"I can," Slate argued. "But why would I? Especially after a win like tonight."
Olivia rolled her eyes. "You could just hang out with your friends. You might actually have fun."
Leaning against the table and clasping his hands together, he looked seriously at Olivia. "Let me play this out for you. Wilder's going to get one look at you in a bikini and then there won't be as much hanging out with friends but you two trying to keep your hands off each other, which will soon have you two leaving to go back to your room. And that's exactly what's going to happen with every other guy that has his girlfriend here. I'd like to get lucky tonight too."
Olivia gave him a sheepish look. "You may have a point."
"Especially about me not being able to keep my hands off her in a bikini," Wilder added.
"All right, then, I'm glad we discussed this." Slate pushed his chair back. "Now let's get this party started."
It was an unusually warm night for October, and I was grateful for it as I opened the gate to the outdoor pool area of our hotel. The pool was a large rectangle with lounge chairs lined up on either side. Large bushes lined the fence all the way around, providing privacy. Lights were strung overhead, giving the area a lit glow. A hot tub was in the corner, a smaller version of the pool.
I don't know how Slate did it, but he'd found enough girls to join the afterparty that each single guy could have two girls if he wanted. People filled the pool and hot tub talking, laughing, and having a good time.
I scanned the area, spotting Olivia sitting on the edge of the pool while Wilder was throwing a football down toward the deep end where several people were waiting to try and catch it.
My eyes quickly found Rush among the guys attempting to catch the ball, his wet hair glistening, the top of his muscled shoulders visible above the water.
I made my way over to the other side of the pool where Olivia sat and took off my sandals by one of the lounge chairs. I hesitated before slowly removing the towel that I had wrapped around me to walk down here, my hair pulled up in a bun of messy curls on top of my head, and a sudden feeling of self-consciousness washed over me about the swimsuit I'd brought.
My thought process in bringing it had been to make Rush eat his heart out over what he so openly said he didn't want. Now that I was standing here, I felt like a fool for thinking that I could do that just by putting on a bikini.
I pushed my shoulders back, put out an air of confidence I didn't have, and walked over to join Olivia.
Whistles and innuendo-filled comments floated through the air, and I willed my cheeks not to turn pink. I wanted more than anything to look and see what Rush's response was, but with a self-control I didn't know I had, I was able to keep my eyes focused on Olivia.
"Hey," she greeted me. "Ooh, is that the new swimsuit you got?"
I looked down at the black bikini I wore. It was simple in its design, with the halter top strings tying behind my neck, the triangle shaped material not fully covering my breasts. The bottoms matched with a slim string being the only thing to wrap around my hips.
I sat down next to her. "Yeah. Does it look okay?"
"Does it look okay?" she repeated, like I was crazy for asking. "You look like you should be on the cover of the swimsuit edition ofSports Illustrated."
I playfully pushed her shoulder. "Whatever."
"Have you already forgotten how the guys were catcalling you?" she said, making her point. "And with the way Rush looked at you, I'm pretty sure he's wishing the water was colder."
We both laughed, causing the tension to leave my body.
We stayed that way for a while, slowly kicking our legs in the water, watching the boys play, and making our own commentary. Rush and I kept catching each other's gaze, causing my heart to speed up a little every time.
Eventually the crowd thinned a little with some people leaving to go back to their rooms. Olivia and I headed to the hot tub, some of the guys following soon after us. Wilder came in and scooped up Olivia and placed her on his lap, giving her a kiss on top of her shoulder.
When Rush joined us a few moments later, I had to remind myself to breathe. Seeing his naked muscled chest up-close was a lot to take in. His full pecs and defined abs had my hands itching to reach out and touch him.
He sat kitty-corner to me in the rectangular hot tub. I tried to minimize the number of times I looked over at him while we were all talking, but I still worried it had been too many.
Over time, people left, possibly heading back to their rooms. Wilder and Olivia were the last two to get out, leaving Rush and me alone in the hot tub, the silence surrounding us.
I'd thought about leaving a few times but wanted to stick around to see what Rush would do. Would he go find one of the girls who had just left to take back to his room, or would he stay here with me?
"And then there were two," he said, breaking the silence.
I gave a small chuckle. "You had a great game tonight."
It was the truth. He'd played amazingly, and I'd loved watching him. It was as if running at full speed, gauging the distance, and catching the ball were as easy for him as it was for him to walk. He was incredible to watch.
