The North by Leigh Walker

Author:Leigh Walker [Walker, Leigh]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CMG Publishing
Published: 2018-09-28T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Night Swimming

Long after midnight, the prince leaned down and whispered in my ear. “Let’s get out of here.”

I’d no desire to end my time with him, but I still hesitated. “My lord?”

Sensing my trepidation, he shook his head. “I’m not asking you to come to my vampire lair.”

“You have a lair?”

“No, silly.” He chuckled. “I’m just not ready to say goodnight to you, yet. Let’s go outside. Let’s go swimming! The moon is almost full, it will be glorious out.”

Buzzing from champagne and from dancing with the prince all night, I gleefully took his hand. “Yes!” Eve and I had swum in the nearby pond several times. The water was cool and refreshing. The ballroom had grown warm from so much dancing and merriment; a swim would be a welcome reprieve.

We slipped out the back and Austin laced his fingers through mine. My heart did a somersault and he chuckled.

I turned to him. “What?”

He squeezed my hand. “Nothing.” But I knew that he knew. He could feel it—not only about my heart’s acrobatics, but this heaviness between us. Walking next to him, hand in hand, felt like an awfully big deal. I was thankful for the dark, cool outdoors, so that he couldn’t see my cheeks burning.

We followed the path through the grounds in the moonlight. Austin seemed so sure of himself, it was as though the darkness did not at all obstruct his vision. “Here we are.” The waxing moon’s reflection shone on the pond, full and still. Austin sat down on the small sandy beach, slipping off his boots and unbuttoning his jacket.

I hadn’t thought about that part. I glanced down at my gown.

“I won’t look, Blake. I promise.” Austin kicked off his trousers and did a shallow dive into the water. Moonlit-soaked droplets ran down his pale, sculpted chest as he emerged. “It’s perfect. Don’t be embarrassed, just get in here! Another moment of your lifetime awaits, ready to add to your collection.” He dove back under, clearly enjoying himself.

I found a rather large shrub to hide behind and unzipped my dress. I told myself my undergarments were just as decent as any bikini. Still, my breath hitched as I emerged from the shrub. “Still not looking,” Austin called. “But if I was, I’d say you looked smashing!”

I couldn’t help myself—I laughed as I waded into the pond. It was cooler than I’d expected. I held my breath for a moment as I went deeper, the water creeping past my waist. “It’s a bit bracing.”

“Just swim to me. I’ll protect you from the big, bad cold water.” Austin held out his arms for me, grinning.

I dove under, relieved to have the feeling of being completely cradled by the water, by nature, to be out of my own head for a moment. When I emerged, I was right next to Austin.

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against his chest. Now he could really feel my heart. It banged wildly against the smooth skin of his chest.

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