He glanced at her and winked. "I will if you will."
"I will not." Though admittedly she would under better circumstances.
"I thought as much," he said as he rolled up his pants legs. "Never fear, my dear. I'm only going to put my feet in the water. Would you care to join me?"
Nasira eyed the muddy green stream and wondered what lurked beneath. "Should we be afraid of reptiles and man-eating fish?"
Sebastian stood and shed his shirt, revealing all the wonderful planes and angles of his chest that Nasira had always appreciated. "Reptiles and fish would be more afraid of us."
"I thought you were only removing your boots."
He hung the shirt on a tree limb and swiped a palm over his nape. "It's rather warm out. Feel free to take yours off, too."
She claimed the spot on the stump Sebastian had vacated but only bared her feet. "You are so amusing."
"You are so gorgeous."
She rolled up her pants legs and stood to find the grassy earth remarkably soothing beneath her soles. "You are such a flatterer."
"I'm sincere in my compliments." He held out his hand. "Let me assist you as we explore the murky depths of an uncharted Texas crick."
As much as she wanted to assert her independence, Nasira thought it best to hold on to her husband for support in the event something unknown attacked her toes. She clasped his hand and allowed him to guide her down the sloping bank and into the water. "It is much cooler than I expected," she said, her words followed by a slight shiver.
"I think it's rather nice," he replied without releasing her. "And not a sea creature in sight."
"Not any we can see. We have no idea what might be lurking beneath the surface."
"I shall protect you, fair maiden."
No sooner than he had said it, Nasira lost her footing and began to fall backward, inadvertently wrenching her hand from Sebastian's grasp. She landed on her bottom in the shallow water, sending a spray of moisture into her face.
She sputtered and wiped her eyes then looked up to find her husband standing over her. When he offered his hand, she swatted it away. "What were you saying about protecting me?"
He executed a bow. "My sincerest apologies, but you took me by surprise. You are normally very coordinated."
She came to her feet and slicked back her hair. "The bottom is as slippery as glass. And heavens, the smell."
"How can I make this up to you?"
She glared at him. "Help me out of this awful creek."
"I have a much better idea." Apparently, it included Sebastian immersing himself in the water and surfacing with a smile. "Now we are both wet and smelly."
"Lovely."
He surveyed the area a moment. "Do you know what this reminds me of?"
"I haven't a clue."
"Our trip to Tahiti."
Her mind whirled back to that grand adventure during a time when they could not get enough of each other. "If I recall, that involved a secluded cove with a waterfall, not a narrow cesspool."
"The scent isn't that foul. It's the moss."
"It has to be the cod."
"I could be mistaken, but I believe cod is a saltwater fish."
"You and your trivial facts."
When she playfully pushed at his shoulder, he swept his hand through the water and splashed her again. The battle then commenced, each trying to best the other with liquid bombs until they were both winded with laughter.
Nasira could not recall how much time had passed since they had acted with such wild abandon. How long it had been since they had shared so much laughter. She felt so connected with him, yet somewhat cautious. They still had quite a bit to resolve.
"I believe it is time to retreat," she said, but before she could evade Sebastian, he reached out and pulled her to him.
"Isn't this much better than arguing?" he asked as he guided them farther into the creek until the water lapped at her waistline.
Unable to resist her sexy, damp, shirtless husband, she draped her arms around his neck. "I suppose it is somewhat better." And welcome. And wonderful.
He feathered a kiss across her cheek. "This is the part I remember about Tahiti."
"Only we were not fully dressed, although at least you had the foresight to remove your shirt today. I highly doubt I will ever be able to get the swampy scent out of my blouse."
"We could simply remove your blouse now."
When he reached for the buttons, she wagged a finger at him. "Now, now. We have an agreement. Conversation first."
He managed to slip open the first button and parted the placket. "What would you like to discuss?" he asked as he traced the top of her bra with a fingertip.
A topic that would ruin the mood. "Nothing at the moment. We should return to the stable with the horses since your mount seems rather restless."
He glanced at the stallion now pawing the ground. "Could I at least kiss you before we leave?"
"You usually do not ask permission."
"I'm only following the rules, per your request."
That alone should earn him a reward. "I suppose a small kiss would be all right."
Clearly her husband did not know the meaning of small, as if she expected him to give her anything less than a thorough kiss. Yet when he lowered his lips to hers, she found the gesture to be more tender than deep. Soft and somewhat restrained...in the beginning. And then the passion took hold. A passion she could not fight. Yet if she did not stop him now, she might not be able to stop at all.
As unwise as it seemed, at that moment she simply did not care to resist him.
Five
Before Nasira could prepare, Sebastian opened her blouse completely, unfastened her bra and lowered it enough to pay attention to her breasts. He knew precisely how to use his tongue to bring her to the point of no return. He used the pull of his mouth to great effect, causing her to tremble slightly. She clasped his head to follow his movements as he shifted from one breast to the other and closed her eyes to immerse herself in the feelings. In spite of the voice telling her to resist, she felt needy and powerless and completely under his control as he worked the clasp on her jeans, slid the zipper down and slipped his hand into her panties. And suddenly her no-sex vow went the way of the prairie wind.
Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, she knew she should tell him to stop and regain control. "Sebastian," was all she could manage in a winded voice that she barely recognized.
He raised his head and whispered in her ear, "Remember Tahiti."
She could barely remember her name in light of Sebastian's intemperate strokes between her thighs. Yet Sebastian seemed bent on teasing her into oblivion, slowing his sensual caressing as if he wanted to prolong the process. She wanted to hold off the release, and oh how she tried, but her body would no longer allow it.
In a matter of moments, she feared her legs would no longer support her as she bordered on a climax. As if her husband could sense her predicament, he tightened his grasp on her, yet he did not let up until the orgasm began to build and build. He simply told her in a low, sensual tone how she felt, what he wished to do to her. What he would do to her when the time was right.
Nasira stopped thinking, practically stopped breathing as she let the heady sensations take over. She rode the release wave after wave until it had subsided. And then came the regret and remorse.
"You promised me," she said as soon as she recovered her voice.
He redid her jeans and bra then buttoned her blouse. "I apologize but I could not help myself. You're very alluring when you're wet. In every sense of the word. And you have to take into account that I presently require nothing in return, therefore it's not exactly sex."
"Good grief, Sebastian, that is semantics. We were not playing tiddlywinks."
"Definitely not. No squidgers were involved."
A litany of choice words ran through her brain, yet she could only think of one ridiculous provincial phrase. "Bite me, Buck."
He had the gall to grin. "We will explore that after dinner, Beauty."
"You are...you are...such a-"
"Skilled lover?"
"Plank," she said, repeating the slang she had learned in London.
"I've been called worse than a jackass," he said as he took her by the shoulders, turned her around and patted her bottom. "Let's go, old girl, before Cappy labels us horse thieves and sends out the guard."
She trudged out of the creek, squeezed the water from the bottom of her blouse and twisted her hair into a braid. After they had donned their boots and Sebastian had put on his shirt, they mounted the horses and started back to the stable in silence.