"Don't." I scold.
"Make me." The brat smirks as she shrugs past me and starts walking to the water. Slowly she lifts the hem of her shirt and pulls it overhead revealing what I had hoped to be true.
No, not hoped, dreaded.
She's in a tiny orange bikini. It’s the color of the sun right before it sets. Hot and intense. The ties are taunting me. It would be so easy to tug one open and enjoy the uninterrupted curve of her hips.
It is not a race suit. It's what she would wear if she spent this hot and humid day lounging at the beach with her friends. Which might be exactly what she did.
And why shouldn’t she?
She’s young and carefree. She’s in her prime.
I spent the day lifting at the gym in my building. It was a full body workout I needed as part of my training. So what if I was hoping to look a little more swole in my trunks for our beach date.
Training meet up.
Not date.
"Coming Coach?" Laney calls and I snap back to the present. I have one job here today. To make sure Laney trains and achieves her goals, safely.
I am proud of her and love being a witness to her growth. My job is to focus on the stats, on the plan, on the results, otherwise I'll be sucked into her blazing hot orbit and I'm afraid I'll never escape.
Chapter thirteen
Laney
Respecting My Elders
"GoodjobLaney."Miguelsays as he stands from the water. His hair is wet, and loose around his face like he’s a creature from the underworld emerging on the shore.
A merman sent to tempt me and turn my entire brain into a pile of lust.
Droplets of water tumble down his sculpted chest and abs and I am mesmerized. His trunks cling to his thighs, leaving nothing to what’s left of my imagination.
His deep breaths cause each abdominal muscle to undulate and flex and my hips almost roll involuntarily in his direction.
"Um, thanks." I reply a moment too late, after I swallow down the lump in my throat caused by fixating on the one in his swimsuit.
"How are you feeling?" He asks as he steps closer to me. The water lapping against our thighs as we stand on the sandbar. His lion tattoo gets splashed in the face with each wave and I picture him coming to life and whipping off the water in a rough shake.
"Good, yeah, I feel pretty good." I answer after a few blinks.
"Are you ready for the stats?" He asks as he pulls his wrist up between us.
"Yes sir!" I cheer but Miguel keeps his eyes on me. Then he quickly flicks his gaze down to my chest and back up to my face.
I bite my lip.
I knew I was playing with fire when I wore my bikini instead of my tri suit. Or even a regular swimsuit. But I got here early and enjoyed myself for a bit with a hockey romance about a backup goalie and his real estate agent from the Little Free Library on our block. Without deliveries, I have a Friday night open for the first time in years and I started it as soon as I dropped off the last dog on my daily walking schedule.
Miguel clears his throat. "You covered 1,500 meters in just over nineteen minutes."
"No way."
He beams and I feel it in my chest. "Yeah Laney, you killed it."
"Holy shit!" I exclaim. I fight my body and take a full step back instead of jumping into his arms again. Miguel has been very clear about his stance on our physical attraction. And I hear him, I do.
