He spit again, then swim-walked over to me. As he drew close, he gave a wet-dog shake, water spraying in all directions, including mine. I yelped, stumbled back, and fell flat on my ass, with a splash that drenched any part that hadn’t fallen under the waterline. He grinned and held out a hand to help me up. I took it, and yanked him down beside me.

He rolled onto his side. His gaze traveled across my wet clothing, and his lips parted.

I cut him off. “If that sentence contains the words ‘mud wrestling,’ I’d strongly suggest you reconsider them.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything about mud wrestling. Now, mud bathing, that’s a whole other matter. Plenty of people pay good money to do this.” He lifted a handful of mud and squeezed it through his fingers. “It would be…interesting, don’t you think? A new sensation. You always love a new sensation.”

“So you’re suggesting this for my benefit?”

“Of course. I won’t touch you. Won’t even try. I’ll just watch.” A quick grin. “That’ll be enough.”

I pushed to my feet.

“God, you’re sexy when you’re flustered,” he said.

“Please. It would take more than you to fluster me, Kristof Nast.”

“Oh?” He swung to his feet and sidestepped into my path. “Then, if you don’t want to try a mud bath, you won’t mind waiting while I do.”

He unbuttoned the top of his shirt.

“You take that off, and I’m leaving,” I said.

He grinned. “Flustered?”

“Exasperated. And too busy for games.”

“Oh, you can spare a minute or two. You wait right here, watch me, and I’ll be done before you know it.” The grin broadened. “You know how much I liked it when you watched.”

I turned fast, and slid in the mud. An overhanging vine slapped my face. With a muttered oath, I shoved the vine out of my way and stomped toward the shore.

“Flustered,” Kris called after me.

As I turned to answer, something splashed beside me. On the bank lay a huge alligator.

“Enjoying the show?” I asked.

He blinked and gave a lazy flick of his tail. A mini–tidal wave of mud splattered over me. Kristof laughed. I glowered at the beast. He yawned, showing off teeth as big as bowie knives, and twice as sharp.

“Yeah, yeah,” I said. “Very impressive. And I’d be even more impressed if you could use them, ghost-gator.”

Once on the bank, I gave my head a shake. Mud flew everywhere, but when I stopped, every strand of hair fell into place—shiny, clean, and brushed. Gotta love the afterlife. I closed my eyes and murmured an incantation. When I opened them, I was dressed in worn jeans and a T-shirt. The alligator harrumphed. I flipped him the finger and started walking, leaving Kristof to catch up.