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“Attacking creatures.”

A shiver ripped through her. “I assume you speak of rivers in the orc kingdom and not any around here.”

“You're correct. In the orc kingdom, we have to cover our entire bodies or we could be bitten.”

“That must make swimming interesting.”

It took me a moment to realize she was teasing. The sparkle in her eyes gave that away.

“Yes, interesting,” I said gravely.

She looked up at me before the prettiest smile curved her lips. “Here, you can swim wearing nothing and nothing will bite you. Most of the time, that is.” With a look I couldn't define, she hefted her spear and stepped into the water, speaking over her shoulder. “Except for random human bites.” With a smirk, she splashed across the river.

Human bites? Unsure what she meant, I removed my boots and set them beside hers, then stripped down to my loincloth. Someone at the firepit made an odd sound, but when I turned, I couldn't tell who or why. They all appeared to be deep in conversation, not looking our way. With a shrug, I grabbed my spear and stepped into the water.

The cool river lapped across my feet, coming to mid-shin on me but nearly to where Beth had rolled up her pants. She hissed a breath through her teeth, but didn’tcomplain about how chilly it was. That pleased me more than it should have. Maybe she was excited about being with me as I was about being with her.

She adjusted her grip on the spear and stared down at the water, her brows drawn tight. “So, do I just hurl the spear at the first fish I see?” Her gaze shot to my chest and dropped lower. Her lips parted, and her eyes widened.

I looked down at my body, worried somethingwasbiting me but I hadn’t noticed because I was so enthralled with her. But I didn’t see anything in the water other than a few tiny fish without jaws big enough to do more than take a nibble.

Beth remained frozen in place, and I began to wonder if the water truly was too cold for a fragile female like her. When her fingers moved, tightening around the spear, my breath whooshed out with relief.

“You’re…not wearing much,” she finally said.

If I’d known removing my clothing might draw her attention, I would’ve done it the first time I met her. Did she find me attractive? Heat shot through my veins, finding its way to my cock that twitched beneath my loincloth, the coorails quivering.

I clenched my jaw, pretending not to notice, but my skin was flaming under her stare. The river wasn’t cold enough and I wasn’t deep enough to smother the fire racing through my body. I should've thought about this. Should've considered what stripping down to my loincloth might reveal about me.

Every inch of me grew tense, and I fought the urge tostep closer, to scoop her up in my arms and kiss her until all she could do was moan and cling to my shoulders.

She swallowed hard and yanked her gaze back to the water, blinking rapidly as if trying to erase whatever thoughts had flickered through her mind. Hopefully not bad thoughts about me.

This was working. A sharp spike of satisfaction went in my gut.

When she looked at me, did she like what she saw? The very idea made my insides quiver, so I gripped my spear tighter and forced myself to focus on this task. She was here to learn how to spear fish. Not to gape at me. And I was here to teach her, not to bask in the way her lips parted when she looked at my body.

Shoving the feeling deep down, I did what I could to suppress my semi-erect cock and gestured toward the water. “The fish stay near the rocks under the water for protection.”

“That won’t stop us,” she said in a bright voice. “I’m almost ready to try to stab one. I like that we’re going to eat them, not just hurt them and leave them lying in the river.”

“Never,” I breathed. “We thank every creature we kill for giving its life to ensure we have food to fill our bellies.”

“I like that.”

“As far as spearing fish, you have to be patient. Quick. Precise.”

Beth lifted her spear, amusement twisting her lips. “So don’t just gouge it around and hope for the best?”

“Always take aim and know what you’re looking at before you do anything with a spear or any other weapon. Safety is the most important thing here. Never send your spear into the water or anywhere else without making sure you know exactly what you plan to hit.”

“Wise.”

I grunted. “Flailing won’t feed you. Worse, you might stab your own foot.”

“Let’s avoid that.” She smiled. Really smiled. And the warmth in my chest expanded, becoming unbearable.

Before I could do something foolish, like tell her how much that smile made me feel, I tore my gaze from her and carefully stepped deeper into the water. The river cooled my overheated skin, but it did nothing to soothe the way my pulse pounded as I sensed her moving behind me.