“You keep the pool at a comfortable eighty-two degrees, so it doesn’t bother me until I get out.” She frog kicked to the edge and looped her arms over the concrete.
The dark smudge of mascara beneath her eyes gave her an edgy look he appreciated. He imagined licking the water from her throat as her legs wrapped around his waist in the weightless environment.
“How long have you been out here?” he asked.
“Fifteen minutes or so.”
“Were you waiting for me to come home?”
The corners of her mouth turned up in an enigmatic smile. “How come you’re home so early? Did all your friends get lucky and ditch you?”
For once, he wasn’t in the mood to flirt. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you,” he said in all seriousness.
She hummed as if considering how to take this. Linc found himself taking off his jacket and reaching for his shirt buttons before he realized his intent.
“What are you doing?” she demanded as he stripped off his shirt, stepped out of his shoes and got to work on his pants.
“Joining you.”
Her eyes widened as his pants fell to his ankles and he kicked out of them.
“Don’t you need a suit?”
In answer, he executed a shallow dive and surfaced ten feet beyond her. The shock of the cool water on his overheated skin diminished none of the desire pulsing through his veins. Three powerful strokes brought him within arm’s reach of her and he wasted no time snagging her around the waist and dragging her flush against his body.
“Linc—” Her protest was cut off as he claimed her mouth in a hard kiss that let her know just how much he needed her.
She tasted like salt from the pool water and fresh peach pie with ice cream. He fed on her deliciousness with a ravenous appetite as she draped her thigh over his hip and gathered his wet hair between her fingers. She rocked her pelvis into him and moaned. Peeling one strap of her bathing suit off her shoulder, he coasted his lips over her silky skin, enjoying the way she trembled.
“We shouldn’t be doing this out here,” she warned, her voice a husky rasp. She pushed weakly against his chest. “What if we’re seen?”
“Stop worrying about that.” He skimmed her bathing suit lower, baring one small breast. “I don’t care if the whole world knows.”
“You should,” she gasped unsteadily.
Dipping his head, he pulled her tight nipple into his mouth and smiled as she shivered. For a long, heady moment, she was all pliant eagerness and he took complete advantage. But then she began shaking her head.
“Damn it, Linc.” Her voice was a breathless moan as he nipped at her neck. “I’m trying to be sensible.”
“There’s no need.”
“There’s every need.”
Hearing the solid conviction in her tone, he released a heartfelt sigh before peeling her hand off his bicep and kissing her palm. “Fine. But you need to know that I’m not a huge fan of sensible when it comes to you.”
“I don’t believe that’s true. You are the most prudent and mindful man I’ve ever met.”
Linc winced at her description of him, even though he knew it was true. His father had demonstrated what happens to a man who acts unwisely without considering the consequences to those around him. Linc would never do anything that would hurt his family or friends. He’d never expose Claire to what would surely be a scandal if they were caught.
“What if we skip all this sneaking around and just date? In public. Dinner. Dancing.”
“Did you forget that I recently spent the day cooking so your mother could decide what to serve at the party she’s throwing to introduce you to Charleston’s most eligible females?”
“Fine,” Linc grumbled. “I’ll go to her party, and when I don’t find anyone who suits me, will you be my date to the polo event next weekend?”
A breeze moved across the surface of the pool, agitating the illuminated water, casting shimmers of reflected light over Claire’s damp skin. Shadows moved through her eyes as her hand came up and cupped his cheek.
“Take me upstairs and make love to me,” she murmured, the words barely reaching his ears. “More than anything else, that’s what I want.”