Free Lancelot's Lady by Cherish D'Angelo

could escape here every night―
    Crrrack!
    Before she could move, a bulky shadow appeared above her.
    So Rhianna did what any woman would do.
    She screamed.
    A warm h and curled around Rhianna ' s mouth, cutting off her scream. Then a voice growled in her ear. " Be quiet, you silly fool! It ' s just me. "
    " You! " she stammered when the hand released her.
    Jonathan stood slowly. " Last thing I expected was for you to be skinny-dipping on my island. "
    Realizing her state of undress, she self-consciously moved into the depths of the pool where she watched Jonathan restlessly prowl the edge. He didn ' t look at all happy.
    " I ' m not skinny-dipping. "
    " Really? "
    The single word sounded threa tening.
    " You nearly gave me a heart attack, " she said in an angry voice. " I thought you were a bear― "
    " A bear? " He chuckled. " On an island in the Bahamas? "
    " How the hell do I know what kinds of wild animals live here? " Wild like you, she almost said. " What are you doing following me anyway? "
    " I wanted to make sure you didn ' t get lost. But I had no idea you ' d be here. " He sounded bitter. " How did you know about this place? "
    " I didn ' t. I just…stumbled across it tonight. "
    It was literally the truth.
    " Aren ' t you afraid of snakes? " he asked. " Or bugs? "
    Panicking, she eyed the surface of the water. " Are there snakes in here? "
    " No. "
    " Then why would you say that? " she demanded.
    He shrugged. " You ' re a city girl. "
    Rhianna clenched teeth. " Stop saying that! "
    He moved toward the trees.
    " What are you doing? " she called out, nervous.
    When he returned, he had her sundress in his hands.
    " Put that down! " she fumed.
    " It was on the ground, " he said dryly.
    For a long, awkward moment neither of them said a word. Jonathan stood motionless, staring at her, waiting. She watched him too, unable to take her eyes away or draw in an even breath.
    He held out a hand. " Come out of the water. "
    " No. "
    " Rhianna… "
    She shivered at the sound of her name on his lips.
    " Go back to the house, " she said tightly.
    " I ' m not leaving here without you. "
    Jonathan flung her dress over the nearest tree branch, then began unbuttoning his shirt.
    " W-what are you doing? " she squeaked.
    " What does it look I ' m doing? " He slid his shirt off and added it to the branch. Then he eyed her. " If you won ' t come out, I ' ll come in and get you. "
    Moonlight gleamed off Jonathan ' s tanned, smooth skin and the muscles that rippled as he moved. When his hands hovered near the zipper of his jeans, she gasped.
    " What ' s it gonna be? " he asked softly.
    Rhianna swallowed hard. If she went to him, he ' d see her near nakedness. A wet bra and panties left nothing to the imagination, even in the moonlight.
    But if he comes in after me…
    She didn ' t want to think about what could happen. In fact, she ' d give anything to wake up and find that it was all a rotten nightmare.
    " Hold my dress out and turn around, " she demanded.
    He laughed and the sound carried into the night.
    In a low voice he said, " You come out. Or I come in. "
    Rhianna ' s cheeks burned with hum iliation.
    " Since you leave me no choice, you insufferable― " She bit off the list of names she yearned to call him. The man was, after all, someone she had to deal with every day.
    At least until the radio is fixed or Roland comes back.
    Crossing her arms, sh e waded toward the edge of the pool, the water line dipping lower with each step, until it was at her belly button.
    Jonathan watched her every move. His gaze was so intense that it rattled her.
    " C-can you please look away? " Embarrassed, she choked on the words and tears well in her eyes.
    ~ * ~
    Something in Rhianna ' s voice told Jonathan he ' d gone far enough. He ' d intended to embarrass her a bit, not bring the woman to tears. One part of him felt guilty for goading her, the other felt tremendous pleasure in watching the city girl squirm.
    " Please, " she whispered. She looked