"Some asshole cameraman scared you?" he asked. "He scared you because of me?"
She nodded, her finger once again on his chest, but this time it no longer poked him, but just lightly touched.
"That’ll be handled. You don’t need to worry about that happening again." He’d be dealing with the photographer situation. Oh hell, he’d be dealing with it.
"I don’t know who Dr. Anthony is," he continued. "Seems like it’s a big deal to you, though, so it’s a big deal to me, too." That sounded good. He should write that down so he could use it again the next time he got on Tanner’s nerves. "And I have no idea what to say about a dude with a nail in his hand."
Somehow, the space between him and Darla had closed a scooch. Which was funny because he wasn’t moving. His feet touched the bottom of the pool. So it must’ve been her closing the gap.
"About the other thing." He looked down at her fingertip still resting against his skin. He lifted it with his hand and linked them together. Moving so he could take her weight and she didn’t have to tread water anymore. "Trust me, Darla. If Iwantedto be attracted to someone, you’re right, it wouldn’t be you."
She tamped down the hurt in her expression, but he didn’t stop because he wasn’t done. Instead, he toyed with her fingers. Fingers she pressed against his.
"That’s the thing about attraction, right? We don’t get to choose. That’s why you’ve got to go with the flow. Let shit happen."
"Why wouldn’t it be me?" she asked with a squeak.
He closed his eyes because he was barely ready to admit the truth to himself. She challenged everything he believed. She made him think. She made him laugh. She made him hard.
He didn’t say any of that, though.
"Nothing about you is easy," he said instead. Starting with the way he got all twisted up around her. "You’re complicated with a capital C. But the way you argue with everything I say is so fucking cute."
"That’s not true," she said. "I don’t argue with everything."
"See? Fucking adorable."
They both stared at their still-linked fingers, their chests brushing against each other.
"I don’t think you’re right," she said, breathy, her breasts brushing against his chest. "I’m the easiest person I know."
"Whatever the opposite of easy is? That’s you, Darla." He squeezed her fingers before pulling his hand away and putting space between them. Necessary space, so he didn’t do something stupid. Like ask if he could kiss her, so she could shoot him down again.
She looked up at the sky. Then she pierced him with her gaze. "You didn’t even check me out. You are like the king of the players and you’ve never even looked at my breasts once. There. I said it. It bugs me."
"You’re pissed that I’ve got a reputation as a player?" he asked, slowly trying to wrap his head around this recent development. "But you’re also mad that I didn’t check out your tits?"
She pointed to her boobs. "They’re excellent, Mach. Perfectly perky. But you wouldn’t know because you didn’t even look."
"You honestly think I didn’t check out your rack?" he asked, deadpan.
She was on a solid tear now. "Well, you didn’t. When we met at Brek's Bar, you were a totally nice guy."
He moved closer to her again, stalking, until his lips were barely a brush away from hers. As expected, she gave up no ground.
"I did," he said with his lips right in the air over hers. "And I liked what I saw, but I was trying not to be a dick and make you uncomfortable by being obnoxious about it, because despite what you think of me, I am not that guy."
"How can I believe that?" she asked, once again defiant.
He glanced at the surface of the water. Cleared his throat. Then he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pressed his forehead to hers. "Let’s be clear about something."
"Oh, by all means, let’s be clear." She brushed her lips against the corner of his, nearly pushing him over an edge neither of them was ready for. Not yet.
"Going in, I thought you knew it was a publicity stunt," he said, letting his mouth brush her earlobe as he spoke. "Thought you were a fan looking to meet a guy who makes money playing music onstage." He breathed in the scent of whatever citrusy shampoo Darla used mixed with the chlorine in the water.
She trembled and held on tightly to his shoulders.
He liked that.
