‘Perhaps, but I didn’t particularly come here to swim. I came here to be with you.’
‘Oh.’
‘Do I still frighten you, Stacy?’
He petrified her, but only because he was so attractive! ‘Yes,’ she admitted huskily.
He touched her wet cheek. ‘How can I stop you feeling this way?’
She swallowed hard. ‘I don’t think you can.’ Unless he suddenly turned into a gargoyle and lost all that sex-appeal that simply oozed out of him. And that didn’t seem very likely.
‘Did my saying I desire you start this off?’
‘Not particularly,’ she blushed. ‘Although it does come into it.’
All the time he was moving closer to her, their bodies almost touching. ‘So that I don’t shock you any more I’m warning you now that I’m going to kiss you.’
Stacy had no time to protest before his mouth covered hers, both of them sinking below the water as the kiss intensified. Totally immersed in the water as they were, the kiss seemed even more unreal, Jake’s legs entwined with hers, their arms about each other.
The kiss seemed to last for ever and ever, with Jake showing no signs of wanting to break it. Finally it was Stacy who had to wrench away, frantically kicking her feet to reach the surface. She came up spluttering, breathing deep gulps of air into her starved lungs.
Seconds later Jake appeared at her side, showing none of the near-panic she had displayed, casually flicking his dark hair back from his face. He grinned at her. ‘I always wondered what that was like.’
She gave him a scathing look. ‘You mean you’ve never done it before?’
‘Have you?’
She frowned. ‘No.’
‘Neither have I.’
‘You surprise me,’ she said in a stilted voice, still shaking from the embrace.
‘Do you like surprises?’
‘Not particularly,’ she said slowly.
‘Not at all?’ he persisted.
‘Only pleasant ones.’
‘I see.’
‘And I hate practical jokes,’ she added. ‘More often than not they turn out to be rather cruel on the poor victim.’
‘I’m sure they aren’t meant to be.’
‘Possibly not, but they invariably are. I have a sense of humour like the next person, but I don’t like cruelty.’ She gave a sudden laugh. ‘We’ve become very serious all of a sudden,’ she splashed water at him. ‘I thought we were here to enjoy ourselves.’
‘We are.’ He came towards her with strong strokes. ‘I think you deserve punishment for splashing me.’
Stacy turned to swim away from the intimacy in his eyes. But she wasn’t quick enough as he caught hold of her shoulders and pushed her under the water. She didn’t manage to take in any air before she went under, clutching frantically at Jake for support. She only managed to make contact with his bathing trunks and once she realised this she let go.
This time when she emerged above water her face was redder than her hair. She couldn’t meet the mockery openly displayed in his eyes. ‘Sorry,’ she muttered.
‘Don’t be, that’s the first time a woman has tried to rip my clothes off while I’ve been swimming.’
‘But not the first time a woman has tried to rip