Page 13 of Starting Back
“Okay.” I sucked in a long, slow breath. “You can’t jump in with jeans on.”
“I keep a bathing suit at the bar and usually change when I get here. Today, I was…distracted.”
The sudden urge to kiss the bashful smile off his face made me take a half step back on instinct.
“I’ll change and meet you back here. I’ll find a watermelon for you to carry.”
A nervous chuckle bubbled out of me.
“Sure. I’ll be quick.” Our gazes stayed locked as I backed away.
“No rush. I’m not going anywhere.”
This didn’t seem like the reckless scenario that formed in my head when he first suggested a swim in a private pool, but even if he didn’t offer the safety caveats, I would have agreed anyway.
I jetted back to my suite, my heart thudding in anticipation but unsure of what. The air was charged with possibilities, as if something big was about to happen. Even if we did just take a dip and then part ways for the night, or for good, this was the most excitement I’d had in a very long time.
I’d already gotten much more out of this vacation than I ever expected.
FIVE
LEO
What the hell was I doing?
I was fixated on a woman I hardly knew, and I had a good feeling she was just as into me. Maybe she wasn’t as forward or flirty as other women I’d dated, but that drew me to her even more. I’d spent the last few hours high on every smile and laugh I’d earned from her, and each one was like a drug, making me already crave the next one.
I cravedher, and keeping myself in check to not come on too strong was an exhausting battle that I kept losing, but how did she not realize how gorgeous she was? I was hell-bent on convincing her, and if I didn’t cool it, I would scare her off.
I leaned against the wall and scrubbed a hand down my face as I waited for Kristina for the second time tonight. Stuffing my hands into the pockets of my swim trunks while I was in the water would be awkward as fuck, but how else was I going to fight the urge to touch her?
“Hey. I’m ready for the secret pool now.”
I turned, blinking a few times as my gaze slid to Kristina’s. I’d seen her in a bathing suit all day, but with her hair piled on top of her head, loose pieces falling down her neck and cheeks, and a cover-up that was see-through even under the dim lights, I almost swallowed my tongue.
Just standing there, regarding me with a puzzled yet excited gleam in her eyes as she adjusted the strap on her shoulder, she was the most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen. I wanted to make her believe that, but I had no clue as to how in such a short amount of time.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, her brows knitting together as she stepped closer. “If you don’t want to do this, we can call it a night and I’ll go back to my room—”
“Nothing’s wrong.” Before I could help myself, I let the back of my hand graze along her cheek. “A semi-private pool suddenly became a little dangerous with you looking like that.”
I spotted another blush staining her cheeks and running down her neck. I’d bet she was flushed all over, and I was too eager to find out.
“You’re very kind, but—”
“No, I’m not,” I interrupted. “I’m honest. You’re a gorgeous woman and I’m trying to be a gentleman, but I may not be so good at it once we’re alone. The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable, so—”
She smiled and pressed her index finger to my lips.
“You’re not making me uncomfortable. Maybe a little overwhelmed, but it’s been a while for me. For a lot of things.” She slid her finger down my chin and pressed her hand to my chest. I was sure she felt my heart strumming against her palm. “I don’t know where tonight is going to take us, but I don’t want it to end. Not yet.” She pressed her hand deeper and clenched her eyes shut. “But you’ve convinced me to make sure that I didn’t come all this way for nothing. Didn’t you tell me that you were just going with it? Can’t we just see what happens?”
I covered her hand with mine, the air so thick between us that it was hard to breathe.
This was more than just new to me. It was as exciting as it was terrifying. I wasn’t a jumpy teenager when it came to women, but this one already had me on the verge of losing all sense and control.
“Yeah,” I agreed, yearning for the relief of the cold water to calm me from the waist down. It was easier to hide my reaction to Kristina in jeans, and I’d have to stay underwater so she wouldn’t see how hard I’d been in her presence the entire afternoon. My body ached for her in more ways than one.
“Come on.” I took her hand again, holding on to it all the way to the gate leading into the staff area.
