His grip tightened and she attempted to pull away.
“Doc!”
He had no intention of pushing her in, but liked the playful smile that had replaced the fake one she’d been wearing since the airplane.
Instead of pulling her, he moved closer and swept her into his arms. She immediately started pounding on his chest and struggling against him.
He moved quickly to the edge and pretended he was going to toss her.
Her arms placed a death grip around his neck. “Don’t you dare!” She was laughing.
“What’s the matter, Dakota? It’s just water.”
He felt the bite of her nails on his neck. “I go . . . you go.”
She squealed and closed her eyes when he lurched toward the water. “Walter!”
Instead of tossing her in, he lowered her legs to the pier, laughing.
No sooner did her feet hit wood than she swung on him, placed a hand to his chest, and shoved.
Shock registered in her eyes when he kept hold of her hand and they both lost their balance.
No matter how many times he’d willingly jumped into the lake, the shock was the same.
He came up sputtering. “Son of a bitch.”
The first words from Dakota’s mouth were, “Shit, that’s cold.”
Walt splashed her soaked face while he attempted to tread water with his clothes pulling against his efforts.
Dakota returned fire with a well-aimed splash, her teeth already chattering.
Walt swam over, pushed her head in.
She kicked away from him, came up from behind, and jumped on his back. His face was once again underwater; his lungs expanded, looking for air. This time when he surfaced, Dakota was swimming toward the shore. Once she had her footing, she turned his way, laughing. Clothes hung on her, dripping. She lifted a foot, wiggled bare toes. “I-I lost a shoe.”
Walt thought about turning around to find it, abandoned the idea nearly as quickly as it entered his head. “I’ll buy you a new pair.”
His feet touched solid ground and he hauled himself out of the water.
Dakota delivered one final splash, and before he could retaliate, she was running toward the boathouse.
He caught her when she reached the door, grasped her around the waist. She was a stunning, drowned, shivering, giggling rat.
“I’m going to get you for that,” he teased.
“You s-started it.” Her lips quivered, her eyes finally held the laughter inside her.
As water dripped into a pool by the front door, Walt crushed his lips to hers. He loved her taste, the way her arms were playfully slapping him away one minute and pulling him closer the next.
Her lips opened and her tongue mingled with his.
Walt backed her into the door, fumbled behind her, and opened it.
They stumbled inside, Dakota’s hands pulled at the shirt that stuck to his back.
He pushed her against the door. His hand ran down her waist and over her hips.
Dakota’s lips were warm even if her body shivered. “We need to get you out of these,” he said as she tugged his shirt over his head.
“One step ahead of you . . .” Her words trailed off as she kicked off her leftover shoe and ran her fingertips over his chest.
He started to harden, despite the chill left by the lake.
With cold hands, he unbuttoned her blouse and let it slide to the floor with his.
The flesh peeking from under her bra tasted divine, better than any meal, any wine. “You’re beautiful,” he murmured over her breast.
She arched into him. “When did cold water become a turn-on?” she asked.
He removed his shoes, reached to tug at his socks, which refused to let go of his feet. All the while, he kept kissing her chest, her neck.
When she wiggled out of her pants, Walt found himself staring.
She shivered. “Less looking, more doing.”
He dripped through the small boathouse, pulling her into the bedroom. When he battled with his pants, which were just as stubborn coming off wet as his socks had been, Dakota was laughing and crawling to the middle of the bed.
Walt kicked free of his pants and grabbed at her firm ass, pulling her under him. They laughed, kissed, and laughed even more. Then he found a spot between her clavicle and her neck that stopped all laughter and made her moan.
Dakota made love with her whole body, her nails sent chills over his already sensitive skin, her leg draped over his, opening for him to settle between them.
Their wet bodies dried as they rolled on the comforter. Walt wasn’t sure who removed her bra, but he lavished her breasts and ignored his rock-hard erection, which demanded attention. That was until Dakota took hold of him.
He felt the first rush as she stroked him, her thumb rolling over his tip.
She lifted her hips as he guided her panties down her thighs.
When he sought her with his hand, she lost her grip. “Don’t make me wait,” she pleaded.
Heat pushed against his hand, made him groan.
When he moved away, her leg clamped tight, her eyes found his and held.
“Condom,” he managed.
She loosened her hold and he found his pants. One pocket held his ruined cell phone. He looked at it, looked at Dakota, and tossed it across the room.
While she laughed he retrieved his wallet, unearthed a condom.
She helped him roll it on, leaned back against the pillows, and guided him close.
He kissed away her laughter and took his time when he pushed inside of her.
“Yes,” she said with a sigh, her hips welcomed him, her legs tangled with his. “Glad that cold water didn’t stop this.”
“You and me both.” He started to move and let his body claim the woman in his bed.
Her unladylike moans kept a smile on his face, kept his hands and lips moving over her as he brought on her first climax. All the tension of the day melted from her face when she came. The way she called his name made him hold back his own release to give her more.
Before her tremors receded, he grasped her hands and held them above her head, and moved faster. They made love without words, her eyes telling him she loved what he was doing.
He kissed her when she came the second time, released her hands when he emptied and collapsed on top of her.
Walt slipped away, found the comforter at the end of the bed, and pulled it on top of them.
She’d never laughed so hard while making love, didn’t know it could be so wonderful, sensual, and comical all at the same time.
With her head resting on Walt’s chest, the sun streaming in from the windows in the room, she wondered if the warmth in her chest was simply endorphins or something much more powerful.