There was a strange sense of relief at hiding my naked body beneath the surface. Most shifters didn’t care about their nakedness. Usually, I didn’t mind either, but I felt so damn vulnerable around Troy. Not because he made me feel vulnerable, but because I couldn’t shield myself around him. One look from him, and I wanted to crumble.
His hands were firmly wrapped around my waist, and I realized belatedly that he was guiding me into deeper waters. “Wait!” I gasped.
“I can swim,” he said roughly. “See that boulder?”
“Yes.”
“It’s shallower there, and it’ll keep the current from carrying you away.”
“You’re going to leave me alone?”
“No,” he muttered. “You’d no doubt find a way to drown yourself.”
We reached our destination, and I grasped at the rock. It was shallower. I could stand, bu
