My back hit the water, and it rushed up around me, the freezing temperature a shock to my skin. I opened my mouth to scream, but the sound was lost to the chlorine filled tub as it rushed into my lungs and my eyes widened.
Did Oliver Kensington just try to drown me?
I bobbed, coming to the surface and pulling in air as I gasped for breath while Oliver sat on the edge of the pool laughing. That’s it. Now we were at war. I smiled as my jean shorts clung to my skin and then reached up and pulled Oliver into the pool too.
Chugging against the water, I moved out of the way with only a second to spare before he collided with the surface, disbelief written over his features. He sputtered under the water for a moment and then when he reached the surface his eyes quietly screamed, but his mouth laughed as he splashed water at me.
I rushed Oliver in the water and put my weight on his shoulders, trying to dunk him underneath, but he was too strong and instead I found myself splashed again.
“I can’t believe you!” I yelled while laughing and pushing him away as he dunked my head under the water. It should have outraged me, but I couldn’t find any anger, only mirth. I’d never had so much fun.
When I came up the second time sputtering, Oliver was right there. His face was inches from mine, and for a brief moment we both stopped. Our eyes met and our breath mingled. My heart thundered in my chest from more than the adrenaline of my tumble into the water.
Oliver brought me close by wrapping his arms around my shoulders and then one of his hands cupped my chin as he positioned my face up to meet his. His lips found mine, and they were soft and casual in the way they pursued me, like he was being tentative and didn’t want to scare me away.
I felt his kiss in my toes as they tingled with sensation. Not wanting to let go, I grabbed onto his polo shirt and pulled him tightly deepening the kiss and letting my tongue slip past his lips.
But then high above us in the sky, two seagulls squawked, searching for their next meal, and the noise brought me out of the moment. I pushed Oliver away and shook my head as I tried to regain my composure.
“Oh shit,” I said making a beeline for the edge of the pool and leaving a wake behind me.
While Oliver was still lost in the moment, I pulled myself up the side, the concrete scraping against the skin of my legs. I needed to get away. That went too far and felt too good. It couldn’t happen. Not now and not ever.
“Mari, wait!” he called after me, but it was too late.
My eyes swept the poolside until I found a discarded towel from an earlier sunbathing session. Water dripped off my clothing as I raced to wrap it around my body before I made a mad dash to the house.
The sliding glass door slid open easily as I let myself into the kitchen, dripping water over Pierce’s tile floor.
What had I just done? What if somebody saw? Would Oliver tell his cousin what we’d done? It was only a kiss, but I would have easily let it become much more. I experienced more in that quick kiss than I had in a lifetime of kisses with other men.
How?
Was it a trap? A test to see if I would be loyal to Pierce? Or were Oliver’s feelings true? Had he been lost in the moment as well and unable to stop himself?
The questions swam through my brain as I hyperventilated, making my way through the eating kitchen area to Pierce’s living room where I found the staircase to the second floor.
My eyes were downcast as I berated myself for another poor choice, which led to even greater ruin when I ran smack dab into a hard body.
I stepped back. Crap. “I’m so sorry,” I said reaching out to Pierce as he inspected the wet spots on his shirt with a frown.
“I usually put on a bathing suit before going for swim,” he said with a friendly grin I didn’t deserve, unaware of the turmoil which took place in this pool less than two minutes earlier.
Water dripped around me and I backed away another step, skirting him as I headed for the stairway. “Right, I’m going to do that now.”
Another lie added to my bucket of them. No way was I going near that pool.
15
Mari
The doorbell rang, and I closed my e-reader and sat it on the coffee table in the living room. It was a comfortable room with the right amount of decor as if Pierce picked each piece from a magazine. For the warmth the space provided, I seemed to be the only person who ever used it. Pierce practically lived in his office, and if I didn’t know his bedroom was across the hallway, I would think he slept there as well.
I steadfastly avoided the backyard pool after sharing the kiss with Oliver. And when I wasn’t doing my best to avoid an entire section of the home, I was making sure I checked each room before I entered it to guarantee Oliver wasn’t there.
I had five and a half months left on my six-month agreement with Pierce, but I was staying hopefully optimistic I could avoid Oliver for the rest of my time at the Kensington home.
Leaving my book right when I had gotten to the good part, I trudged to the door and opened it to Pierce’s visitor. It oftentimes felt as if things were happening that I didn’t understand, and I braced for impact before opening the door. I hadn’t lived here long enough to know who to expect, but it definitely wasn’t anyone I anticipated.
