Page 18 of Demon Daddy’s Hidden Daughter (Demon Daddies #8)
RHYEN
I suggested we spend the afternoon away from the estate, which Ava was more than happy to agree to. The waterfall is only a twenty-minute walk through the forest, following a well-worn path that winds between towering trees and clusters of wildflowers.
Ava chatters constantly as we hike, her small hand secure in mine as she peppers me with questions about the falls, the forest, whether there might be fish in the pool. I answer each one patiently, but most of my attention is focused on Lenny walking beside us.
She seems lighter today. More relaxed than I've seen her since that night in the garden when she told me about her nightmares.
Her hair is loose around her shoulders, catching the dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy, and she's wearing a simple green dress that brings out the gold flecks in her eyes.
It's not my fault I nearly kissed her in the garden. She looks so damn good, I couldn't stop myself.
And she didn't look like she was going to stop me, either.
I have to stop the train of thought right there.
"There it is," I announce as we round the final bend, and the sound of rushing water grows to a roar.
The falls cascade down a fifty-foot cliff face in a curtain of white foam, crashing into a crystal-clear pool that's maybe thirty feet across. The rocks around the edge are smooth and sun-warmed, perfect for sitting, and the whole place has an almost ethereal quality in the morning light.
"It's beautiful," Lenny breathes, and her voice holds the kind of wonder that makes my chest tight.
Ava releases my hand and runs toward the water's edge, stopping just short of the pool to crouch down and trail her fingers through the surface. "It's cold!"
"Mountain water always is," I tell her, already pulling my shirt over my head. "But you get used to it."
I'm focused on kicking off my boots when I hear Lenny's soft intake of breath behind me.
When I glance back, she's staring at my bare chest with an expression that sends heat shooting straight through me.
Her eyes track across the scars that mark my skin—some from battles, others from training accidents—and I see her throat work as she swallows.
"The water really is cold," she says, but her voice has gone slightly hoarse. I don't point out she hasn't touched it.
Before I can respond—before I do something stupid like ask if she wants to touch them—she turns away and begins unlacing her own boots.
I force myself to focus on Ava, who's already shin-deep in the pool and squealing about the temperature. The icy water is exactly what I need right now, a sharp shock to the system that might clear my head.
"Come on, little one. Let's see how brave you really are."
I wade in after her, the cold making me hiss through my teeth. Ava immediately launches herself toward me, knowing I'll catch her, and I scoop her up before she can go under completely.
"It's freezing!" she shrieks, but she's laughing as she says it.
"You'll warm up once you start moving." I spin her in a slow circle, her legs trailing in the water as she giggles. "Want to see if we can build a dam with those stones?"
We're just getting started on our construction project when I hear another splash behind us. I turn, expecting to see Lenny testing the water with her toes.
Instead, I see her wading in wearing nothing but a simple two piece swimming set—the kind of practical swimming attire most people wear, but on Lenny it might as well be designed specifically to drive me insane.
Everything in me short-circuits.
The fabric clings to her curves, outlining the shape of her breasts, the gentle flare of her hips, showing off the long line of her legs.
My eyes drink in every detail—the expanse of pale skin, marked here and there with faint scars that tell the story of her survival.
Her arms, her shoulders, the delicate curve of her collarbone where that damned burn mark sits like a brand.
She looks like something carved from moonlight and determination, beautiful and fierce and absolutely devastating.
"The water's not so bad once you're in," she says, moving deeper with careful grace, and I realize I've been staring like an idiot.
"Right." My voice comes out rougher than intended. "Not so bad."
I force myself to turn back to Ava, to focus on helping her stack stones into something resembling a barrier. It should be easy—she's chattering away about making the dam tall enough to stop all the fish, completely absorbed in her project. This is what I came here for. Quality time with her.
But my eyes keep drifting. I can't help it.
Thank the gods the water is cold enough to keep me in check.
Lenny moves through the water like she was born to it, graceful and confident in ways that contradict everything I know about her past. She ducks under briefly, surfacing with her hair slicked back and water droplets caught on her eyelashes like tiny diamonds.
When she tips her head back and laughs at something Ava says, the sound echoes off the rocks and goes straight through me. The sunlight catches the water on her skin, turning her into something that belongs in fairy tales instead of harsh reality.
"Rhyen, you're not helping," Ava accuses, tugging on my arm.
"Sorry, little one. I was distracted by..." I scramble for an excuse that doesn't involve her mother's devastating effect on my self-control. "By wondering if we should reinforce the sides of our dam."
Ava accepts this readily and launches into an elaborate explanation of her engineering plans. I nod and make appropriate sounds while fighting the urge to look at Lenny again.
I fail. Of course I fail.
She's floating on her back now, eyes closed against the sun, completely relaxed for maybe the first time since I've known her. The trust implicit in that surrender—the fact that she feels safe enough here, with me, to let her guard down so completely—hits me harder than desire.
This is what I want. Not just her body, though Christ knows I want that too. I want her peace. Her smiles. Her trust. I want to be the reason she can float in mountain pools without fear, the reason she can laugh without looking over her shoulder.
I want everything.
"Can I ride on your back across the pool?" Ava's question jerks me back to the present.
"Of course." I crouch down in the shallow water so she can climb on. "Hold tight."
She wraps her small arms around my neck, and I begin a slow circuit of the pool. Her delighted giggles echo off the rocks as I vary the speed, sometimes gliding smoothly, sometimes bouncing her gently as I navigate between submerged stones.
"Faster!" she demands.
"Careful what you wish for."
I pick up the pace, making a game of it, ducking suddenly so she squeals with mock terror, then surfacing with a dramatic gasp. She loves every second of it, and the sound of her laughter makes something in my chest feel dangerously full.
When I surface from another dive, shaking water from my hair, I find Lenny watching us with an expression so soft it nearly undoes me. There's love there, and gratitude, and something else that makes my pulse stutter.
She catches me staring and doesn't look away. Instead, she smiles—not the careful, cautious expressions I've grown used to, but something warm and teasing that goes straight to my head.
"Having fun?" she asks, moving closer until she's only a few feet away.
"Always." I adjust my grip on Ava, who's now trying to braid my wet hair. "What about you? Was I right about it being perfect weather?"
"You were right about a lot of things." Her voice is deliberately neutral, but her eyes hold mine with an intensity that makes everything below my waist tighten.
This is dangerous territory. Flirtation disguised as friendly conversation, attraction masquerading as innocent teasing. Every word feels loaded with double meaning, every glance a small confession.
I should put distance between us. Should focus entirely on Ava. Should be the responsible adult who doesn't let himself get distracted by the way water beads on Lenny's skin or the way she moves toward me instead of away.
She needs a friend, I remind myself.
Those words don't deter me. Instead, I find myself moving closer, drawn by some magnetic pull I've stopped pretending I can resist.
"What else was I right about?" The question slips out before I can stop it, low enough that Ava won't hear over her own chattering.
Lenny's smile turns mysterious, almost feline. "Where's the fun in telling you? You'll just get a big head." Something is getting big alright. I should not be thinking like that.
But the way she's looking at me… I'm drowning in broad daylight, pulled under by amber eyes and soft smiles and the devastating realization that I've never wanted anyone this badly in my entire life.