But she would be because the water was healing. He understood that. And if she allowed herself the freedom to actually jump in, she’d understand it, too.
Their gazes tangled and the standoff reached a crescendo when she marched to the deep end and, with a grace he didn’t expect, folded her palms together above her head and dove right in the pool, kicking her feet behind her like she was born for the water.
Mach was apparently a masochist because, as she swam closer, he realized his mistake in inviting her in as his body ached to reach for her and he didn’t mind one bit.
She broke the surface of the water right in front of him, treading water, so they stayed eye to eye.
"Now we can talk," she said, droplets of water settling against her lips and that invisible tug between them even more insistent than the other night.
"We don’thaveto talk," he said, husky and turned on and trying not to be.
What he meant was that they could float together. He could get her a floatation device and he could climb back on the pizza, and everyone could chill.
He did not, however, clarify this for her.
"Why are you doing this to me?" she asked.
Not that anyone would ever buy it, but he played innocent. "Doing what?"
"Pretending to be all attracted to me. I mean, I’m me. It’s not like I’m one of your usual girls.Iget that. So stop making me feel bad about understanding my place in the world."
Now that surprised him. He expected her to ask him why he kept up this game between them. What she said instead made absolutely no sense.
"Your place in the world?" he asked. Was she speaking an unfamiliar language? Because he wasn’t understanding her. At all.
She paused and he’d bet she would’ve crossed her arms if she weren’t using them to tread water. "You are a ten. I am definitely not even allowed to be in the realm of a ten."
Last he checked, they didn’t put any stipulations on who could be fans of the band. Anyone who wanted to be a Ten could be one.
He squinted. "What?!"
She poked him in the chest with her finger. "Stop it with the hungry looks and the thing you do that makes me want to say yes to your advances."
Holy shit, she was talking about a real imaginary number system applied to the appearance of certain humans by other humans. Which was ridiculous because there was a helluva lot more to a person than how they rated on some fake scale.
Also, she thought he was a ten on that imaginary scale? Damn, he wanted to thank her for the compliment.
But the fact that Darla did not rate herself as high? That was straight-up bullshit.
"You don’t think I’m actually attracted to you?" he asked, clearing the air so he wouldn’t continue to be a total idiot about this whole thing.
Her chin lifted the slightest of millimeters. "I think I turned you down and I’m now a challenge."
For real?
"Which is fine," she continued. "But don’t mistake that for actual attraction towards me. You don’t want to be attracted to me. You’re not attracted to me. I’m just a box for you to check."
He opened his mouth to say something, but she raised her finger like she wasn’t done.
So, what the hell, he shut his mouth.
"But can we deal with that another day? Right now, my job asked me to take a vacation, so I’m not a distraction." She paused, treading water with her arms long enough to make air quotes. It cost her and she bobbed slightly up to her lips, but she recovered just as quick. "I never even got to ask Dr. Anthony to give me his reference in person!" Her breasts heaved as she paused.
Don’t look, Mach. Don’t look.
"Andthenthere was a photographer from theTribunewho scared the shit out of me in the parking garage at work when I was trying to leave. He jumped right out and pelted me with questions." She bit at her bottom lip, then pursed her lips and steeled herself. "Don’t even get me started on the guy with a nail in his hand who wanted to take me mini golfing."
That was great that she had that amount of control over herself in the water, but hold the fuck up.
