My heart lurches for half a second before she surfaces with a gasp, her hair slicked back, her skin pebbled with goosebumps. “Oh my God—August, it’s heaven!”
I shake my head, stripping down to join her. “You say that every single time, and I have to call you a liar over and over.”
When I dive in, the cold hits like a shock, and suddenly she’s there, arms looping around my neck, her legs tangling with mine beneath the surface.
Her lips find my ear as she itches to soak up my body heat. It’s a wonder how her teeth don’t chatter. “Not too bad, right? Just give it a moment.”
I haul her closer, my hands mapping the familiar dip of her waist, the scar on her shoulder from when she fell trying to split firewood that first winter. The water’s sharp, but she’s warmer. Always is.
With the air silent, void of even the signs of nature, I enjoy this peace.
Payton’s arms lock around my neck, her legs sliding around my hips beneath the water’s glassy surface. Droplets cling to her lashes, her lips part long enough to take in a shaky breath. Aflush catches the edge of her smile, and something in my chest cracks wide open.
“Is this your way of cooling down?” I mutter, my voice rough.
She doesn’t answer. Just drags her nails lightly down along my shoulder blades and leans in. Her mouth meets mine, and the world narrows to the slick heat of her lips, the way she nips at my bottom one like she’s savoring the taste.
The lake’s icy fingers claw at my shoulders, but she’s everywhere, warm and relentless, her tongue tracing the seam of my mouth until I groan. She’s learned my weakness over the course of the last two years of our marriage.
She arches into me with a sound that’s more vibration than noise, and suddenly I’m drowning in the best way.
When we break apart, her cheeks are more flushed, her breath coming in quick puffs against my jaw.
“We’d better be careful. Don’t want to lose our swimming privileges.”
Payton talks sense, but my body disagrees. Because right now, with her legs hooked around my waist and the sun turning her skin gold, there’s only one thing I’m interested in—and it sure as hell isn’t swimming.
I kiss her again, slow and deep, tasting the promise of later.
