Page 59 of Criminally Yours

Strike hesitated, rolled his eyes, and returned to pacing, all while grumbling, “She said she slipped a bikini in your bag. She thought you might need it if you visited Cornwall.”

“She thinks of everything, doesn’t she?”

“That’s one way of looking at it.” He smiled wryly before adding, “I’ll meet you in the water. I don’t have anything to swim in.”

Millie pressed her lips together and nodded before slipping into the tent to change, desperately pushing away images of Strike naked with water rolling down his abs to his…

We’ll only be in there long enough to sort his hair out.

Her gut sparked with anticipation, and she growled it away. This was just washing the blood from Strike’s hair. Nothing more.

She threw on her hoodie to ward off the night chill before grabbing a towel and shampoo and running the short distance to the water.

Strike yelped and splashed before grunting about how cold it was. Millie sneaked behind a tree. Leaves crackled beneath her feet, and she dodged fallen twigs, eyeing Strike’s broad shoulders as they rose from beneath the water.

He swam in short strokes like he was pacing. Water droplets collected on his chest, dripping down his pecs to join the rest of the lake. Her mouth dried at his defined chest and his blue eyes dark in the moonlight.

He was beautiful, like a Greek god visiting Earth for one night to show mortals how perfect a man could look when power and beauty threaded together.

Millie cursed herself for romanticising the moment, but still, she stared in awe at Strike’s tanned muscle and fierce brows. He dipped his head in the lake and threw it back. Drops of water flew into the air.

She needed to get in, wash his hair, and get out. The less time with a naked Strike, the better, and at least a cold lake would obliterate her desire.

Her emotions were switching. Hate had ebbed after seeing his softness and his control. She couldn’t forget the past, but this was the one man she’d let touch her, and after the risks they’d faced, her body craved closeness.

The chill hit her skin as soon as she removed her hoodie, yet heat collected between her thighs as he dived under.

She stepped closer, panicked he might not reappear.

Suddenly, he broke the surface, powering through it. Eachab glistened as water rushed from his rolling shoulders. He locked eyes with her.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as his stare slowly travelled down her body and back to her face.

With one look, he made her feel more sexual than any man online. Where she sent filthy words to strangers to make her feel something, Strike seduced her with his brazen gaze, and her core throbbed in response.

This was a stupid idea. She should have listened to him. But she couldn’t run away now.

“Look away, then,” she shouted, her voice thick and affected. Her stomach tangled with need.

He dropped his head and mumbled, “Sorry.”

As she stepped to the water’s edge, he glanced at her from beneath his lashes. His desperation to see her gave her back the power he’d taken when he’d left years earlier.

“Sorry,” he said again as he turned around.

“Actually, can you catch the shampoo? Then I can dive in.” She wanted him to desire her. Talk about mixed signals.

He stared at where her breasts tested the seams of the bikini and immediately averted his gaze. “Strike, you need to see to catch. I don’t want to hit you in the head with it.”

“Oh yeah, of course.” He stumbled over his words.

Millie tossed the shampoo. Stike jumped up to catch it. His arms stretched in the air, revealing more of his torso, including the perfect V where his lower abs met his obliques.

She sucked her lower lip.

With the shampoo in hand, he stared back at her. A fire burned from his eyes straight to her cheeks. She licked her lips slowly, and his mouth quirked. “Are you getting in, Doc? The sooner you’re in, the sooner we can wash my hair and get out.”

“It looks cold.” She shivered, as much from the temperature as her desire.