She yelped and saw the snake’s body flip into the air then land with a splash into the water. Without waiting to see if the snake was still alive, she did her best to run through the water. She made it to the shore and scrambled onto land.
Panting, she raced to stand behind him then leaned around his broad frame. “Did you get it? Is it gone?”
“Yeah. He’s gone.”
He lowered the rifle to his side, turned, and pulled her into his arms. She leaned against him, grateful he’d been around when she’d needed him. She shuddered, more from fear than from the warm breeze on her wet body.
Then it hit her. She jerked away from him. “How long was that thing there? I felt something rub up against my leg, but I assumed it was a fish. Why didn’t you warn me sooner?”
He shrugged and handed her the gun. “Didn’t need to. He wasn’t bothering you.”
“He could’ve bitten me!”
“Did he?” He skimmed his gaze along her body, lingering at her breasts before moving to her face.
“No. But he could have.” She should’ve covered herself, but she didn’t. She liked the way he looked at her. Her nipples stood at attention for him and her pussy screamed for his touch.
“Naw. Most snakes won’t bite unless you make them mad.”
“How do you make a snake mad?” She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was playing with her again, but the invisible sizzle she’d felt earlier kept her close to him. She gazed into his blue eyes and wondered at the amber flecks she saw there.
“You bother it, like taking a stick and poking it.”
“You sound like you like snakes. If you didn’t think it was going to bite me, why’d you kill it?”
Reese studied her like he hadn’t figured out exactly what she was. Yet the desire in his eyes never died. “I didn’t. I just gave it a reason to stay away from you.”
“Did you miss? Is that why you didn’t kill it?”
The strange look intensified, unsettling her. “Why would I kill it? It wasn’t bothering you. Besides, it was a young one.”
“A young one? Are you kidding me?”
“Yeah. The old ones get way bigger.”
She reached for her shirt and jeans. Turning her back to him, she tugged them on as fast as she could. Her body betrayed her by aching to have him hold her hips and shove his cock into her ass. She let out a pent-up breath and smothered her crazy need for him as best she could. When she turned around, he was already on his horse. Disappointment flooded her.
Should she ask him to fix her pickup? Or maybe give her a ride back into town? But going into town would erase all her efforts to stay out of sight. She really only had two choices. She could either ask him to help with her pickup or ask him to give her a ride to the rental house. She doubted she could walk back to the rental before dark, and no way did she want to get caught out alone at night. Rattlesnakes would be the least of her worries if that happened.
Preparing to hear the rejection he’d no doubt give her, she picked up her rifle, tossed her hair over her shoulders and took a step forward.
* * * *
He waited for her to ask as he watched her silently debate what to do. At last he gave in and put himself, as well as her, out of misery. “Hop up and I’ll give you a ride home.”
“I don’t know. I’ve only ridden a horse once before, and that was with a saddle.”
“I don’t like saddles. I don’t like anything between me and the animal.”
She paused then grasped the hand he held out for her. He pulled her up, her weight being nothing for him to lift, then swung her onto the horse. He glanced back and saw the heat lighting her eyes as their bodies touched. His cock had roared to life at the first sight of her, but now it was straining the front of his jeans. If he didn’t get between her legs soon—the Holms cousins be damned—he’d go insane.
“Go on. Move closer. But do me a favor and put the safety back on. We wouldn’t want either of us losing any vital body parts.” He nodded at the rifle resting across her legs.
She flipped on the safety then hesitated before scooting her crotch against his butt. The sizzle he’d felt before, the sign that she was their mate, coursed into him, making him even more turned on than before. He’d almost lost his control when he’d happened onto her and had seen her rise out of the water looking like a mythical water nymph. He hadn’t been able to resist watching her.
The water had clung to her body, shiny crystals of light reflecting off her skin. Her bra had hidden nothing, and he’d had to swallow hard at the sight on her brown peeks just begging for him to take them between his teeth. Her lace panties had clung to her hips, but he hadn’t seen any bush covering her mons. Which meant, of course, that she was clean shaven, just the way he liked.