Getting Wet Read Online Free Page B

have been the best thought. I am wired into this place and you haven’t seen mad until you have woken a djinn from her beauty sleep. We need it.”
    He lifted the cup in a salute. “I am glad I listened to my instincts and merely passed a sleepless night.”
    “Very wise.” Teebie left a breakfast tray of goodies behind and retreated to the kitchen.
    “Do you run every morning?”
    Randal smiled and loaded a plate. “I do if I don’t head straight to work. I have too much energy to waste it doing nothing.”
    The implication was that he would enjoy another outlet, and her otter was thinking of a few methods that involved the pond.
    “So, how is your inner beast doing with this venture?” She nibbled at a muffin and watched him.
    He blinked and gave her a slow smile. “He has been after me since I was called up on stage. If you have ever been bitten by your inner beast; that is what was going on while I was otherwise occupied.”
    Augusta laughed. “That has happened once or twice. Usually, it was when I passed up a chance to dive into a new body of water. She does love water.”
    He reached out and took her hand. “I am very glad you were there that day.”
    She blushed and ducked her head. “I am as well, though I had no idea you were looking for me. I just didn’t want to be one of those desperate women chasing you.”
    “I would have let you catch me.” He winked and squeezed her hand.
    She smiled and relaxed a little. “So, your normal job is as a contractor?”
    “Yes, I work for the family company. Forester Construction. We build houses and do renovations.” He rubbed his hands together nervously.
    “Good. I work in my sister’s shop. Creature’s Feature. I even have a t-shirt with an otter on it.”
    He chuckled. “I just live a few towns over, if you want to commute. I would offer to move in with you, but my house is on a huge chunk of land that includes a lake. There is plenty of space to shift and frolic.”
    Augusta leaned forward and put her chin on her hands. “I do love frolicking.”
    He grinned. “And I enjoy watching you. I never knew that otters actually did put stuff on their bellies to play with.”
    “Oh. You would be amazed what we do on our backs.”
    He coughed into his coffee, and she felt a frisson of smugness for throwing him off for a change. She knew the advantage would not last long, but she enjoyed it for that one moment.

Chapter Five
     
     
    Wandering around the meadow and gathering flowers was a strange thing to do with a man she wanted to see naked, again. The way Randal was moving around, it seemed the most natural thing in the world.
    He picked flowers and offered them to her, smiling every time she added his discovery to her bouquet. Their trail gradually led them to the scent of water, and behind a rocky outcropping was a brook and a standing pool. It was far too tempting.
    Augusta slipped her shoes off and removed her bra and panties without taking off her dress. Now that they were in full daylight, she was a little shy.
    He was watching her with an astonished look on his face when she shifted with her dress on and crawled out from underneath it, nosing the cotton out of the way.
    He had already shed his shirt, but he crouched down. “Come here, sweet thing.”
    Augusta scampered up to him, climbing into his hands with absolute trust. He lifted her in his grasp and looked at her, eye to eye. She chittered and reached out to paw his cheek gently.
    His smile of delight had her squirming in his grip. She slipped from his hands and scampered into the water, calling him to join her. She heard the thud of his shoes and then the slough of his jeans.
    He walked into the water, completely human. He followed her until he was shoulder deep, and then, he bent his knees, disappearing under the surface and returning as a beaver.
    His eyes were the same dark brown, but his teeth were dramatically larger as he chittered at her and invited her to play.
    She swam with him