Page 18

S ixteen minutes and thirty-seven seconds.

That’s how long since I saw her last and each fucking tick of the clock is like a gong blasting inside of me.

Everyone is in their bathing suits, and I swear Kian has a pair of floaties on his arms that are about to pop and a thick white stripe of zinc oxide down his nose like some crazy real life version of Larry the Lobster.

Finally, she steps out into the sun like it’s nothing .

Like the entire fucking world isn’t about to tilt off its axis because of one woman in a tight white tee and a cherry-red bikini underneath.

I stop breathing.

Casey’s smiling— laughing, even —as Arliss splashes her, and Rosie squeals from somewhere behind the huge inflatable penguin Dante got her.

But all I see is her .

Kian cannonballs into the pool and splashes everyone within ten feet of where he jumped.

And that shirt Petals is wearing?

Well, now it’s plastered to her like a second skin.

Translucent, teasing every curve, every line.

The top of her bikini is cut low enough to damn near give me a stroke.

The fabric strains across the swell of her breasts, and her nipples— sweet Mother of Mercy —are hard and peaked under the fabric.

She twists to wring out her ponytail, and I almost groan.

She doesn’t even know.

She doesn’t know she’s got every single part of me snarling and snapping for a taste.

“Zeke,” Max says near my shoulder, like he’s just materialized from thin air. “Close your mouth or catch a bug.”

I growl, low and threatening.

He laughs.

Laughs .

The smug bastard.

“You’re fine,” he says, patting my shoulder like I’m the one who needs reassurance. “Just don’t shift in the pool. You’ll break the foundation, and the chlorine will get into the crops.”

I ignore him. I have bigger problems.

Like the fact that my mate— my Rose —is wet, radiant, and bouncing toward the diving board like a sun-kissed goddess with no idea she’s this close to being devoured .

“My turn! Cannonball!” Casey shouts.

She rips off the wet t-shirt.

I have one moment to come to grips with her in that fucking two-piece that should be illegal before she launches herself into the air.

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

She is so hot.

The splash she makes is huge.

Rosie screams in delight. Penny claps. Everyone is all smiles.

But me? I’m dying.

Because when she surfaces, soaked, laughing, cheeks pink and lips parted—her eyes land on mine.

And fuck , she knows .

Something shifts in her expression.

Her smile softens, her eyes flicker over me in my tank top and swim trunks, and her breath catches.

I feel it like a brand to my skin.

And I’m moving before I can stop myself.

Into the pool.

Across the water.

Hands closing around her waist and dragging her to me like she’s already mine.

Because she is .

“Hey—” she starts, but I cut her off with my mouth.

It’s not gentle.

It’s not sweet.

It’s everything I’ve been holding back since the second she danced with me under those fairy lights.

She melts into me instantly, her legs wrapping around my waist like instinct, her hands fisting in my wet hair as I press her to the wall and kiss her until neither of us can breathe.

The world fades.

The laughter. The splashing. The teasing shouts from the sidelines.

It all disappears.

Because this woman? This wild, curvy, sun-soaked miracle in my arms?

She’s my beginning.

She’s the end of every nightmare I’ve ever survived.

And one day very, very soon.

She’s going to carry my mark.

But for right now, I need to cool it. We have an audience, and every one of those fuckers has supernatural senses.

I don’t need them scenting my arousal. Or hers.

Grrr.

So instead of doing what I want to do— fuck her senseless —I turn our embrace into a little friendly pool play.

Sun’s blazing. Water’s cool. And my soon-to-be-mate?

She’s a menace.

Casey lets out a laugh that makes my entire fucking soul hum as she smacks a volleyball someone tosses our way clean across the pool— and straight into Kian’s idiot face.

If I didn’t love her already, I sure would now.

The ball bounces off his forehead with a splat.

“Damn it! Who did that?” Kian barks, flailing dramatically as water splashes around him.

“Oops!” she calls, grinning like the sweetest little devil I’ve ever seen. “My bad! I was aiming for your chest.”

“You missed by a mile!”

Arliss is cracking up beside him, clearly not sorry. “Maybe your chest is migrating, Babe.”

I can’t help the low rumble of laughter that rolls out of me. “You good, man?”

Kian glares. “You wanna test how good I am, bro?”

“You sure you’re not still dizzy?” I grin, bumping the ball lazily with one hand. “We wouldn’t want you passing out from a splash.”

Casey snorts, and I swear the sound makes my damn heart flutter. She’s leaning against my shoulder now, her bikini top clinging to her like a second skin, her curves slick and perfect beneath the water.

I hook an arm around her waist and pull her close, kissing her temple.

“You having fun, Petals?”

“I just assaulted your friend with a volleyball. But yeah, this is the most fun I’ve had all year.”

“Hell yeah,” I say, eyes glowing as I nuzzle her cheek. “You’re lethal and adorable.”

She giggles and we get back into formation, ready to play again.

The next serve is wild—Arliss launches it like her life depends on it. I jump, block it, and slap it back with a satisfying splash.

Casey whoops beside me. “We are crushing it!”

“One game,” Kian mutters from across the net.

“Still a win,” I say with a shrug.

“Rematch!” he shouts, paddling toward Arliss, who immediately scrambles up onto his shoulders for some chaotic team boost.

The ball goes flying, we all dive, and somehow we all end up in a tangled, laughing mess underwater.

When I surface, Casey’s already swimming over to me, wiping water from her eyes. I grab her and lift her up effortlessly, settling her against my chest.

“You okay?” I murmur.

She nods, beaming. “I forgot how good this feels.”

“What, pool volleyball?”

“No. Being with people who make me feel happy.”

I tighten my arms around her. I don’t know why, but suddenly I’m mad as fuck.

Maybe it’s the idea of her being unhappy. Or the way her voice got so small when she said it.

Either way? Totally unacceptable.

Casey should always feel joy.

I can do that.

Bring her smiles. Make her glow.

Behind us, Kian lets out a yelp as Arliss dunks him again.

I chuckle, resting my chin on Casey’s head as we float together, wrapped in sun, water, and the sound of our crew being loud, messy, and perfect.

Yeah. This is what life’s all about.

And I don’t even blink this time when my Dragon grumbles inside my mind.

Es meus .