She wasn’t a threat. She was just a nasty, jealousscroafa. And she deserved to be taken down a rung or two.
“So…” she said thoughtfully, tapping her chin, but there was a vicious glint in her eyes that got my hackles up. “Why’d you quit your job then? Or maybe you didn’t quit … I heard that Lincoln booted you from the swim school because you were outstaying your welcome around here?”
My breath caught, but I forced a smirk onto my face.She’s just being a bitch. She’s not making a veiled threat.She wasn’t that clever. I wracked my brain for a comeback that would put the nasty cow in her place.
Suddenly there was a presence at my back, and a deep voice spoke behind me, “It’s fairly standard to leave a job when you get a better offer, I would have thought.”
Finley’s eyes darted over my shoulder, at Henry behind me, close, but not quite touching. Even dripping wet, the heat of him behind me was like a warm blanket draped over my shoulders.
“Wait … where do I know you from?” Finley squeaked.
“No idea. I personally don’t have a clue whoyouare. But I’m reasonably sure that Irina’s employment decisions are none of your business. So how about you stop interrupting our swim.”
Finley’s jaw fell open before snapping shut with an audible clack. “Well,” she huffed, but it was more bewildered than indignant. And then she turned on her heel and stalked away.
“Oh. I was certain she would have some devilishly witty comeback,” Henry murmured, tickling the tiny hairs on the back of my neck with his breath. While I internally glowed for the stupidest reason:ourswim. He’d somehow managed to melt every scrap of tension out of me. I turned to him, cocking a teasing eyebrow.
“Were you really?”
His mouth twitched, eyes flitting between mine, never quite settling, before he glanced away. “Well … no.”
My lips curled upwards. “A sarcastic boy. I like it!”
“I’m hardly a boy—I’m seven years older than you.”
My eyes snagged on a droplet of water trickling down his collarbone and across his left pec. It slowly meandered its way between the ridges of his abs until it reached the water, just below his navel.
I was in so much trouble with this man. And yes. He was definitely a man. A sexy, stacked nerd man.
Who would have thought that was my type?
“Well,” I breathed, dragging my eyes from the waterline, and what was annoyingly not quite visible beneath it. “Who’s the stalker again? I’m not the one searching upyourbirthday, Mr Henry … uh …”
“Baxter.” His voice was rough, and he cleared his throat. “Have lunch with me, Irina.”
My lips parted. That had not been what I’d expected to come out of his mouth. He made it a statement rather than a question. Usually that would have gotten my hackles up, but the way he said it, with my name rolling off his tongue …
I raised my eyes to his face. His found my mouth. Did he realisewhat he was doing to me, staring at my lips with that quiet intensity I’d noticed on the yacht a week ago?
“I’d love to,” I murmured, watching in fascination as his lips spread into a shy smile.
You’re in so, so much trouble, Irina Rusnac!
“Oh! I almost forgot; I have a meeting at two.” The smile began to slip from his face, so I hurried to explain. “But it’s at a café nearby. We could have lunch there, so I don’t have to rush off.”
“Well …” He glanced down at his smart watch. “Ten more laps and then we leave?”
“Whoever finishes last has to shout the other lunch,” I cackled, raising a challenging eyebrow at him.
He frowned. “I was already planning to?—”
But I didn’t let him finish, launching myself from the edge, practically flying through the water, my heart racing.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Not Every Man
HENRY
