4
Vera
I own several bathing suits, none of which are nearly as skimpy as this one. But from the look on James’s face, it’s doing its job. I wanted him to look at me the way I looked at him—as absolutely delicious.
I stretch out on the chair, arching my back. It feels great after being hunched over working on the flowers. Plus, I know that James is watching me. It may be incredibly stupid, but I’m hoping my hitting on James gets back to my dad. It’s the perfect opportunity to piss him off. I’m old enough to know better, but the truth is, I want nothing more than to make my father angry. Maybe then he’ll feel the way I’ve been feeling for months.
I hear James clear his throat and move over to the pool. I watch him set the skimmer aside and kneel down with the plastic case that tests the chemicals.
“I’ll let you test that first so I know it’s safe for me to swim.”
He smiles just a little. “I’m sure it’s fine.”
“All the same,” I say, “I wouldn’t want to get soaking wet only to find out I was being poisoned.”
I put my hair back in a clip so I can keep it dry when I get in and lean back on my elbows, very aware that this position makes my body look damn good. The sun is reflecting off the pool and shining on James’s face and I think I could look at him all day. He takes a sample of the water and puts it in the tester, shaking the container gently.
“You said you were new,” I say. “When did you start?”
He glances up at me. “Today.”
“Lucky me,” I say under my breath. Louder, I ask, “Liking it so far?”
His gaze rises across the pool and drags up my legs and chest before landing on my face. His eyes on me feel like a physical thing, sending tingles over my skin. “You could say I’m enjoying myself.” Is it my imagination or is his voice a little rough? He checks the tester. “Good news. You won’t be poisoned.”
“Excellent,” I say, standing. I walk into the pool from the shallow end, the water a perfect cool temperature.
James is standing now, skimmer at the ready. “How’s the water?”
“Perfect,” I say. “It’s too bad you can’t swim with me. We could get you out of that terrible polo shirt.”
One corner of his mouth tips up into a grin. “It almost sounds like you want to see me shirtless.”
“More like I want to see the death of the polo, but the end result is the same.” I dip into the water, letting it rise to my shoulders. “How much trouble would you get in for swimming with me?”
“Probably a lot.”
“Really?”
“Well, maybe not the swimming. It’s what would likely happen while I swim that would get me into trouble.”
My breath catches, and I laugh it off, stroking my way back to the shallow end. “You have some weird thing you do while you swim?”
James doesn’t say anything. Did I say something wrong? I look up, to find him staring at me. Heat flushes through my body at the unfiltered want I see there. I realize now that he’s seeing me dripping in a bikini that hides the essentials only. His jeans are bulging, and I can only imagine what that looks like.
I raise an eyebrow at him, wandering closer to where he’s standing at the edge of the pool. “Having some trouble with control?”
“Yes.” His voice sounds deeper, and he looks away. He dips his skimmer into the pool—not that it needs it.
“And why is that?”
He reaches the skimmer across the pool, crouching down to reach further. He’s close to me now, and I can hear him speak soft and clear. “Because I can’t stop looking at you, and I’ve already imagined dozens of ways of fucking you—from burying myself in you on top of those flowers to letting you ride me in the deep end. Seeing you practically naked and floating in a pool like some kind of walking fantasy isn’t helping, and it makes me want to touch you and taste you and make you scream my name.” He stands back up. “Does that about answer your question?”
The images he just described roll through my mind, and I’m seeing splaying limbs and straying fingers and feeling his mouth on parts of me that haven’t been touched in far too long. I’m suddenly very glad that I’m in the pool, because my entire body is flushed and I’m now soaking wet in more ways than one.
James is still looking at me, though not at my face.
I glance down. My nipples are hard, and my bathing suit does nothing to disguise the fact. I swallow, trying to get my voice back. “I don’t know what to say.” This time it’s my voice that’s rough.