Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 98345 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98345 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 393(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Phillip watches me walk up the stairs. I’m aware of the image I present in my lavender bikini, water sluicing down my body. I can’t seem to bother with feeling self-conscious. It’s the sun and the setting and the heady knowledge that I’m probably driving Phillip insane. When I reach him, I take the towel off my lounge chair and pat my face and chest dry. Then I look at him with a smile.
“Working?” I ask, all charm.
“Not anymore.” He pats his lounge chair near his hip so I’ll take a seat beside him. I do because he asked nicely and because I want to give in to the simple pleasure of being near him. He wastes no time wrapping his arm around my waist and hauling me against him so that I’m practically on his lap. I smell his cologne just before he kisses my shoulder.
“Thanks for the drink.”
“Do you like fruity cocktails like that, or should I have sent over something else?”
“I like it all. A setting like this calls for a piña colada, and our poolside bartenders know just how to make them.”
I retrieve them from the table and pass his over before we clink them together. “Cheers.”
We hold eye contact as I take a sip. Creamy coconut blends with rum; then there’s the kick of the pineapple juice. Yum! I think they’ve even added a hint of lime.
“It’s delicious,” I say, licking a bit of the frothy coconut cream off the corner of my mouth.
Phillip notices. I know because I see that muscle tick in his jaw.
“Is anybody watching us?” I ask, leaning toward him.
“I don’t care” is his fervent reply before he meets me halfway and kisses me before I can kiss him. I smile against his lips, and he laughs before kissing me again. It’s such a sudden shift—the teasing banter gives way to hot need in an instant. I lean into him and tilt my head while his hand comes up to tangle in my hair. Then we both realize how carried away we’re getting, and we break apart. I laugh. Phillip clears his throat.
“Come swim with me,” I say, standing.
“I’m embarrassed to admit I haven’t been in our pool a single time.”
“Phillip!” I reach for his hand and drag him after me. “We’re fixing that right now. Come on.”
Swimming is one of those activities that seems to cart you right back to your childhood. There’s something so carefree about it, and I see Phillip relax as soon as we sink under the surface. He does what I did earlier, sliding under and getting his whole body wet, though he looks to be a much better swimmer than I am. I watch him cross the pool once and then swim back to me.
I smile and yelp as he picks me up in the water, and I wrap my legs around him. His hands grip my thighs, and he carries me around the pool like that, going fast so the water splashes around us. I laugh with glee until he backs me up to the bench along the perimeter and drops me down. I almost start to protest until his arms cage me in on the seat as he leans in for another kiss.
Just like before, it seems to go from zero to one hundred in a heartbeat.
“I know why you had to set me down,” I taunt when he pulls back, looking me over with a desire-filled gaze. My hand moves under the water’s surface, skimming down his chest and abs until I find the top of his swimming trunks.
He hisses and catches my hand. “Not wise, Casey.”
But his tone isn’t nearly admonishing enough. In fact, it’s almost challenging.
“Not wise?” I tut, pushing my hand down farther so that I skim across the front of his trunks, right over his hard length.
He doesn’t stop me. He lets me touch him in public, though where we are, the way we’re angled, no one can see what we’re doing. My hand is hidden beneath the surface of the water, and I won’t take it too far, just . . . I’ll continue doing this, teasing him gently, making him sweat . . .
“Casey,” he groans through clenched teeth. “You’re killing me here.”
“Oops, sorry. Here, let’s get out and go lounge some more.”
I play like I’m going to get out, before his hands clamp down on my thighs. “Stay put, you menace. Give me a minute.”
I’m wearing a gloating smirk. The power has already gone to my head.
I slip forward off the bench so that our bodies brush together. My stomach rubs over him, then my hips, and he squeezes his eyes closed for a second. When they open again, flames are lurking there. Maybe I’ve pushed too far, or maybe . . . I’m just enjoying the last few hours I have in this man’s company. No sense in playing it safe now.