Her Collateral Bride: A Lesbian Age Gap Romance

spaced out drinking in the sight of her. She quickly snapped

out of it, but she couldn’t pretend she hadn’t felt those flames

—a match strike

that lit dry tinder and ignited a fire deep in

her belly. Her heart was racing, beating out the wrong pattern.

“Why did I have to get out of the water? Last time I checked

swimming in a shallow area when you’re an actual certified

lifeguard isn’t a big deal. There aren’t any tides or currents. I

was careful.”

“It’s freezing!” Claire couldn’t believe she had to explain

herself. “You could have gotten a cramp and died.”

“I was swimming just beyond where I could touch, plus,

like I said, I’m experienced. I was fine.”

Claire didn’t like being talked back to. When she spoke,

people listened. That’s how it went in her world. She was the

authority figure, and in return, she looked after everyone, and

she looked after them well. She didn’t ever disrespect the

people who worked for her or anyone else. Robert was

probably as close as it came to her ever being rude to anyone.

She was just distant and formal. There was a difference.

She didn’t like the attitude Haley was giving her without

even trying.

She didn’t like the way her skin felt like it was sizzling

either.

“No swimming until the water warms up,” she repeated. “I

don’t care how good you think you are. Unless you’re

supervised or wearing a life jacket.”

Haley’s lips curled up and sparks danced in blue eyes the

same color as the cloudless sky above them. “Lucky for me,

you’re here now.” Without waiting for a response, she took off