“It’s deep,” I said, coming up behind her. “Although you should be able to reach the bottom even in the middle.”
She shook her head. I didn’t need to see her face to know she wasterrified, I felt it when I tapped on our bond. Butsheneeded to see my determination and know that there was no getting out of this. Setting my hands on her hips, I slowly turned her to face me. I already removed my shirt in preparation to swim, and the press of her cool palms against my abs was enough to make me shiver.
“What will get you in the tide pool?” I asked, slowly coaxing her backward until the water lapped at our feet.
She jumped in surprise, but settled when I didn’t push further. The easy slope meant she wasn’t in danger of falling in, and we could take our time adjusting to the cool temperature. Trapped here, away from the sun, this would be a bit brisk compared to the heated dips she was used to.
Her feeble attempt to get back on dry ground was unsuccessful. “I need to get changed,” she pleaded.
I didn’t bother giving her thin cover-up a glance. I knew exactly what she wore.
“You're already in your bathing suit.”
The strings of her neon bikini bottoms stood out beneath the gauzy dress. It stopped above mid-thigh, hardly covering her ass, and would become sheer the second it got wet, but I wasn’t complaining. The view was spectacular.
“Because Ithoughtwe were going in the pool, not the ocean.” Her petulant frown conveyed both her frustration and apprehension.
“This isn’t the ocean.” I nudged her another step. “But it will be when the tide comes, so I’ll ask again. What will it take to get you in?”
Rani
What would it take? A fucking miracle.
The little pool was misleading. It sat there, all innocent and pretty, but I felt the power radiating from its waters. Ripples carried across the otherwise still surface as Ezra walked us backward. My feet sank into cool sand until they were swallowed up, and a current of electricity surged through my limbs. My heart raced in time with the influx.
Mouth dry, I couldn’t even cry out as my muscles tightened and released. My knees locked, and I scrambled to grab onto something solid. That something was Ezra’s arms.
“Is it a reward you seek?” he asked, eyes hooded as he once again maneuvered us deeper. Dammit, the water now came up to my thighs. “Or a distraction? I can give you both.”
A distraction would be nice. Maybe then I wouldn’t hyperventilate. Oh, look, too late. My breaths were sharp and fast, bringing in so much oxygen that my head swam. There wasn’t a distraction in the world big enough to stop th—
Ezra’s fingers slid beneath my hair, and little sparks of pleasure radiated from where he pulled on my scalp as he tilted my head back. His warm lips came down on mine, and I gasped into the kiss. God, it felt so right. Hot and rough and perfect. Teeth scraped my lip, and his tongue followed, only for it to then swirl in dizzying designs along my jaw and down the sensitive skin of my neck.
My panting echoed off the ancient walls, sounding erotic and needy. Warm hands dipped under my thin dress to grab my ass, and Ezra groaned as he squeezed and grasped andplayed. I didn’t even notice when the water rose above my shoulders—
The water is above my shoulders!
No, no, no, no. All pleasure faded in the face of my terror. I wasn’t supposed to be this deep. Not ever. Sand shifted under my feet as I scrambled to get to higher ground. Water sloshed and droplets landed on my face, only making things worse.
“You’re okay. Rani, you’re okay.”
Ezra’s arms wrapped around my waist, keeping me from climbing him like an escape ladder. I physically quaked in his hold, winded from my fight for freedom that resulted in absolutely nothing. I blinked but couldn’t see. My vision narrowed to only what was directly in front of me. I focused on it, on the thundering pulse in Ezra’s neck, and tried to tell myself that if he was breathing, so was I.
“Look at me, baby.” His throat moved, and a little of his chin entered my line of sight. “Look at me.”
The command in his tone, combined with a harsh pull on our bond, was enough to snap my head back. He ensnared me with his gaze, the pale blue blazing with fierce confidence. The swift fall from terrified to panicked was exhausting.
“Don’t you dare close your eyes,” he ordered. “Fight. Force your mind to acknowledge what your body already knows; you’re safe with me.”
I hadn’t realized that I wasn’t even standing on my own anymore. Sure, my feet were still touching the ground, but my grip on Ezra was so strong I was basically free-floating in his arms. Not once had my head gone under the water.
“You’re strong, and you can do this. I want to hear you say it.”
“I—I…” Fuck self affirmations. Why were they always so difficult? “I’m strong,” I whispered, then said it again with alittle more conviction becausefuck, I wasn’t some victim. “I’m strong.” Gathering what was left of my courage, I shoved my panic into a box and set it on fire. “I can do this.”
“Damn right you can,” Ezra declared, beaming with pride. “I believe in you. Which is why we’re going to stay here for fifteen minutes.” I tensed at the length of time, worried I wouldn’t be able to last if I had that long to think.
I took a deep breath. “Fifteen minutes.”
