Their Festive Island Escape

“Careful,” Reid’s voice warned from behind her. “You’re awfully close to the edge there. The ground can be slippery. Unless you’re looking for an impromptu swim.”

An illogical surge of annoyance speared through her. She was a grown woman. One who certainly didn’t need to be told what to do. In sheer defiance born of rebellion, she took another step.

Only to prove the worth of Reid’s word of warning. Her foot slid out from underneath her as it landed on a slick patch of mud. She felt the shocking splash of water an instant later. Reid’s shouted curse was immediately followed by another splash as he jumped in after her. Why in the world would he do that? She could swim, for heaven’s sake. Now they’d both be a soaked, river-slimed mess. She opened her lips to tell him so only to have her mouth flooded with said slimy water. That couldn’t be good.

“Hang on,” Reid shouted over the splash of the water.

Even in the shock of her fall, only one thought crammed through her mind.

She hated that he’d been right. And that he was now attempting to rescue her.

* * *

Reid bit out another curse as he landed in the steadily flowing river. Grabbing Celeste by the waist, he began to hoist her onto the edge of the riverbank. Was she actually resisting? What the...?

He lifted her out of the water and followed her onto the land. “Are you all right? You didn’t hurt yourself, did you?”

She ignored his question, posing one of her own. “Why did you do that?” she demanded to know crossly. “You did not need to jump in after me.”

Well, if that didn’t take the cake. “You have a funny way of saying thank you.” Swiping the moisture off his face, he then ran his fingers through his hair.

Celeste was shooting fire at him. For helping her out of the water she’d fallen into, despite him having warned her.

He would never understand this woman, probably shouldn’t even try. So he wanted to kick himself for the direction his next thoughts took him in. No woman should look that enticing dripping wet after a drenching in a green tinged, mossy body of water.

For that’s exactly what she was. Enticing.

Her hair had turned a shade darker after the drenching, accenting the golden hue of her tanned skin. Her soaked white lace dress clung to her like a caress in all the right places. He had a clear view of her undergarments through the wet fabric of her clothes. Reid made himself avert his gaze. It wasn’t easy.

He longed to slowly strip her of the dress, then rub his hands over every inch of her soaked skin to warm it up. His breath caught in his throat at the image. He couldn’t deny it any longer. He wanted her. And he wanted her so badly it made him ache inside. How or when it had happened, he couldn’t even try to place. Maybe it had all started that first day he’d seen her sprawled on a lounger on the beach. Perhaps it went back even further than that.

Not something he really wanted to examine at the moment. The better question was what he was going to do about it.

“Honestly, Reid,” she huffed as she stepped around him. “Now we’re both a mess.”

He blinked. “Are you actually upset that I helped you out of the water?”

“I didn’t need rescuing,” she declared and tried to push past him.

Without thinking, he reached out to take her by the elbow and turned her around to face him.

“What is your deal?”

Her chin lifted in defiance. “I thought I already explained. I didn’t need you to jump in after me. I’m perfectly capable of swimming out of a body of water.”

He gave his head a shake. “Have you always been this difficult? I can’t seem to remember.”

It was the wrong thing to say. Celeste’s eyes darkened with anger. “Is that what Jack told you?” she demanded to know. “That I’m difficult? That I’m hardly worth the effort? Did you two have fun talking about me and how sad and downright pathetic I looked waiting for him at the altar? Do you two get together at the bar on weekends and make fun of how ridiculous I looked on what should have been the happiest day of my life?”

Reid felt his jaw drop. Such an accusation was the last thing he’d been expecting. “What? Of course not.”