His smile turned more serious along with her mood, her questions not unexpected, but still slightly uncomfortable which surprised him.  His training had been rigorous to begin with, but his rehab after his injury had been even more grueling.  Swimming had been one of the few things he could do to improve his stamina without considerable pain and he had thrown himself into it, hating the weakness he’d felt after he was finally released from his hospital bed and allowed to walk again.<br/><br/>Pushing his thoughts aside for the moment he allowed a touch of desire to show in his gaze as he pulled her close for a moment and stole a real kiss, her lips soft beneath his.  He kept it short so that she did not have time to pull away on her own, but there was enough desire in the press of his body against hers that he was sure she would not mistake it for anything else.<br/><br/>“That’s a more fitting prize,” he said with a wicked grin once he let her go and turned to head towards shore.  “Wine sounds like a good idea, better than the cheap beer I’m used to at least.”<br/>