Page 15 of Seductive Swimmer
8
Alex
She’s been in my office for a week now. That’s seven days of pure torture every time I walk past her desk and get the faintest whiff of her perfume. Seven days of blue balls when I see her in whatever delectable tight skirt she might be wearing that day. Seven days of grinding my teeth when I see her laughing and chatting with Brayden or Rhonda. Seven days of wishing she would bestow that same easy attention on me.
I had thought she was warming up to me, but if anything, she’s built her walls even higher, creating a fortress impenetrable only by me. She has been coming to the pool later in the morning, near the end of when I finish my swim, minimizing my opportunity to speak with her there. I would change my timing to match hers, but I worry that would be going too far.
Savannah Reese seems intent on avoiding me, except for under the strictest of professional circumstances, and it’s driving me out of my mind.
As it is, the only thing holding me back from pushing things faster is the nagging thought that she deserves more than a casual fuck. That and the fact that Brayden would slay me if I made it impossible for her to work with us. She’s already proven to be invaluable with her insight into our finances and is close to pinpointing the issue with Fortune’s profit margins.
It’s late this evening, and I’m still at the office as per usual. I’ve been the last one here most nights this week. It’s incredible how much more productive I can be when I’m not tormented by Savannah everywhere I go. When I finally push away from my desk, it’s dark outside. The lights of the city blink at me from my office window, and I’m struck by the unfamiliar thought of how lonely it is knowing I’m here late, and there’s no one who cares.
I walk down to Brayden’s office to drop off some papers for him, but as I’m writing a quick note, a soft voice startles me.
“Brayden, I —”
Savannah is in his doorway and seems just as surprised to see me as I am to see her. Instead of her sexy librarian outfit from earlier, she’s in black leggings and an oversized sweater with some sort of mask on the front. This casual look fits her, even more so than the office wear. It’s as if I’m getting a peek at the real Savannah at last.
“What are you doing here?”
My voice comes out much gruffer than I intended, and Savannah fidgets before she answers.
“I was looking at some stuff at home and wanted to bring it in to the office for Brayden to review, since I won’t be in tomorrow.”
She tucks her hair behind her ear, the nervous energy rolling off her in waves. It’s not a bad nervous. No, this is anticipation.
I walk over to her slowly and reach my hand out to take the papers from her. She hands them over, and without taking a glance I put them behind me on Brayden’s desk before turning back to her. She’s still standing in the doorway, her eyes darting everywhere but at me.
When she does glance up, I see the surprise flare in her eyes at how close I am. I can’t explain why I need to be so close to her, but I do. And when she bites her lip, there is no way in hell I can stop my thumb from reaching up and freeing it, before smoothing across her soft mouth. Her lips fall open, and I lean in. Her breath is warm against my skin, and I just graze her mouth when the sound of a vacuum turning on makes both of us jump apart. Fuck, that taste of her only makes me want her more.
“I should go. Good night, Alex.”
She turns and goes to the elevator, walking away from me quickly. One of these days, I’ll figure out what it takes to keep her from walking away from me.
At home that night, after going over what almost happened between us far too many times to count, I’m on my third shot of whiskey and nothing is dulling the ache in my chest. Doubts war with determination. Did I go too far tonight? Or is she finally starting to admit to the electricity that jumps between us any time we’re close.
One thing is for certain. Savannah Reese has awakened a voice inside of me that I didn’t know existed. It’s a voice that whispers at me to think beyond getting her in my arms and in my bed. I can’t let the voice get any louder. Not until I have her.
Stumbling into my bedroom, I blink my eyes wearily at the time on my clock. How the fuck is it nearly two in the morning? Bloody hell, getting up in three hours to go swimming is going to be near impossible.I could skip one day…except then I wouldn’t see Savannah at all. She said she wasn’t coming to the office tomorrow. The thought of going a weekday without seeing her shouldn’t hurt as much as it does. How has a woman I have yet to even kiss managed to get so far under my skin?
Somehow, I contend with preparing myself for bed. But when I crawl under the sheets, naked, the blissful oblivion of slumber is nowhere to be found. Instead, my head still reels with thoughts of Savannah. I came so close to kissing her tonight. Every time I’m alone with her, I come closer and closer to taking what I so desperately want. But I know, fuck do I know, that she would run from me faster than she ever has if I were to force things like that. Holding back, letting her take the lead, is so unnatural for me in terms of how I approach women, but I have to do it.
She will be worth it in the end, I know it.
I have only cursed my early alarm a few times in my adult life, and it has always been after a night involving whiskey.
Today is no different. I glare balefully at the offending clock before dragging myself out of bed with a groan. Truthfully, if it weren’t for this borderline obsessive need I have to see Savannah today, I would still be in bed, blissfully asleep.
But the draw of a woman such as Savannah Reese is a powerful thing.
I’m later than normal getting to the pool due to the shot of espresso I had to brew and drink before I could attempt leaving my apartment. The jolt of caffeine served as enough of a wake-up to get me out the door and walking down the street before I could second-guess my sanity.
All of this means that when I finally emerge onto the pool deck, she’s already there, sliding into the water. Perhaps sliding is the wrong word. Savannah may be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met, but she is most certainly not the most graceful. My lips quirk up into a grin watching her. I could watch her all day, every day, and never tire of it.
Giving my head a shake so as not to appear too eager with my staring, I quickly walk over to my usual lane. Perhaps Savannah is warming up to me, because she’s back to swimming in the lane next to me.Back where she belongs.I chuckle to myself at my mooning. It’s far more likely that she assumed I wasn’t coming in this morning when I wasn’t here upon her arrival, and she’s simply swimming in her preferred lane because I wasn’t there.
A few minutes later and my body is already protesting being here. I’m barely halfway through my warm-up, and Savannah hasn’t said a single word to me. I can tell today is not going to be a productive workout in any sense, so I decide to call it early. When I collect my bag from the cubby and go to the changeroom, I see a sign that wasn’t there before.Closed for cleaning, please use universal locker room. A hassle, but not a significant one. There’s no one else in the facility at this hour, and Savannah is still swimming her laps.
