She stood and stripped with the kind of ease that made my chest tighten, casual, unbothered, effortless. A two-piece swimsuit beneath, cute and fitted, kissed by sunlight that painted her skin gold. And there they were: the runes. My runes among them. Glowing faintly, like whispers of magic etched into flesh.
"I'm going to swim," she announced, like she wasn't currently unmaking me. All I could do was nod, momentarily struck dumb. Gods, I'd seen countless bodies. Worshipped. Desired. Claimed. None of them, none, hit me like this. This wasn't lust. Not just lust. It was reverence. She spun for me, playful, daring me to look. And I did. I always would. But it wasn't leering. It wasn't greedy. It was awe. She was sacred.
"Annie, bellissima," I murmured, my voice soft in spite of myself, "you are the most beautiful person I have ever seen."
She opened her mouth, retort ready, but I silenced it with a hand and a steady gaze. "I'm serious. Inside and out."
She kissed me then. Gentle. Lingering. Real. I melted instantly. How could I not? Her lips, her warmth, everything about her unmade me in the best possible way. I deepened it, greedy, hand sliding to her hip to keep her close, but she braced herself, stopping me with maddening self-control.
"If I kiss you anymore," she whispered against my mouth, breath hot, "I won't swim at all."
I groaned like she'd stabbed me. Dramatic, yes, but also true. "Annie, tesoro mio, you wound me again! First with your beauty, now with your restraint!"
I grinned, eyes sparking mischief. "Fine. Go swim, you devastating enchantress. But just know, every splash you make, I'll be here, emotionally drowning without you." I flopped back with all the flair of a dying man, wine in hand, already scheming how to lure her back.
She slipped into the water, grinning, radiant, carefree, utterly unburdened. Gods, that grin… it hit harder than any seduction. Then her voice slipped into my head, silken and smug. Join me, Mally.
My eye twitched. Mally?
No response. Just wicked laughter. Absolutely not. I glared over my glass. Annie, no. She vanished beneath the water. "Annie?" I leaned forward, then froze. A song. Not in the air. In my head. Some ridiculous, upbeat tune with butchered lyrics.
Malvor won't swim, what a sad little god, he's afraid of the water, oh what a fraud…
"Annie," I growled. "You are so lucky I—"
SMACK.
Fabric hit my face. Wet. Cold. I peeled it off slowly. Her swim bottoms. Her. Swim. Bottoms. My eyes flared. "ANNIE!"
Her laughter rang out from behind the rocks, bright and merciless. Oh, she wanted war. I stood, stripping off my shirt. "Fine. Nonna Annie, prepare for divine retribution!"
Her shriek echoed like music as I dove in. The moment I surfaced, another missile flew, her bikini top. I dodged, water streaming down my face, baring my teeth.
"Oh, you menace," I growled, surging forward through the water.
Mally! Mally! Mally!
"Annie, I swear—" But I was laughing too. Roaring, splashing, tearing through the water after her. She was fast. Gods, she was fast. And laughing. Real, giddy laughter that cracked something wide open in my chest. She wasn't performing. She wasn't surviving. She was playing. With me.
"You are mine," I warned, grinning wickedly. "No mortal has ever dared strike a god with swimwear and lived."
Catch me first, Mally! Her giggles ricocheted off the villa walls as she darted out of reach again, splashing like a water nymph possessed. Gods, I had it bad. But chaos was mine. And she had just declared war. This time, when she kicked off the wall, I caught her ankle.
"Got you," I growled. She squealed, thrashing, but I reeled her in like prey, dragging her against the cool stone edge. One hand braced by her head, the other still anchoring her beneath the water. Her eyes glittered, wide and breathless, lips parted. Not with fear. With thrill. I touched the bond. Comfort. Excitement. Anticipation. Want. Green. My grin sharpened into something dangerous.
"Oh, Annie," I purred, moving in close enough that water dripped from my hair onto her skin. "You have no idea how unwise it was to start this game with me."
Gods, she didn't even know what she'd unleashed. I leaned in slow, savoring the way her body trembled against the stone, the bond crackling wild and hot between us. My breath brushed her ear as I murmured, silk-wrapped sin dripping from every word, "You threw your swimsuit at me, Annie. You practically summoned me."
I didn't kiss her. Not yet. I let my lips ghost the shell of her ear, let my nose nuzzle along damp skin, teasing her, testing her, winding her up until she quivered like a bowstring.
"Annie, my dear…" I purred, voice low and dangerous, velvet-drenched heat curling around her. "Only good girls get what they want."
The shiver that tore through her, gods below, I felt it. All of it. The bond carried it straight into me, sharp and intoxicating. And oh, that was all it took to ruin me further. I chuckled, low and dark. "Mmm. You like that. Of course, you do."
I brushed kisses along her jaw, feather-soft, then her cheek, then stopped just before her mouth. Just enough to steal her breath. Just enough to make her chase. I nipped her ear, sharp, claiming. She gasped. I grinned. Our pleasure and pain shared.
"You are not a good girl today, Annie," I growled, grip tightening on her just enough to remind her she wasn't going anywhere. "You've been very, very bad."
The bond roared with her emotions, defiance, thrill, bold anticipation sparking off her like lightning. She was mine. A perfect storm of resistance and surrender, daring me to take her apart. My grin spread, wicked and lethal. "Oh, Annie," I whispered, voice gone dark smoke and fire. "You started this."
I kissed her neck, slow, deliberate, savoring the taste of sun-warmed skin and chlorine. Then her shoulder. Then lower still, mapping her with lips and teeth, promising everything without giving it. My hands skimmed down her sides, pressing just close enough to make her arch, to make her ache, but never enough to sate. My power curled around us, humming through her nerves, stretching her tight like the first pull of a bowstring. Her gasp nearly undid me. She arched into me, her emotions spilling wild and frantic through the bond, want, ache, fire, all tangled together. My hand slid beneath the water, trailing up her thigh, slow. Deliberate. Almost there. Almost.
Her body quivered. Her pulse hammered against my mouth. Through the bond, I felt it all, her restraint cracking, her pride faltering, her need bleeding through every breath.
She was practically shaking. Practically begging.
And gods, nothing in the universe had ever felt so good.