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Standing together, undressed and disarmed, Sloane was lost in the sight of a single droplet of water running over Arwyn’s lips. “Kiss me.” She intended it as a command, but it was too high pitched. It was a desperate plea.

Arwyn cupped her face and pulled her close. Her dark eyes were saying more than Sloane could process. More than she could believe. Her lips, wet and mildly chlorinated, moved with urgency as they pressed hard against Sloane’s mouth.

Despite her best e orts to avoid too much contact at once, Sloane’s body slid against Arwyn’s torso. Every bit of her skin that grazed against Arwyn was on fire. It was enough to make the pool heater redundant.

Sloane’s hands slid down Arwyn’s back, indulging in the unexpected softness of her lower back and the generous swell of her flesh. As she plunged her tongue deeper into Arwyn’s mouth, Sloane picked up her weightless body.

Without missing a beat, Arwyn complied, wrapping her legs around Sloane’s waist. It wasn’t close enough, even as the sensation of Arwyn’s surprisingly smooth, bare skin

pressed against Sloane’s pelvis left her dizzy. Sloane needed more. To kiss her deeper, but there was nowhere left to go.

Even the water didn’t fit between them.

When she pressed Arwyn against the pool wall, Arwyn countered by grinding against her abdomen as she dug her blunt nails into Sloane’s back. Even in the water, Sloane could feel the evidence of Arwyn’s arousal, slick and warm, against her skin.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Arwyn’s voice was husky and pained against her lips as she broke their kiss.

“Fuck, yes,” Sloane responded, before sinking her teeth into Arwyn’s neck, producing a guttural moan.

The sound of a car door in the distance reminded Sloane they were outside. As she devoured Arwyn’s neck, her mouth, her chest, she was also walking slowly toward the steps leading out of the pool. She intended to elicit a lot more sounds of pleasure from Arwyn and didn’t want Je the orthodontist next door to get o on it.

Fumbling with the keypad on the door as they continued to kiss, Sloane couldn’t remember the code, only able to focus on Arwyn’s wet, naked body and hot mouth on hers.

“Are you sure you live here?” Arwyn joked as she cupped Sloane’s breast and kissed her neck. “Because I’d really rather not die of exposure.”

“I don’t think sixty degrees can kill you,” Sloane countered before moaning as Arwyn continued to touch her nearly everywhere at once. “Plus, I’ll keep you warm.”

Arwyn laughed against the shell of her ear before biting her earlobe. The shock of pain prompted a rush of desire surging through Sloane’s body.

“It would be me keeping you warm.” Arwyn gripped the back of her neck, kissing her so deeply Sloane lost the feeling in her legs. As prophesied, bone-melting heat spiked in her core.

By some act of divine intervention, the door unlocked while Sloane mashed the buttons, only vaguely aware of her actions. They spilled inside limb over limb, staying upright by crashing into the wall nearest the door.

With her back pressed against the wall, Sloane let Arwyn think she was in control. Cold beads of water rolled over her warming skin and dripped into the puddle forming at their feet. The same puddle Arwyn kneeled in as she lavished Sloane’s abdomen with slow kisses and long swipes of her tongue.

Before Arwyn could get lower than her bellybutton, Sloane picked her up by her armpits and rushed her backward toward the bedroom. Kicking the partially open door with her foot, Sloane claimed Arwyn’s bottom lip hard before shoving her onto the bed.

Arwyn landed on the mattress with a bounce. She moved closer to the headboard, propping herself on her elbows while Sloane stood at the foot of the bed. Sloane considered turning on a light. She wanted more than the dull glow from outside streaming into the dark room through partially closed blinds. She resisted the temptation for fear of ruining the mood.

As if they’d done this a thousand times before, Arwyn stared at her, unconcerned with how exposed she was. It wasn’t the questioning, unsure look she was expecting. It

was the confident, lazy gaze of an apex predator with her target trapped in her clutches.

Arwyn’s eyes moved over Sloane’s body carefully. She studied every swell and dip. Committing her to memory like she might be tested on the subject later.

When she had her fill of the visual feast, Arwyn’s attention returned to Sloane’s face. Then it was her turn.

After years of wondering what was under the tightly wound exterior and uninspired wardrobe, Arwyn’s body lay bare inches away from her. She’d always pictured her small frame was hard and sinewy, but she was pleasantly surprised to discover she was curvy and soft.

In an act of telepathy, Arwyn bent her knees, planting her feet on the bed as she held legs closed. Sloane watched helplessly as Arwyn ran her fingertips over her ample breasts, stopping, for a heart stopping moment, over her nipples hard from the cold or arousal. Maybe both.

Sloane’s mouth watered even as she remained rooted in place. She liked the pain of anticipation. Loved how it coiled and pulled between her thighs when Arwyn looked straight at her as she touched her body, as if willing Sloane’s fingertips to tingle with imagined contact. Sloane balled her fists to keep from reaching out. She couldn’t give up the game so soon.

Arwyn’s eyes slipped closed. Sloane knew she was exaggerating now, but the e ect of her lustful expression as she parted her lips was devastating just the same.

Breaking down Sloane’s self-control, Arwyn let out a little gasp as one hand disappeared between her thighs and

the other rested on the pillow above her head. Sloane groaned, hoping it wasn’t audible, but too consumed to care.