Chapter Text
He didn’t mean to see her.
Hell, if he had known she was there, he wouldn’t have taken the trail at all.
But there he was—coming back from checking traps near the ridge, boots sinking into soft earth, shirt open at the chest from the heat—and the faint splash of water made him pause.
Not the kind of splash you get from fish. Not the rhythmic ripples of a horse stepping in to drink.
Something softer. Slower.
Arthur crept forward, instinct quieting his steps, like he was tracking something delicate. The trees thinned near the bend of the creek. He saw the water first—glassy and golden in the late afternoon sun.
And then he saw her.
His heart stopped.
She was knee-deep in the creek, back turned, hair loose and damp. Water clung to her skin like it didn’t want to let go. One hand swept lazily through the current. The other ran up over her shoulder, fingers squeezing the water from her hair.
And not a stitch of clothing in sight.
Arthur went still.
Dead still.
His mouth went dry.
She turned slightly, reaching down to scoop a handful of water over her chest—and he saw the curve of her breast, the soft line of her waist, the droplets running down her back.
He should’ve turned around. Looked away. Called out—anything.
But he didn’t.
He couldn’t.
His cock pressed hard against his jeans, thick and unrelenting, the pressure already painful. One look. Just one glimpse of her like this—unguarded, glowing in the gold light, humming softly to herself as if the whole damn world didn’t exist—and he was ruined.
His hands curled into fists at his sides.
Goddamn it.
He watched her wade deeper, the water rising to her hips, then just beneath her breasts. She leaned back, eyes closed, arms skimming the surface.
Arthur could barely breathe.
The water lapped against her skin. Light played over every ripple, every soft curve, making her look unreal. A dream, damn near.
And yet—so real it ached.
He adjusted his stance, trying to relieve the pressure in his jeans, but it only made it worse. His cock throbbed against the denim, hard and heavy, and all he could think about was what it would feel like to walk down into that water, press himself against her back, kiss her shoulder, and let her feel what she did to him.
She turned again, arms crossed beneath her chest, lifting her breasts just above the water as she shivered lightly in the breeze.
Arthur let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.
She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
Not just because she was naked. Not just because he could see the swell of her hips or the smoothness of her thighs.
But because she looked free.
Safe.
Unaware.
And that—that—was what tore at him most.
He shouldn’t be seeing this.
He had no right.
But Christ, he couldn’t stop.
His cock throbbed again, pulsing like it wanted to break through the seams of his pants. His hand twitched at his side, itching to touch, to relieve the ache, but he didn’t dare. Not here. Not like this.
She sighed, stretching her arms above her head, water sliding down every inch of her.
Arthur bit back a groan.
Every part of him burned.
She waded to the edge then, slowly stepping out, water trailing down her legs, her ass glistening in the sun. She bent to grab a towel and for one breathless second, he saw everything.
He jerked back, heart hammering.
She didn’t hear him. Didn’t see him.
Didn’t know that he’d just come closer to losing control than he had in a long, long time.
Arthur turned and walked away as fast and as quiet as he could, cock still hard, jaw clenched tight, guilt and need warring in his chest.
He needed to find a secluded space to either calm down or help himself.