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“No. What’s one of those?” I ask, furrowing my brow.

“You must know. It’s something you can do to entertain or a trick you can do.” She sits up and sips the negroni.

“I can’t say I’ve had the time to figure one out.”

“Well, I was a bored only child, so I had to find ways to entertain myself. Plus, I had this really cool nanny from England, and she taught me how to play poker, solitaire, pairs, and snap. It's amazing what you can do with a pack of cards.”

“I do like a card game. We used to play a lot when on tour.” A memory of Harry losing to Jack at a game of poker that resulted in Harry setting fire to the cards comes to mind, and I laugh.

“Well, you’ll have to play with me, because I am the queen of card games.” Her tone is confident, and she straightens her spine as she smiles proudly.

“Okay, queen. Show us what you’ve got. I want to see one of your party tricks.”

I wonder what the heck she’s going to do, and then she pulls a cherry from her glass and pops it into her mouth. She holds the stem in her hand as she chews and then swallows the cherry.

She holds the stem out in front of me. “I can tie this in a knot with my tongue.” She says it so innocently, and I sit up and place my feet on the patio tiles, giving her a challenging stare. “Prove it.”

She matches my stare, sticks out her tongue, and places the cherry stem on it, rolling her tongue back into her mouth.

I watch as she works, but her focus never leaves mine. Her eyes flash with something that looks a lot like lust, and I fist the towel beneath me to prevent myself from reaching out and pulling her on top of me.

When she pokes her tongue out, my eyes drift down to where a perfectly knotted cherry stem sits on the end of her tongue and I nearly damn well lose it. I pluck the stem from her tongue, and a low growl erupts from my throat.

“Do you have any idea how fucking hot that is, baby girl? I can think of a few ways you can use that talented tongue of yours.”

“Oh, yeah.” She presses her mouth together and places her hands either side of her as she leans back.

“Take your clothes off,” I demand, my tone firm, my body firing up.

“Why?” she asks innocently, cocking her head to the side.

“Because I’m about to perform my own party trick.”

A sharp gasp escapes her, and she stills, eyes wide.

“Take the clothes off, Gabriella.”

She looks around at the surrounding houses, the sun now setting so low that a little darkness has crept over the valley.

She reaches for the hem of her cropped shirt and pulls it up over her head in one swift movement, revealing a red string bikini, and fuck, red is her color. She stands and pops the button of her shorts, letting them fall to the ground, exposing amatching string bikini bottom that barely covers her pussy. I run my tongue over my top teeth and moan in appreciation. “You’re fucking incredible.”

I rise to my feet, towering over her, and she cranes her neck to meet my eyes.

“Where do you want me?” Her voice is far more confident than it was the first time we fooled around.

“I need to get you wet first.” I pull her body towards mine, and before she can say anything, I wrap my arms around her thighs and throw her over my shoulder and stride toward the pool.

“Brad, oh my god, nooo,” she squeals, but her words are cut off when I jump into the pool. Our bodies meet the water; it’s cool and crisp and tingles against my burning skin.

I pull us both to the surface where she flicks her head back to move her soaked hair away from her face.

She coughs and falls into a fit of giggles, and I can’t help but smile and laugh right along with her. She wraps her legs around my hips and her arms around my neck, and to my shock, plants a kiss on my lips. Tingles float up and down my spine with every stroke of her tongue. I move us till her back meets the tiled edge of the pool. A surge of desire works its way through my body. She’s intoxicating, addictive, and I need her. I lift her out the water and settle her on the edge of the pool.

“What are you doing?” Her words are breathless.

“I’m about to show you all the tricks my tongue can perform.”

I hoist myself out of the pool, water splashing onto the white tiles as I walk over to the little table and pick up my drink. I get back in the pool, keeping the glass above the water until I get back to her, and I maneuver her so I am standing in between her legs.