Page 19 of Save Me
When she surfaced, he was standing at the edge of the water, pulling off his T-shirt. Her eyes slowly ran over his arms, his chest, down lower to the sexy trail of dark hair that led her eyes below his bellybutton.
Then he jumped in the water next to her. The instant the cool water splashed over her, it shook her out of the trance of watching him. Her heart was beating so hard that she was sure that if she looked closely enough, she would see waves in the water coming from her body.
She swam closer to him, letting their bodies bump slightly.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his eyes slipping down to her lips.
“What do you mean?” she asked, biting her bottom lip.
His eyes narrowed as she moved closer to him. “You know what I mean,” he said in a low voice as her body brushed up against his again.
She sucked in a breath and reached out and gently laid a hand on his chest under the water.
“Crissy,” he warned, but she was moving even closer. Now their legs were tangled, and his hands wrapped around her waist as she continued to run her hand over his arms, his chest, lower.
She watched his eyes close. Heard a low moan. Felt it vibrating in his chest.
“I… haven’t done this or wanted to…” She glanced down at his lips quickly. “Since… before.” Her eyes moved slowly back up to his, which were watching her and filled with desire.
She felt him stiffen slightly at her admission and start to pull away from her, but she easily held him still in the waist-deep water.
“No, don’t,” she warned him. “This is good.” She smiled. “Call it therapy. Call it…” She bit her bottom lip, then whispered, “An experiment.” She finished right before she dipped her head and gently brushed her lips across his.
To his credit, he allowed her to slowly explore his mouth. She kept her hands firmly on his shoulders, but in the back of her mind, she dreamed of running them over his bare chest.
She felt his fingers tighten slightly on her hips as he pulled her closer. Skin slid against skin as she took the kiss deeper, enjoying the way he tasted and felt.
Then he was pulling away from her, and the removal of the warmth his body had provided against hers made her entire body shiver.
“I think the guests are back,” he said in a low tone from a few feet away from her in the pool.
Then she heard it, the laughter of people. The banging of doors inside the house. Any minute now, she knew that they’d be stepping outside to enjoy the pool themselves.
“Right,” she said with a smile. “We should…” She nodded to the pool house and then without waiting for a reply, climbed out of the pool. After pulling on the coverup, she didn’t wait to see if he would follow her. She just grabbed her wine glass and retreated inside.
The moment the patio doors were shut behind Brock, he turned to her. “I… maybe we can finish our chat tomorrow?” he suggested.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” she joked suddenly. She hated thinking that she’d spooked him, or worse, that he regretted the kiss.
“You didn’t,” he assured her. “It’s just… I’m not sure what to expect.” He ran his hands through his wet hair. “It would be easier if I knew what you can handle and what you can’t.”
She felt her heart skip and her knees turn slightly to jelly. “The fact that you care to ask assures me that I wouldn’t have to fear that things would be awkward. Nor would I have to worry that you’d be angry if I needed you to stop.”
His eyes went wide. “No, I wouldn’t be angry. What kind of man would if they knew…”? He set down his empty beer can and the T-shirt that he’d been holding and walked over to lay his hands gently on her shoulders. “No, it won’t be awkward between us.” Then he smiled and she felt her knees weaken. “Actually, some men find it very exciting when a woman tells him what to do and what she wants.”
She tilted her head. “Are you one of those men?”
His laughter had her smiling. “I can be. At times.” He leaned closer. “Tell me you want me to kiss you,” he said as his mouth hovered inches from hers.
“Brock,” she said, locking her eyes with his, “kiss me.” Then she held her breath as he covered her mouth gently with his.
When he stepped back and dropped his hands from her, she realized that at no point during their encounter that evening had she flashed back to her past. Either with Carl or… the darkness.
“You’re good for me,” she said softly, causing him to smile.
“Good.” He nodded. “Now, I know you must be tired, since you started before five and it’s…” He glanced over at the clock on the wall and winced. “It’s past ten, so I’ll let you get some sleep. Tomorrow, however, I’ll need you to answer the questions about your father.”
She felt her stomach sink but nodded in agreement.
