He knew Arizona deserved more.

But his arguments about her age, her past, had sounded as hollow to him as they had to Dare and Trace and Jackson. In fact, Jackson had stalked off in annoyance, and Trace had given him a pitying look before walking away.

Only Dare had remained, telling him what he already knew: that fighting his feelings was useless.

Spencer had dissuaded him the only way he knew how, by bringing up his deceased wife.

He’d no sooner said the words, than he wanted to see Arizona. He needed to hold her, to talk to her, to…what? Value what time he had left?

Shit.

Even knowing it was his bad mood driving him, he rocked the dock with his heavy footfalls. With silky menace, he asked, “Am I interrupting?”

Laughing, Chris stood and stretched with a complete lack of concern. “You guys have selective memory about my sexuality whenever you choose to play caveman.” He shook his head. “It’s pretty hilarious.” He turned, went to the end of the dock and jumped in.

Arizona chose to watch Chris instead of looking at Spencer. He stepped closer and only when his shadow fell over her, did she finally turn her face up to meet his gaze.

God Almighty, she looked like temptation. The bright sunlight glinted in eyes so blue, they matched the clear sky, emphasizing the contrast to her naturally darker skin. As he stared down at her, she pulled away the band that held back the mass of her long hair. It fell free around her shoulders.

It seemed impossible, but every minute around her made him want her more and in more ways. Physically, yes. He couldn’t look at her without getting a jones. But it was so much more than that.

So much more than he could handle in a crowd.

“The others will join us soon.” Spencer crouched down in front of her. Her gaze went to his bare chest, his abs, over his thighs. “I need to get in the water, honey.”

She licked her lips. “You don’t want to wait a bit?”

“I would have.” He eyed the swell of her br**sts above the bra top. Could a woman be more stacked, more lush? He shook his head. “Seeing you in that suit changed things.”

She touched a hand to his chest hair. “Okay.” Concern about the swim kept her from commenting on his obvious interest. “I guess I’m ready.”

He knew he was. More than ready, in fact. Damn, but this wouldn’t be easy.

She was nervous enough without his lust, which, considering the setting and circumstances, was inappropriate in the extreme. Doing his best to keep his attention on her face and off her body, Spencer said, “How about I get in first, and you can climb down the ladder next to me?”

She lifted a hand to shield her eyes. “You’re going to dive in?”

Pausing, he tried to figure the direction of her thoughts, but he just didn’t know. He went with the truth. “Probably.”

Her small but proud shoulders squared. “Then I will, too.”

Before today, he might have tried to talk her around. Not anymore. With every minute, he better understood her. The will that drove her was the same will that had allowed her to survive. Her pride was important to her, so that made it important to him, as well.

Best to just get it over with.

Dread of something was often worse than the actuality. Once she was in the water, held close to him, she’d be fine. She would realize there was nothing to fear, not with him nearby.

She would trust him.

Without another word, Spencer nodded, then stood, went to the end of the dock and dove in. Chris floated on his back, probably to give them privacy; he paid no attention to Spencer.

Looking up at Arizona there on the edge of the dock, he waited.

At this time of the day, the sun backlit her body, showing off every shapely curve as she folded her shirt and shorts and put them on a bench. As if preparing for battle, she came to the edge of the dock and stood with her feet apart, her arms loose at her sides, her hair cascading down around her shoulders and over her br**sts.

The black two-piece fit her to perfection, and kept his gaze riveted. He didn’t rush her, but neither could he take his eyes off her.

When she heard the others chatting as they walked down toward the dock, she firmed her mouth, took three quick, deep breaths—and made a clean dive into the lake.

* * *

“MESS THIS UP, and I’ll kill you.”

Quin tamped down his defiance in favor of survival. Not for a second did he doubt the truth of those words. He’d seen evil, plenty of times.

This was something more. “She said she would be there tomorrow.”

“She better be.”

Knowing he’d done all he could, he licked his lips and tried to still the quaver in his voice. “Where is Joel?”

“Forget Joel. We don’t need him.”

Please, please don’t let Joel be gone for good. “He won’t be back?”

“Maybe later, I don’t know.” He paced, saying almost as an afterthought, “You should be worried about your sister.”

That jolted him. “I am. Very worried.”

He smiled, and the smile turned into a laugh that quickly faded. He waved a hand. “She’s safe.”

That sounded like the truth; Quin prayed it was so. But he just didn’t know. From one second to the next, lies mixed with reality, and madness overshadowed sanity.

His stomach growled and cramped, and he pressed a fist to his guts.

“You’re hungry! Of course you are. It’s been forever since I’ve fed you.” Like he would a pet, he rubbed Quin’s head. “I’ve been so excited with the thought of getting Candy back. She ruined everything, you know? It was all part of her plan. She’s not like the others. She duped everyone. Probably even you, right?”