“You coming?” I asked as I hopped out of the Jeep and walked down the main corridor for the hotel. I heard Nolan shut the door timidly behind me, but I knew she was there. The pool was in the back at this hotel, which was good, because it gave us a certain amount of privacy. I didn’t even turn around to see her reaction when I kicked off my shoes, yanked down my jeans, and tossed my sweater on a nearby chair. I ran at the pool and dove in head first, figuring getting the shock of the freezing water out of my system quickly was probably the best move. I began to rethink that when the first touch of the water left me breathless.

“Whooooooaaaa ohh ohhh ohhh,” I screamed as I popped back up from the water. Nolan started giggling then, and shrinking herself out of embarrassment.

“Shhhhhhh, you’re so going to get us in trouble. You can’t be loud,” she said, kicking her shoes off now. She managed to strip herself down to her bra and panties without pausing and realizing how crazy this was. She stopped, though, when she realized I was watching her every move. I’d missed her body, and I’d wanted to take a bite out of her bare shoulder all night. Seeing her porcelain skin delicately wrapped in tiny black lace about had me undone. Realizing she was nervous, I kicked off my boxers and tossed the soaking material up on the deck, grinning at her from ear-to-ear.

“Bet’s a bet, sweetheart…pay up,” I said, proud of myself. I kicked backward to the other side of the pool and propped myself on the edge with my elbows, watching and waiting.

Nolan looked around again and chewed on her fingernails while she stepped forward and dipped her toe in the pool. “Ohhhhh no way, that’s f**king freezing!” she whispered loudly. Sometimes it was cute when she swore. She hardly ever did, and for some reason it made it special when she would—made her seem real, and in-the-moment.

“Nah, you get used to it fast,” I said, my teeth chattering just a bit. “Come on in, the water’s fine.”

Nolan wrapped her arms around her body, hugging herself a bit, and then finally slid both straps of her bra down her arms before reaching around and unhooking the rest. She held the material in place for a few more seconds before she finally tossed it in the pile with the rest of her clothes. Instantly, I realized what a bad, and wonderful, idea this was at the same time. She was stunning, and perfect, and everything I ever wanted physically. And she was so f**king vulnerable.

She moved forward to the steps and walked into the pool quickly, dunking her head and then coming up, gasping for air. “Shit! That’s realllllllly cold,” she chattered. “You ass**le!” She splashed water at me then, and I laughed, reaching for her hands to stop them from flailing waves at me. When I finally grabbed hold of her arm, she relented instantaneously, and just stopped and stared into me, grazing her bottom lip with her teeth. She reached down to pull her panties off and tossed them behind her with the rest of our clothes on the deck.

“Okay, you win. Now what?” she said, her face challenging me. I just held her hand in mine and stood there in the near freezing water, my teeth no longer chattering because of the heat firing through both of our bodies. I moved a little closer and held her eyes with mine.

“Now I’m going to kiss you…again,” I said, moving even closer, and reaching down to hold her up in the water at her hips. Her breath hitched at my touch as I leaned my forehead into hers, our breath combining with the frostiness of the pool water to make fog. I slid my hands up her sides, under her arms, careful not to take anything too far. I was fighting against every instinct I had, but I was determined to leave her wanting more tonight. When my hands made their way to her jaw and her face, my thumbs stroking each cheek, she closed her eyes completely, and she leaned her face sideways into my palm. Leaning forward, I kissed her softly. It was our kiss, slow, and patient, and tender. She didn’t need to know how sexy I thought she was; she needed to know I still loved her. And this kiss was the only way I knew how.

I spun her around slowly while I brushed my lips on hers over and over, taking small nips at her bottom lip and tasting her softly with my tongue. It was probably only minutes, but it felt like I had been kissing her for hours. When her body finally started to shake from the chills in the night air, I stopped, pulling her close, her body pressed tightly to mine. God it felt amazing.

“I think we need to get you dressed. And I think we need to turn on my heater,” I smiled, pressing my forehead to hers again.

“I th…th….think, that’s a g…goo…good idea,” she said, her body starting the quiver uncontrollably now.