Chapter 17
Despite Leo’s teasing, we hadn’t gotten any further than the dance floor after our first date. We made up for it a bit during my next swim lesson.
It started with me getting on him about his injuries during warm-up laps. Now that I knew about his pain, I would not float around and watch him push his body further than it could go.
“I know that feeling. The need to be the best,” I said as soon as I slipped off the edge of the pool. The water still invoked a sense of terror in my bones but the reaction wasn’t completely debilitating.
Leo ran his fingers across the top of his head. Water dripped down his face, sliding across the rest of his body as if to show me what I was missing out on.
Lately, I’d been doing better at not gawking at Leo’s naked torso. I wouldn’t say it was commonplace, but I learned a few tricks on how to mask my thoughts.
Keeping eye contact was my go-to. Simple enough so that he didn’t think I was too nervous around him. Of course, when his gaze trailed over my body and I had nothing to hold on to, well, then I had a problem. Thankfully, this morning started off with both of us keeping our horniness in check.
“You want to be seen and to be seen, you have to be the best. But you can’t be the best if you ruin your body.” I grabbed onto the flotation device Leo thought I was ready for. Under his direction, I was to hold on to the black board and practice kicking up and down the swimming lane. I often felt like I wasn’t going anywhere, especially when I first started.
“I’m pacing myself,” he promised and dipped under the plastic barrier that divided his row from mine.
“Hey.” I laughed when he swam under me and resurfaced in front. “I’m trying to practice.”
He chuckled and tugged on my board. “I’m helping.”
“You need to get out of the pool and go do some stretches,” I ordered, giving him a stern look that didn’t last long. “Being in the water right now isn’t doing you any good.”
Leo pulled me through the water at a rate my legs could only dream of carrying me. I tried to swat him away. Leo dodged my advances by dipping back under the surface. He teased me, swimming near my legs and grabbing onto my thigh before coming back up for air.
“Come on. Stop playing around,” I said with a wide smile. His arms encircled my waist and pulled me against him. “We don’t have much time to practice.”
“I know,” he murmured and trailed kisses along my shoulder. “We never do. I think we should make more time.”
Against my better judgment, I relaxed in his embrace. Moments like this made the rest of the day feel like whiplash. At work, Leo and I would exchange guarded smiles and quick touches. Claire was still the only person who knew about us.
I wasn’t too sure about Leo’s reasons for keeping our secret, but mine was simple: I had lingering wariness about trusting him. The wall I built because of him was still intact. Every time he touched me, some of it would break. Not fast enough for me to feel like his word was solid yet. I refused to reprise my role as a girl waiting at the pool for a no-show.
“What do you say?” His kisses were on the back of my neck. I closed my eyes for a moment, enjoying the warmth of his breath mixed with the chilly breeze of the early summer morning.
“I say, you’re…” I took a breath when one of his hands moved down my hip and to the inside of my thigh. His fingers were dangerously close to pressing in between my legs. “Distracting me.”
“I see,” he murmured and placed one more kiss on my neck before pulling away. My body screamed in protest.
“Relax your shoulders.” Leo’s voice was all business now. From the glint in his eyes, I could tell he was having a fun time teasing me. “Let your legs float up to the surface and once they’re there, keep them straight. You tend to bend them like this.”
His large hands covered my knee and calf as he bent them to show my bad habit. I chewed on my lip as I glanced over my shoulder to see his fingers stretching across my skin. I enjoyed the image of him touching me carefully. As he spoke, his touch brushed across me like I was delicate. Like one wrong move and he’d hurt me.
“You don’t have to be so gentle,” I said before I could rethink. My cheeks burned. “I mean…”
He gave me a lopsided smile. “I think I know what you mean.”
“Oh, well, good.” I turned my face forward, mentally scolded myself for the awkward response.
“Stop holding so much tension here too.” He brushed his fingers across my belly before pulling away. “Now, I want you to swim across the pool with me. No stopping for breaks.”
I opened my mouth to protest. After seeing the raise of his brow, I thought better. “Right. I can definitely do that. No breaks.”
He winked. “That’s the spirit.”
Leo dipped under the plastic divider and only glanced in my direction once before starting with a slow, steady stroke. I pushed my feet off the pool floor and started kicking as he’d instructed. Anytime I felt my legs tense up like he’d noted, I straightened them out.
Even in low gear, Leo gained a concerning lead. By the time I made it halfway across the pool, he’d already caught his breath.
