“No, you promised you’d teach me how to swim. Teach me,” she demands, her hands clenching around my neck.
“And you want to do that now?”
I figured I’d get her out on the dock and wrap her in a towel. Maybe sneak in a few more kisses before I take her back home, but apparently, she has other ideas.
“Yes.” She nods decisively and then jabs her finger into my chest. “And no more funny business.”
“Okay,” I chuckle. “Let’s start with something small.”
“Small?” Kate thinks about it for a moment. “I can do small.”
“You should probably let go of me, though.”
“Oh, right.”
She loosens her grip reluctantly but doesn’t let go completely.
“I have you, Kitty.” I slip my hands, so one is around her waist while the other is under her knees. Then I push her upwards, so her body is floating on the surface. “I’ve gotcha.”
“Don’t let me go,” she pleads, her hands going back around my neck.
“I’m not letting go, Kitty.”
I don’t have it in me to tell her to let go. I wasn’t joking when I said I’d keep her like this forever. Kate is so strong and independent on her own, but I like knowing that she needs me, even if it’s for something as silly as this. She needs me, and she trusts me to keep her safe.
“Okay, now start working your legs.” I look down as her legs start threading through the water. “Just like that.”
“Why do you keep calling me that?” Kate asks after a moment.
“What?”
“Kitty.”
“It suits you.” I shrug. “Now, hands too, spread them out.”
Kate does as I say, but her mind is still on our conversation. “It doesn’t,” she protests.
“Does too.”
“I don’t even like cats.”
“Well, you’re like one. All hissing on the outside, but when someone finds the right spot to scratch, you start to purr.”
“I don’t think I like that analogy.”
“Okay,” I chuckle. I can see why she wouldn’t like it. “You’re fierce and protective, too, especially when it comes to people you love.”
“That’s true,” she agrees.
“See? I’m always right.”
“That’s what you’d like to think.” She tries to swat me on the head, which makes her lose her balance. “Emmett!”
“I’ve got you.” I wrap my arms around her body, pulling her flush against me. “Enough swimming for today.”
With my arms wrapped firmly around Kate, I walk us to the dock and sit her on the wooden boards. Stepping between her spread thighs, I brush a strand of hair behind her ear and lean forward, placing my mouth against her forehead for a chaste kiss. “You did good until you tried to smack me. I guess that’s karma at its finest.”
“You’re the worst.”
Kate shoves me away, but I don’t move an inch.
“You’ll have to work on those muscles, Kitty.”
Her hand sneaks behind my neck, and she pulls me closer. Her mouth hovers over mine, her tongue sliding out and over my lower lip, making me groan. I try to capture her mouth with mine, but the little minx puts her hand on my chest.
“Why would I?” she whispers, her lips brushing against mine. “When I can tease you and still win.”
Then she pushes me away. I don’t resist gravity as it pulls me underwater, needing the water to cool me off.
She’s right though, no need to have muscles when she has me all wrapped up around her little finger. And I don’t mind it one fucking bit.
Chapter Twenty-Two
KATHERINE
“You wanna change before I take you home?” Emmett asks as we come closer to the big, two-story farmhouse. The white house is huge, one of the biggest I’ve seen in Bluebonnet, and honestly, slightly intimidating. The doors and shutters are colored cherry red, and out on the front porch, there are different potted plants and a swing with mismatched throw pillows on it, giving it a homey feel.
“I think I’m go—”
“Emmett?”
We turn around at the sound of a soft voice and come face to face with an older woman, probably around my mom’s age. She’s short, even shorter than me, and has wild, curly red hair that she tried to—unsuccessfully—tame in a bun. There is a dusting of freckles covering the bridge of her nose and her cheeks. “I’ve been looking for you!” She looks over her shoulder. “Brad, he’s here!”
“Hey, Ma. Sorry about that.” Emmett grins sheepishly as my whole body goes rigid. That’s his mother? “We were at the pond.”
The woman’s curious eyes land on me as she takes me in. “I didn’t realize we had company.”
“Nobody was home when we got here earlier,” Emmett explains, pulling me closer into his embrace. The woman’s eyes dart to Emmett’s hand, which is curled around my shoulders, before returning to us.
“Hi!” I say, my voice coming out more high-pitched than normal.
“Oh, right!” Emmett slaps himself on the forehead and nudges me forward. “Mom, this is Katherine, my girlfriend. Kate, this is my mom, Olivia.”
Mrs. Santiago’s eyes widen at the word girlfriend, but she schools her face quickly. “A girlfriend, huh?” She shakes her head and crosses the distance between us. Pushing Emmett’s hands away, she pulls me in for a hug. “It’s so nice to meet you, honey. That boy never tells us anything any longer. And to think once he needed to tell us every single detail that had happened to him, including when he—”
“Mom,” Emmett groans loudly.
“What?” She pulls back as she faces her son. “I’m just telling the truth.”
“You’re trying to embarrass me in front of Kate, that’s what you’re trying to do.” He wraps his arms around my middle and pulls me into his chest. “Don’t listen to her, Kitty.”
“Oh, I find this really interesting,” I tease, giving him a small jab in the side. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Santiago. So sorry for keeping Emmett away.”
“Oh, nonsense.” She waves me off. “That boy is always doing something. And please, call me Olivia.”
Yeah, no way of that happening. Like ever.
There is a movement behind her that catches my attention, and then a man comes out of the stables, wiping his hands.
“Oh, there you are. You had your momma worried, Emmett.”
He moves closer, one of those dark brown cowboy hats obscuring his face, but there is something about him…
“Yeah, I heard that. If I knew y’all would miss me so much, I’d have left a note.” Emmett extends one of his hands toward the guy for a handshake. “I took my girl here, out to the pond, since apparently, she doesn’t know how to swim.”
“Emmett!” I protest, my cheeks heating in embarrassment.
“What? They won’t tell. Right, Brad?”
I look at the guy and inhale sharply when recognition sets in.
“It is you! I thought the voice sounded familiar, but I couldn’t tell for sure.” I wave in his direction. “The hat and all.”