Claire marched across the grass, her strides long, her body
heated with anger. If she plunged in at this rate, the whole
damn sound would probably boil around her superheated form.
“Get out of the water!” Claire demanded when the tips of
her pumps hit sand. She watched Haley swim like a damn
dolphin out there, and no, she was not impressed by the way
she cut through the water so effortlessly, by the mere fact that
she was surviving the chill of it at all. Like her current
situation, she was thriving.
Haley heard her shout, if not her words, as she breached the
glassy surface. At least there wasn’t much of a breeze to stir
up any waves. She shook her head, sending a spray of water
droplets over the placid surface, and turned to regard Claire.
Haley wore confidence well, and God knew the water loved
her. It slicked down her dark hair but clung to her eyelashes
and rolled down her face, beading on her full lips.
Haley was as beautiful looking like a drowned rat as she
was fully made up with her hair straight and shiny and her
makeup in place.
For a moment, Claire thought Haley would defy her, and her
heart beat out a furious rhythm that left her ribs feeling
pummeled. Defy me and we’ll see what happens to you.
Instead, she swam back toward the beach. When she walked
out of the water, Claire was breathless. Her mouth went so dry
that it was difficult to swallow.
“Holy fuck,” she muttered, then felt her face heat up. She
never had these problems with anyone else. She never slipped
up. Never lost her self-control. The façade that she maintained
was something she’d found useful over the years for so many
reasons. Luckily, Haley didn’t hear her whispered curse.