Seaside Seduction (Sun Stroked Book 1) Read Free Page A

was actually warm, far different from the cool lake waters she was used to. With these tepid temperatures, there was no need to psych herself up to jump in.
    Feeling adventurous and bold, Danielle rushed forward and waded out until she was submerged up to her neck. The water felt glorious against her scorching skin and was so crystal clear, she could see right down to the tips of her toes.
    At the same time, she saw something swim by those toes. Holy hell, what was that? That same something brushed against her leg. Oh, damn. Her pulse skyrocketed. She opened her mouth to scream, but no words formed. Arms and legs flailing, she began to tread water. What had she been thinking, venturing into unknown waters by herself? Lord only knew what kind of deadly sea creatures swam in the Pacific Ocean. Heck, she might be a streetwise city girl, but that certainly wasn’t helping her in this situation. She was completely out of her element here. She should have at least invited Abby to join her since her friend had spent her college days teaching water aerobics at their local health club.
    She decided to change tactics and stilled her movements. Steeling herself, she scanned the ocean floor for whatever was down there, waiting for it to pounce. After a good thirty seconds, her racing heart began to slow.
    Maybe it had swum away.
    Taking her by surprise, that same something brushed against her thigh and slipped between her open legs.
    “Jesus,” she cried out as she lost her footing. “What the fu—” Her words came out garbled, drowned in a mouthful of water as she sank to the sandy bottom. Body now completely submerged, she opened her eyes and came face to face with a snake.
    A. Great. Big. Frigging. Snake. An anaconda, really.
    And if there was one thing she hated more than flying… Sputtering and gasping for air, she tried to regain her footing as the reptile swam closer.
    Something tugged her arm. A moment later she found herself upright, staring into the most gorgeous pair of baby blues she’d ever had the pleasure of setting eyes on.
    “I’ve got you.”
    Oh, God. It was him. Mr. Hardbody. In the flesh.
    “I—” She suddenly remembered the anaconda. Her gaze flew to the water as she practically crawled into his arms. “We need to get out of here before we’re bitten.”
    “They rarely bite.”
    “‘Rarely’ being the operative word here,” she said, snuggling against him while her body quivered all over. Strong arms slipped around her waist and lifted her clear out of the water.
    “Better?” His face was expressionless and she couldn’t tell whether he was amused or annoyed with her.
    “I will be once we get the hell out of the ocean.”
    With long, strides he carried her to the shore, except he didn’t stop there. With an air of command about him, he took control of the situation and continued right on up the beach toward her cabana.
    “It was an anaconda,” she whispered, eyes blinking away the salty water. “It had to be at least ten feet long.”
    “It was a banded sea snake.”
    “Did you see it?”
    “I saw it.”
    “It was so big.”
    “It was two feet, tops.”
    “I don’t know about that,” she blurted out. “It swam between my thighs, and I think I’d know the difference between two feet and ten feet between my legs.”
    Mr. Hardbody cleared his throat and said, “I would think so.” When she heard the inflection in his tone, she tipped her head to look into his eyes.
    Real smooth, Danielle. Real smooth.
    Just then she began coughing, the last of the water leaving her lungs. When his forward motion stopped, she angled her head to see him. Protective blue eyes looked down at her with genuine concern.
    “Are you okay?” His rich, sensual baritone aroused all her senses and did the most amazing things to her nerve endings.
    Was this guy for real? She resisted the urge to pinch herself to see if she was dreaming. Instead, she pinched him. Right on the nipple. It hardened.
    Okeydokey