ran blindly, ot close, he caughtto rest against his chest, so soft, so sers tightened, his gaze lowering to ain, afraid that he wouldn&039;t

"Don&039;t," I said

"Don&039;t what?" he murmured "Don&039;t kiss you? Or don&039;t even dare to touch you? I suppose you&039;re too high-class to consort with the likes of me The mayor and the Gypsy horse trainer Your family would be none too happy about that"

"I don&039;t have any family," I whispered, then wished I hadn&039;t He could rape me, kill me, then toss me in the lake There&039;d be no one to care

"Get your hands off her, Cartwright"

Except for Grace

"Hold the his araze left mine and shifted past my shoulder "Shall I reach for the sky, Sheriff?"

"Move, Claire"

I sidestepped, then turned Grace stood at the edge of the forest, weapon drawn and pointed at Cartwright

Her eyes remained steady on him yet her mouth pinched with annoyance "Out of his reach Now"

The sharp snap of her voice ht you had more sense," she said

I had, too For future reference, when a naked guy climbs out of the lake, I should run, not let hi beyond a kissht couldn&039;t have known that

"It&039;s not his fault," I blurted

"What isn&039;t?" Grace asked, keeping her gun right where it was

"He kissed me and I - "

My eyes met his He lifted a brow

"I let him"