Page 15 of Black Bay Enforcer (Beasts of Black Bay #3)

Their legs skimmed against each other as they both treaded water and Katherine’s hand braced against his hard chest. The skin under her palm was warm and felt like it was stretched over solid rock.

His nostrils flared just a tiny bit, and he let out a low, rumbling sound.

It was an electric moment. Her breathing hitched, and her heartbeat picked up the pace. She wanted him to kiss her. She licked her lips, almost lightheaded with anticipation. Any second now…

Doors banged open, shattering the mood, and a troop of people, six guys dressed in swim trunks, came in. All of them laughing and talking over each other. “Kong!” they called out in a chorus of voices when they spotted them.

Kong let out an annoyed grunt. “I’ll kill them,” he muttered under his breath as he put some space between their bodies.

Kong’s list of ex-friends was growing. He tried to remind himself that if he’d told them he was coming here with a woman, they probably would have given him privacy, but it wasn’t working.

He’d only told Perrin about his plans for the night, and only because Katherine had said they’d become friends, otherwise, he would have gone to Lark.

Katherine had needed a bathing suit and he’d have been worthless in picking something out for her.

Women’s taste and sizing were a mystery to him.

Perrin had picked well. She hadn’t chosen something with tiny scraps of fabric held together with string that he’d bet would have made Katherine self-conscious.

Instead, she’d chosen something modest, that still hugged her curves deliciously.

And that zipper. Talk about a temptation.

He’d wanted to unzip it so badly. No. Scratch that.

He wanted to watch Katherine unzip it for him.

Slowly. Maybe with a sultry little look in her eyes…

He quietly groaned and closed his eyes for a moment. If he kept thinking along those lines, not even the cold water would keep Kong Junior from popping up and saying hello to everyone.

One of the guys hooted with laughter and Kong’s annoyance returned.

He'd been two seconds away from kissing Katherine. She’d been looking at him with big brown eyes, all warm and inviting, only for these guys to come in and ruin it.

All males. All shirtless. In front of his Katherine.

Kong narrowed his eyes and let out a warning rumble.

They either didn’t notice his irritation or didn’t care.

Leo let out a lion’s roar and cannonballed into the pool, the resulting splash drenching him and Katherine both.

He pulled her closer, shielding her with his body as the others entered the pool, some diving cleanly into the water, while others followed Leo’s example.

Within moments, he and Katherine were surrounded by half-naked bodies and openly curious faces.

Leo swept his wet mane of hair back from his face and grinned. His golden eyes twinkled with mirth. “Are we interrupting?”

Like he cared . Kong glared at him to show his displeasure but that only seemed to amuse Leo more.

Someone yelled, “Water fight!”

Shit. He’d played this game enough times with these guys to know they treated it like a grudge match. They got rough. Way too rough for a human. Injuries happened and Katherine couldn’t heal as fast as they could.

He looked down at her, still tucked against his chest. “Want to go get some ice cream?”

She shivered a little. “I’ll take a hot chocolate instead.”

His eyes moved over her, taking her in. Her hair was now dripping, half falling out of its bun, her teeth were chattering just slightly, and her skin was pebbled with goosebumps. His protective instinct roared to life with the need to warm her. If they hadn’t had an audience…

As Kong guided Katherine to the edge of the pool and helped her out, the guys were trying to convince them to stay and play with them, ribbing them for their retreat, but Kong ignored them. His priority was taking care of her.

They both went to their separate areas to get dried off and changed, Kong emerging well before Katherine and as soon as the guys saw him, they stilled in the water, shooting him probing looks.

“What are you doing down here with the little spy, Kong?”

The question had come from Nova. While a few inches shorter than Kong – because everyone was shorter than Kong – the guy was big, burly, and a brawler. Primarily enhanced with bear DNA, he was one of the few sparring partners that could hold his own with Kong and give back as good as he got.

Kong bristled. “She’s not a spy.”

“How can you be so sure? Lark’s technique isn’t infallible. What do you really know about this woman?” Nova motioned around. “Bringing her here is a huge security risk.”

While Kong resented his judgment being questioned, Nova wasn’t wrong.

A sliver of doubt ran through him. Had he let himself be blinded by attraction?

Because when it came right down to it, he didn’t want Katherine to be a spy.

He wanted her to be exactly who she seemed to be because he liked her.

He wanted her for himself. But her presence here at Black Bay still didn’t add up.

There had to be an ulterior motive for Cleary positioning his daughter, of all people, here, even if Katherine wasn’t aware of it. Kong needed to be more careful.