Even as his cock leaped to attention, he pulled back suddenly, his hand wiping his mouth. This couldn’t happen for too many reasons to count.

She watched the motion and hurt flashed in her eyes. “You don’t have to wipe my kiss off you! I’m not that disgusting.” She turned around and stalked away.

He took a step towards her then stopped himself. He started to call her back and explain himself but didn’t. He ended the kiss because he’d been sitting in a dungeon so he surely smelled foul, and blood still covered his mouth where his lips had cracked from the beating. He didn’t need her licking at that filth.

But he said none of those things. “I’ll be at the lake.”

She went deeper into the woods until he lost sight of her. Funny but he didn’t worry at all that she’d try to leave him, not after she’d rescued him. They had a bond now, and it wouldn’t easily break. Still, his gut tightened until he heard her reply.

“Fine!” came the snappy retort.

Alrik chuckled then grabbed his ribs as they jostled with the action. He hadn’t told her but they didn’t travel as far south as he’d have liked to. If Aidan and the other rogues wanted to, they could probably reach them within a matter of hours. But he’d needed to stop before he fell on his face.

They’d managed to find an open path of grass with tall vibrant green trees scattered on either side. Down the path over boulders and loose rocks rested a dark lake. He couldn’t remember the name of this lake or if it was a fallout from Deco lake. It’d been too long since he had a geography lesson.

Down at the water he pulled off his shirt. He moved slowly because as he lifted his arms his muscles tightened, burning. He panted at the pain. The wind blew, splashing ankle-high waves into the rocky shore. He didn’t sit down to pull off his boots because he wasn’t quite sure he’d be able to get back up if he did. So, he toed them off then dropped his pants. They needed to be washed but they’d have to wait for another day. His energy level was running on fumes as it was. Every time he closed his eyes it became harder and harder to open them again. He left the clothes and slowly treaded into the water.

The frigid temperature hit him like a punch to the gut. His whole body tensed as goose bumps popped up over his skin. Cupping the cool water, he washed idly, his body performing the motions out of practice, but his mind was somewhere else. Or, he should say, on someone else.

Abbigail. His Abbigail.

She was his, too. She could have tried to escape or coax Aidan or one of his men for help, or even told them that he’d stolen her from her home. Yet she’d kept silent. Not a word of his doing or their plans had been whispered about.

He’d seen the way the men had looked at her. If he had been free he would have slaughtered every single one of them for looking at her like that...like they wanted between her legs. Only one man would be moving between her thighs.

And soon.

Shit. Had he really just decided that?

Damn right, his body answered. He would have her…soon.

Alrik ducked under the water and floated below letting the cold water cool his boiling blood. He would be the only one. Yes, his cock filled with blood, engorging into a hard rod even in the cold water. If he closed his eyes and concentrated hard enough he could almost feel her lips against his, imagine what she’d feel like wrapped around his cock—wet and tight—a hungry little muscle for him to plunder. He shivered at the thought. He wanted her hands and legs clinging to him, holding on to him as he sent her screaming his name in passion.

Alrik dove back to the surface and sucked in a harsh breath. His cock throbbed. With a groan, he wrapped a fist around it. Damn, he was hard as stone. He trailed his hand up and down the hard rod but the pleasure wasn’t there at his own hand. If it were her hand...that’d be a different story.

His mind filled with erotic images: Abbigail kneeling before him with her mouth sucking his cock, her legs spread wide with his head buried in her pussy, and her curvy body riding his cock with her luscious breasts swaying in his face.

His hand moved up and down his shaft, breath stuttering from his lips before he realized what he was doing.

“Alrik?”

He spun around guiltily, his hands thrown up in the air at the soft voice. Slowly, his arms lowered back down but his jaw was much slower to close.

Abbigail stood naked at the water’s edge, water lapping at her small feet. Her breasts were bare, full with small delicious pink nipples he wanted to suck on. Her waist dipped in then flared out wide to a set of hips meant for a man to hold. The light caressed her smooth legs making them shine. Her legs were strong but not overly muscular or long.

Abbigail was a petite thing. A curvaceous woman meant to be held as he fucked her. His cock throbbed, blood pumping hard to the organ. He must tread carefully here for he would surely blow it if he kept gazing at her nakedness.

“What are you doing?” he asked, voice dry.

She swiped hair back from her face, gave a tentative smile, and then came forward.

The water reached her knees before she squealed and jumped two steps back. “It’s so cold!”

It was but if she thought to get in here with him while he had an erection the size of a tower that had no intention of going away, then he needed to keep her out. “It only gets colder as you get in. Go back to the camp, Abbigail.” Even to his own ears his voice sounded huskier. If she noticed it, she didn’t say so.

She stood straight at his words, a look in her eyes...a look with strength and desire floating under the surface. She took a deep breath and slowly waded in...towards him.

He flexed his abs in response. The pain it sent to his ribs did nothing to weaken his erection. His gaze fell from her face to her soft breasts glistening, bobbing in the water. His lips parted at the sight; his mouth suddenly dry as dirt.

“What are you doing, Abbigail?”

She was only a few feet away. He could see her shoulders trembling. Damn. She was cold. He didn’t like that. Before he thought twice about it or tried to deny what he wanted, he reached forward and pulled her into his body. Heat flared between them creating a unique polarizing sensation in the water from hot where their bodies touched and cold where the water licked at them.

Abbigail gasped and as quick as a snake wrapped her arm around his neck pulling herself closer. They buoyed in the water, legs slowly kicking to keep afloat. She had yet to discover his erection but it was only a matter of time. If she touched him...he didn’t know if he’d be able to not push himself inside of her, test her tightness, and see how wet he could make her. She was naked, her pussy bare and close, and within reach. It was almost too much. Alrik bit hard on the inside of his cheek to distract himself.

“I wanted to make sure you didn’t need any help. And, I brought the soap.” She held up the yellow bar he’d managed not to see before. He watched her with wary eyes. She reached behind him to lather her hands then started rubbing her fingers in his hair. Her touch was gentle, seductive. When she reached his scalp, his cock pulsed. Each gentle tug in his hair felt like a stroke of his cock.

“You don’t know what you’re doing, Abbigail,” he warned.

“I think I do,” she whispered, her voice so close to his lips.

Their eyes met and locked together. With his eyes he tried to tell her that if she wanted to back out now was the time. After he touched her, really touched her, he wouldn’t be able to stop.

With her fingers moving so gently through his hair, washing him, and her eyes gazing at him with such gentleness, as if she cared, something changed. A wall dropped around his heart. It couldn’t be a good thing because the wall he’d erected had only dropped once and the person who it dropped for was now dead because of him. Still, he felt that wall shifting, moving, and dropping.