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Chester sighs wearily, unhooking a tin cup from his belt.

Only once I see he’s breathing normally do I slip off my shoes and pull the sundress I put on over my head. I still need some more casual clothes. I love the dress—it’s silky and pale yellow—but it’s not the casual jean shorts and T-shirt that would have been appropriate for a trip like this.

Probably neither is the black string bikini Vivian sold me—the only bathing suit she still had, though she’d warned with disdain that, like the sundress, it was woefully out of season already.

When Chester lowers his cup, he makes a strange choking sound and stands up, whirling around. “My goodness, I—I don’t believe it’s proper for me to see a lady in their underthings, even at a swimming hole. I do apologize, Ms. Sasha.”

“Oh.” I look down. The suit is definitely on the skimpy side. “I could wear a T-shirt?”

“Nope,” Chester shouts to the trees. “I’m going to look over here for a while. I believe I saw a squirrel nest I ought to investigate.”

“What about swimming?”

Chester waves a hand, tromping into the brush.

I look over at Griffin, but he’s in the midst of pulling his shirt over his head via a hand clasped on his back collar.

Good lord. My mouth goes dry as it slides off. Once more, I’m treated to the sight of Griffin’s planed chest and ridged stomach. Not to mention his bulging shoulders and—

I clear my throat as he looks over at me, hopefully turning in time so he doesn’t see me staring.

“He sure took off fast,” Griff says, a bemused note in his voice.

“I didn’t even think about this bathing suit bothering Chester.”

“It doesn’t bother him. He’s just not used to seeing a woman up close, clothed or unclothed.”

“Does it bother you?”

“No, Sasha. It doesn’t bother me.”

The lazy ease of his voice sends a tingling through my lower half. I stare at him a moment too long as he stretches his arms left and right.

I need to get in the water before I do something rash.

Like show him my bare ass again.

The heat spreads lower, along with a jolt in my stomach. I bite my lip, knowing how much it turned me on to do that. I was just playing with him, but damn it felt good.

“Okay,” I say, more to myself than Griffin. I feel naughty again—must be how little clothing I’m wearing and how alone we suddenly are. I stride toward the edge of the water, putting Griffin at my back.

I slide my fingers under the hip strings of my suit to straighten it out, letting them go with a little snap.

Griffin’s silent, but I swear I feel his eyes on me.

I try to hide the smile in my voice. “I’m going in.”

“I recommend jumping in rather than wading.”

I was about to do the latter. “Why’s that?”

“Because it’s cold.”

“You scared of a little cold?” I tease.

Griffin comes up next to me, carefully averting his eyes. “It’s not just a little cold, Angel.”

Somewhere in the brush, there’s a loud snap, followed by Chester shouting “I’m okay!”