She left Hansel’s arms and walked straight to him, her fingers sliding against his. Boaz stared down at her hand in his, his heart climbing up into his throat.
“What are…you…I..?” he mumbled incoherently.
“Come,” she said, tugging him gently as she stepped toward the line of trees, her hand warm around his. His chest tightened.
What was she doing? What exactly had Hansel told her? He wasn’t about to accept a pity fuck. Not from her.
“Lyla, you don’t have to—”
“I want to,” she said lightly, glancing back at him. “Hansel said you always swim before you shift into your wolf. I thought it could be fun.”
Boaz blinked, startled. That’s what Hansel told her? And she actually went with it?
“Yes,” he said, a little breathless. “It calms my wolf.”
That, and the hours he’d spend running afterward. It tired the wolf enough that he wouldn’t start unnecessary fights.
Antisocial psychopath, Boaz clicked his tongue.
But a smile tugged at his lips as he followed her into the shadows of the trees. For once, his wolf’s prickly nature had worked in his favor. It had bought him a quiet moment alone with Lyla.
Now all he had to do… was not ruin it
He bit the inside of his cheek, trying to think of something, anything, that would open the door to her heart. Give her a hint that he wanted her. But nothing came. His thoughts were a scrambled mess, and his nerves made it impossible to string two words together.
By the time they passed through the last of the trees and the lake revealed itself in a shimmering stretch of silver under the moon, Boaz felt like his entire body had tightened into one knot of panic.
“Oh, wow,” Lyla breathed. She slipped her hand from his and jogged the last few steps toward the water’s edge. “I can never get enough of how beautiful it is.” She lifted her arms to the sky, spinning slowly, her laughter joyful.
Boaz just stood there, watching her. Thinking of all the things he should say—none of which would leave his mouth.
She began to undress, peeling off her dress, then her shoes until she stood in nothing but her underwear, alabaster skin glowing under the moonlight. Still, he stood frozen.
“Are you coming?” she called, glancing over her shoulder. Her voice was light, teasing. “Boaz?”
“Yes,” he blurted, snapping out of his daze. “Of course.”
He stripped quickly, stopping at his boxers. The moment he straightened, self-consciousness slammed into him. He ducked his head slightly, shoulders rounding as if he could make himself smaller, less… overwhelming.
Lyla turned and waded into the lake, the water swallowing her legs with gentle ripples. Boaz followed, stepping in after her.
A low sound slipped out of him as the cool water rushed over his overheated skin. The relief was instant, soothing.
And still… he couldn’t take his eyes off her.
Make your move,he told himself.
Instead of swimming toward her, Boaz sucked in a breath and ducked under the surface, letting the cold silence swallow him whole. Coward.
He couldn’t bring himself to do it, not yet. He paddled through the water, using the movement to steady his heartbeat and calm his wolf, even though he wanted to be doing something very different.
Like kissing Lyla. Like finally having a moment with her that didn’t leave him feeling like a trembling idiot.
But he wasn’t brave. Even thinking about making a move had him feeling off-balance, clumsy.
Fuck, I’m hopeless,he thought bitterly.
He was definitely going to die a virgin. The realization only annoyed him more. He wiped the water from his brow impatiently and glanced over to where Lyla swam circles around him, laughing softly as she floated on her back, completely at peace.