He yearned to go in after her, but her grief seemed so profound. He knew she wouldn’t welcome the intrusion. Maybe someone else could help her, but he was the last person she’d want as a witness to her pain.
She’ll get out soon, he told himself. But the minutes ticked by and she didn’t show any signs of slowing down.
She had to be exhausted. Not to mention half-frozen.
He couldn’t take it anymore. Striding down to the water’s edge, he cupped his hands around his mouth. “Grace!”
At the sound of his voice, she stopped. He was pretty sure she saw him standing there, waving for her to get out. But it didn’t do any good. A moment later, she continued swimming in the opposite direction.
“What the hell?” He almost called out a second time, but if she wouldn’t listen, there wasn’t any point. Besides, he might wake the boys and the other campers.
Nearly ripping his faded jeans in his rush to get them off, he tossed them on the sand. He was wearing only a pair of boxer briefs, but he didn’t care about modesty. He couldn’t see Grace at all.
The cold jolt of the water stole his breath as he dashed into it. Ignoring the sharp sting, he dived under. She was coming in whether she wanted to or not.
His lungs burned as he forced himself to go as far as he could without air. Finally he surfaced and began swimming freestyle. After several minutes, he stopped to get his bearings and heard her splashing not far ahead of him. Obviously, she knew he was coming and didn’t want him to catch up. But Kennedy wasn’t convinced she could make it back without him. Not after swimming so long already.
With a silent curse, he concentrated on closing the gap between them. By the time he reached her, her movements were growing sluggish. She was tired—and hurting somehow. But fear for her safety made him angry.
“What the hell are you doing?” he shouted, grabbing hold of her ankle and dragging her toward him.
“G-go away!” she gurgled, flailing her arms in the water.
He wiped the droplets from his face. “You’re going to drown us both!”
She struggled to keep her head up. “I d-didn’t ask you t-to come out here.”
There wasn’t anything to be gained by arguing. They needed to get back before she was completely spent. Circling her waist with one arm, he began towing her to shore.
“Let go of me,” she said, trying to tear herself away. “I d-don’t need y-you.”
“You need me more than you think,” he responded. “Quit fighting.”
“L-leave me alone, and—and go b-back to your k-kids.”
Her teeth were chattering so badly he could hardly understand her. “I’m not leaving you anywhere.”
She pried at his fingers. “K-Kennedy.”
He squeezed tighter. He needed her to understand how determined he was, before she exhausted his strength, too. “Relax. You’re along for the ride.”
She went limp, and he suspected she was actually grateful for an excuse to give in.
Kennedy could touch bottom long before Grace could. Breathing heavily, he stood at the earliest opportunity and pulled her against his chest, wanting to make sure he hadn’t drowned her in his efforts to save her. “Hey,” he said, his voice gentle now that he knew she wasn’t going to disappear in the lake. “What’s wrong? What happened tonight?”
She didn’t answer, and he couldn’t tell whether it was lake water or tears that rolled down her cheeks. “Who was on the phone?” he asked.
“No one,” she said, shaking violently. He hugged her close. They were cold, but they’d be far colder once they left the water.
Although she stiffened at the contact, he ignored that, too, because he wanted to comfort her.
Surprisingly, as soon as his bare stomach touched hers, she wrapped her legs around his waist and grabbed on as a child would. She even buried her face in his neck.
“You’re okay,” he said, tightening his arms around her.
They didn’t speak for several minutes, but she slowly stopped shaking. After a while, she lifted her head. “Why are we camping together, Kennedy?” she asked. “Why did you bring me here?”
He couldn’t help letting his gaze drift to her lips. He’d brought her because of the reverend’s Bible. He had a decision to make. But he was fascinated with her, too. “I don’t know,” he said. “You—you get to me somehow.”
She shook her head. “No. I’m no good for you. For your own sake, keep your distance.” She tried to swim away, but he caught her easily enough.
“I’ll decide what’s best for me, Grace.”
Their stomachs touched again, and so did their bare legs and arms. “But you don’t know what you’re getting into.”
Considering her possible past, he supposed she was right. But she already mattered more to him than any uneasiness he felt about that. “I’m a big boy,” he told her. “I think I can handle it.”
“You don’t understand—”
“Shh…” He didn’t want to hear any more. Silencing her the quickest way he knew how, he rubbed his lips lightly against hers. In Stillwater, he’d told her he wouldn’t touch her, but he hadn’t expected her to take a swim in the middle of the night. Now that he had her in his arms, he couldn’t seem to let go. Especially after she closed her eyes and parted her lips, as if she wanted him to give her a real kiss.
Taking her bottom lip in his mouth, he slid his tongue very deliberately against hers. He longed to slip his hand under the elastic of her bikini while he was kissing her, to press a finger deep inside her at the same time. But he had to be careful or he’d ruin whatever was happening between them. The way Grace made him feel wasn’t anything he wanted to lose. She was the first woman he’d desired since Raelynn.
Slowly, the tension in Grace’s body eased, and she opened her mouth wider. Her response made every muscle in his body grow taut with hope and expectation. “I knew you’d taste as sweet as honey,” he told her.
She frowned in confusion.
“What is it?” he murmured.
“You just kissed me as if…”
“What?”
“As if I mattered to you,” she finished.
He winced at the thought that she’d find it so hard to believe. “You do matter to me,” he said.
She tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her. “Don’t,” he said.