He lowered her back down and looked at her passion glazed eyes. “Zarah, we’re going to make love. It’s either going to be here or at my place. Make your decision.” He was trying to get through to her, but he might have missed his window.
Zarah focused her eyes on his handsome features, reveling in the feel of his arms wrapped around her as she floated in the water against his strong body. He was trying to tell her something, but she couldn’t really figure it out. All she wanted was for him to continue to make her feel so incredibly wonderful. She loved the way his hands and mouth fell on her body and wanted to understand why he had stopped.
He kissed her gently and pulled her towards the dock. “Let’s go,” he said and started to lift her upwards.
“Wait!” she gasped and looked at him with wide, anxious eyes. “We really can’t do this,” she whispered, her hands fisting on his shoulders to keep herself from touching him further. “I can’t do this.”
“We’re already halfway through doing ‘it’,” he growled sarcastically. “I just don’t want to finish ‘it’ here in the lake. I want you in my bed so I can explore every inch of you and hear you scream out when you climax in my arms.”
Zarah shuddered, wondering how she was going to fight against that image. She hesitated, wanting so much to feel him doing things to her and exploring him just as he’d just told her he wanted to do to her. But the reality was, she had to focus on the future, on what she came here to do. Losing her virginity to Derrick would be wonderful, but she’d be ashamed in the morning.
“I really need to go,” she said and swum back out of his arms, putting distance as well as the cool water between them.
Derrick swam over so that he was between her and the ladder, stopping her but not touching her. If he reached out and felt that incredible softness again, he wasn’t sure he could stop a second time. “So what just happened? You were ready for this to happen and then something changed your mind. I completely respect that, but I need to understand what you’re thinking.”
Zarah wasn’t exactly sure herself. She just didn’t feel right about this. Grasping at straws she said, “We barely know each other. We don’t know what makes each other tick or how to communicate effectively with each other.”
“We were communicating quite well before you put a stop to us.”
Zarah blushed and looked away, treading water while he stood on the bottom of the lake. “Look, we met each other for the first time just a few weeks ago. At htat time, you were seeing someone else. So you’ve got to understand that this is a huge turnaround for you. Whatever happened to Elise anyway? And why do you think we’ll be any different?”
“Elise is gone.”
“But why? And if you aren’t willing to talk about your past relationships, why would you want to start another one so soon?”
“Just accept that Elise isn’t in the picture any longer.”
Zarah sighed and shook her head. “Derrick, this is just too crazy.”
He looked at her carefully, then finally nodded his head. “Okay. This is moving too fast for you,” he replied with grim resignation. “So we’ll go slower.”
That wasn’t really what she meant, but she would accept his interpretation if she could just get out of the lake and hide for a little while, cool her body down from his lovemaking.
“I need to get back to Mary’s shop. I promised to take over for the evening shift.”
Derrick’s smile was slow in coming, but Zarah’s body froze with reaction. She didn’t have long to wait for an interpretation of his amusement. “No problem. I’ll see you later then.” He pushed off and swam several feet away from the ladder, giving her a clear path to the exit.
Zarah waited another moment, but when he just turned around and stood there, she wasn’t sure what he was going to do.
Derrick raised his eyebrows, urging her to continue.
“Aren’t you going to turn around so I can get out of the water?” she asked, biting her lower lip because she wasn’t sure how she could get out otherwise.
“Now why would I turn around and miss such a beautiful view?”
Zarah’s temper snapped. “Couldn’t you just be a gentleman once in a while?”
He laughed and shook his head. “I tried to be a gentleman when you fell into the water. Look where that got us? All hot and bothered and wanting each other, needing that fulfillment that you’re denying us.” He let those words sink in before he said, “At least for now.”
She couldn’t believe what he was saying. He was going to watch her while she ascended that ladder? How obnoxious!
She looked over at the bank of the water, wondering if she could get out that way, but his words stopped her cold. “I wouldn’t advise that way out,” he said with that deep voice filled with amusement and anticipation. “The snakes lie in wait for the birds who come down for a drink by the edge of the river, not to mention the rodents and other animals that need to cool down.”
Zarah’s worried eyes went from the edge of the water with all the vegetation and then to the ladder, weighing her options. Which was the lesser of the two evils?
In the end, she just couldn’t force herself to climb through all those lilies and pussy willows, too afraid of snakes and bugs, or whatever else might be hiding in the weeds. With a growl of frustration, she swam over to the ladder and pulled herself up as quickly as she could.
She didn’t even care that she was still dripping wet. As soon as she reached the top of the ladder, she hurried across the deck to grab her clothes. Pulling them on wasn’t easy but she managed it in record time.
She turned around just in time to see Derrick come up the ladder, water dripping down that magnificent body of his, those broad shoulders and rippling abdominal muscles just taunting her.
“Look all you like,” he teased and stood still for her perusal. “It’s better to touch though.”
Zarah’s eyes snapped up to his and she blushed, turning away and grabbing her notes. “I apologize for invading your lake today,” she said nervously.
“Invade anytime, Zarah.”
She hurried away, heading back to the village as fast as she could without appearing to run. She suspected that he knew exactly what she was doing anyway, but didn’t care. At this point, she just needed space and time to recover.