…
Better question. How had he gotten himself in such deep water?
“You held on to me, Elizabeth.” He loosened his hold around her waist. “And I pulled you along.”
Suddenly, she dipped straight down in the water then bounced up, wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He fought the instinct to cradle her bottom in his hands, because Mitch knew, without a doubt, he was in over his head with Liz. And the protection aspect had nothing to do with his feelings.
The faster he pulled himself back, the better for both of them. “I think we better take a break. Don’t you?”
She looked quizzically into his eyes then sighed as she slid down the front of his chest, landing on her feet. “That’s a shame. But I guess you know best. After all, you’re my protector.”
Turning away, she skimmed her fingers across the surface of the water as she walked out of the pool, and his insides hungered to reach out for her. She dripped a trail of water while strolling to one of the chaise lounges. Nice…and easy…and sexy as hell in that little bikini.
All he could do was stare at the way her ass swayed from side to side with each step she took. Could be the person she should fear most was him. He was, for sure, scared of her.
Once he’d gotten his body under control, he hoisted himself up on the side of the pool and sat for a while. His escapade with the flirting while she floated had pushed them both to the edge. Didn’t take a genius to know the heat between them was simmering. There was no way to stop the simmer, unless he took himself off the case. Or if Drake found out and pulled him.
Even the fact that Reese had seen them together back on the boat meant there was always the chance Drake would keep an extra sharp eye on the way Liz’s protection was being handled. If Reese saw something that seemed off on the security, he might talk to Josh. Mitch wouldn’t fault him for that—he’d do the same thing if positions were switched.
That’s why he needed to keep his wits about him. Keep his distance from her, for sure. Keep focused on anything but the way her every move worked his core.
He jumped to his feet, toweled off, and headed to the poolside fridge. Was she watching? He couldn’t tell, because she’d put on her sunglasses, but the slight movement of her lips, along with the tilt of her head, gave him reason to guess the answer was yes.
“You want something to drink?” he asked.
“Thank you. That would be nice. Bring me whatever you’re having.” She picked up the book she’d brought down with her from her room.
After setting their two glasses of lemonade on the small table separating her chaise from the one he planned to use, he pointed to her book. “Isn’t it kind of hard to read when the print’s upside down?”
She gave a quick little turn-away smile, not looking at him in the slightest. “I wasn’t actually reading yet. I was thinking.”
“Thinking again, huh?” He sat down, positioning the back of the chase to a backward lean, making sure to stay even with her. “What were you thinking about this time?”
As she took off her sunglasses, her smug expression wavered, and she fought to hold her lips in a straight line. She dipped her fingers in the lemonade and flicked him with the droplets then plopped the sunglasses back on. “Think you’re pretty smart, don’t you?”
“Sometimes.”
So, she had been watching. Something about that made him feel good.
He leaned back, placing his hands behind his head, relaxing in the sun beaming through the open roof panels. Felt peaceful. Trying to remember the last time he’d taken time to just be, he realized how fast-paced his life had become. Maybe his brother was right. Maybe he needed a life.
The last few days, all he’d allowed himself were a few solid hours of sleep at night, and only light on-guard naps during the day. Feeling content just to lie there, he knew better than to stay still very long or he might doze off.
She also seemed content to sit there crunching on ice from the lemonade, letting the book lay where she’d left it on her belly. Suddenly, she sat up on the chaise cushion and folded into a cross-legged sitting position. “True, I wasn’t thinking a while ago, but there’s been something nagging at me all morning.”
“If it’s about last night, forget it.”
“It’s not about last night. I let that go before I went to sleep.” She lifted the corners of her mouth a bit before the serious expression returned. “No, it’s about my dad.”
“Go on.”
“You asked me to make a list of things about his life for the past four or five years. Where he’d been, what he’d been doing, medical problems, and anything else I could think of.”
Mitch nodded. “Did you come up with something out of the ordinary?”
“No….yes…I don’t know.” She leaned back on the chaise once again. “I haven’t been around during the past four to five years. Because of my job, most of our communication was by Skype or text. Research for magazine articles has kept me on the move. There were times I asked him to meet someplace for a mini vacation, but he’d say he was busy…or it wasn’t a good time…or he really wanted to stay close to home.”
Mitch closed his eyes. How many years had it been since he left home? Not the house, rather the rest of his family. They’d all be grown by now. Even the youngest of his five brothers and sisters would be out on their own by now. “What would happen when you got time off to go home?
