Caught in Us (Lost 3)

"You're not bad," I mumble.

He frowns as he lowers himself into the water, and I sigh with relief as more and more of his body sinks in until only his shoulders are visible. "Compared to who?"

"What?"

"You said I'm not bad. Compared to who? Who have you seen naked?"

"No one. Turn around, so I can take off my clothes." He starts swimming and I hurry to undress and get in the water. It's freezing. Trying very hard not to think of how Damon and I are both naked, I swim for fifteen minutes, then stop, out of breath.

"You're good," Damon calls. I startle, covering my boobs and lower lady parts. "Any chance I'll get permission to look at you?"

"No," I say in panic. I turn to swim again, but Damon grabs my arm. Warmth seizes me low in my body. "I can't touch the bottom; I need my arms to keep myself afloat."

"I’ll keep you afloat." He turns me around, sliding one hand along my thigh, pulling it up around his waist, all the while staring intensely at me as if waiting for me to pull back or say no. He draws in a sharp breath as I hitch my other leg around his waist, and then I feel his hands on my ass. My. Ass.

"You have such a sweet little ass." His voice comes out in a growl. I cover my breasts with one hand, but I know it's too late; he saw them already. He moves his hands to my back.

"I don't remember giving you permission to look at me." I’m aware that despite my embarrassment, I'm not doing anything to move away.

"I'm not asking for permission anymore. I'll ask for forgiveness later. I suggest you don't move lower, though. Or you'll see just how excited I am about this."

"What do you mean? Oh," I say, squirming in shame as I realize. "I thought...um...isn't cold water supposed to be an antidote to...um...erections?"

"Cold water stands no chance against a hot, naked girl in my arms."

"I'm not hot," I say before I can stop myself. He blinks. "Well, I'm not. I have no boobs or hips." I bite my tongue. Why did I just tell him this? Nothing screams turn-off like a girl with insecurities. I remember reading this in one of Mom's magazines.

"I’ll call you out on that." His hands slide from my back to my hips. "You have beautiful hips. And breasts," he says. I flush, wondering whether he would touch my breasts, too, if I weren't covering them. "I took a good look at them. And if you doubt me, you only have to slide a little lower. You are beautiful, Dani. Don't you dare think anything less of yourself." I nod then run my hand over his tattooed arm. I don't understand the symbols, but they look pretty.

"I like your tattoo. What does it mean?"

"It's made of symbols for strength in several cultures."

We're very close. So close I can gauge my reflection in the drops of water on his cheeks.

"You're cold. Let's get out," he says.

Getting out makes me feel even colder. I dry myself with towels then get dressed, my teeth clattering. Damon, already fully dressed, also looks cold. I sit on a dry towel on the ground, rubbing my arms to warm myself up.

"You'll be warm in a minute," he says, sitting just behind me, wrapping me tightly in his arms. Maybe because we were naked earlier, this feels very intimate.

"You feeling better?" I ask.

"Yes. Much better. Thank you for coming here with me today."

"You seemed to need it desperately."

"It's like since I moved here, I can't breathe. Except when I’m with you."

I melt in his arms, and he buries his face in my neck. First, I feel his breath at the base of my neck, and then his lips. He moves them gently on my skin. The tension building inside me is anything but gentle. It makes me want to dig my fingers into the ground...or his skin, pulling his lips even closer to me.

"Do you like this?" he murmurs.

"Yes," I whisper.

"So do I."

I stay in his arms as he continues to plant little kisses on my neck. Shuddering, I try not to acknowledge the heat between my legs, but I fail. It gets so unbearable, I don't know what to do with myself. Finally, he unhitches his lips, and I can think straight again. My body doesn't recover, though; the slight tremors continue, and he's trembling, too.