When The Heart Sings

Chapter 48

Serena's POV:

I laughed as I splashed Darien with water before squeaking as I turned and tried to run through the knee-high water along the lakeshore. I quickly dove beneath the water for a quick getaway. My smaller size made it possible for me to do so in this shallow water.

The fact that I had gotten this far was simply evidence of Darien humoring me. I felt the water shift behind me as Darien's phenomenal reflexes allowed him to avoid hitting the bottom in his own dive as he easily caught up with me.

A pair of arms snaked around my waist before I was hoisted above the water. I loved diving beneath the water and it drove Darien nuts whenever my head disappeared beneath that blue surface. I wiped the water away from my face as I grinned up at his gentle smile.

He walked towards the shore to sit on the warm dry sand as he settled me on his lap. I leaned against his bare chest. He was only in a pair of swimming trunks, and that chest and back of his was a constant distraction. I had a sneaking suspicion that the amount of skin my one piece bathing suit revealed distracted him just as much.

Darien leaned back on the sand and I stretched out across his chest in the warm sun. This was our second day here, and the bond had noticeably loosened up and relaxed. Two days where the bond had not twisted in Darien's anger or my fear. Darien's strength hadn't faded though.

It was so relaxing and felt so right. I had never been so happy. Darien played with a strand of hair that had somehow escaped my ponytail. I absentmindedly traced patterns on his chest and arm with my finger. Interestingly enough, goosebumps also followed my fingers. It must be something to do with the soulbond.

It must distract him as much as his touch distracted me. He pulled me up a bit higher on his chest so he could easily kiss me. I returned his kiss. I loved his kisses, they were so gentle and loving. They had become more frequent the last two days.

I had to break the kiss when I had to breathe. Darien continued to place small kisses along my cheeks and down the side of my neck. His right hand lightly traced the side of my bathing suit along the seam. I shivered lightly with his touch, which was completely at odds with the heat from his chest and the sun.

A peculiar warmth I had never felt before warmed me from the inside. I recaptured Darien's lips with mine as I ran my hand through his damp hair.

Our mini-makeout session came to a slow end as I ran out of breath. To my secret glee, Darien was also a bit out of breath. It was nice to know that he had some limits that didn't involve an all-out single-handed attack against something that would make an army think twice before engaging.

I rested my cheek against his, enjoying the contact of our skin. The heat from the sun disappeared and I peeked up to see a huge cloud was trying to dampen our spirits. Considering how dark the cloud was, it probably had rain in its arsenal as well.

A sharp breeze suddenly came up and blew across my still damp body. I shivered a bit as the cool wind sharply contrasted the now-vanished warmth of the sun. Darien promptly sat up as he put his back to the wind, shielding me from the breeze.

He somehow managed to wrap a thick towel around me while I was on his lap. I shook my head at his actions. It was still warm out, and if I hadn't been damp, I wouldn't have even shivered. I gazed up at my overreacting mate in amusement, "I may not hold a candle to any Tarulk, but I'm not quite that delicate."

He wasn't buying it. His blue eyes inspected my face, possibly checking to see if I was cold and simply refusing to admit it out loud. "I am not taking any chances. Besides, that rainstorm is coming our way and we should start heading back."