Page 42 of Kiss and Tell

“I like my long hair,” I managed to say.

“I like it, too,” he said. “It’s reminds me of a waterfall.”

“Not like this, it doesn’t,” I replied. “Right now I probably look like a drowned rat.”

“No, you don’t,” he said. “You look perfect.”

My flush from before returned full force, heating my cheeks, inside my belly and between my thighs. Connor stared into my eyes, before his gaze dropped to my mouth. My lips trembled, not from the cold of the pool but from anticipation. We had drifted closer, his face mere inches from mine.

I cupped the back of his head. His eyes widened, lips parting.

I dunked him under, laughing at his startled expression as he hit the water.

He surfaced moments later with a gasp.

“I’ll get you for that,” he growled.

“You’ve got to catch me first,” I taunted as I kicked off to swim away.

He snatched at the string on my halter top. I felt the tug, but it slipped through his fingers and I escaped.

He chased me around the pool, chuckling whenever I squealed at the water splashing my face and grumbling whenever I managed to get him back.

Connor was a good swimmer, better than me, and I soon began to tire while he was still going strong.

“Time out,” I breathed heavily as I clung to the side of the pool. “I need to catch my breath.”

“No such thing as time out in this game.” He came up behind me and trapped me between his arms, just like he had at the pool table that time at his bar. “Do you forfeit?”

“Never,” I said.

His damp hair stuck to his cheeks. Tiny water droplets clung to his long, thick eyelashes. His mouth was faintly tinged with purple and goosebumps covered his arms, the cold water clearly getting to him more than he’d let on.

The hair on my own arms raised up, but not because of the cold. It was the way Connor looked at me, his dark eyes burrowing into mine. He brushed away a clump of tangled hair and tucked it behind my ear. He kept his fingers resting against my cheek. My breathing went shallow. He leaned in an inch. My heart pounded wildly in my chest.

“I’m going to go check out the hot tub,” I blurted out. “I’m getting kind of cold.”

A shadow of disappointment flicked through Connor’s eyes.

I ducked under his arms and kicked away, distancing myself. Diving under the water, I swam toward the shallow end, putting more space between us until I reached the steps. Climbing out, I squelched over on bare, wet feet to the whirlpool tub and sank into the hot water with a heavy sigh.

I should have known coming here was a bad idea. The pool, the hotel, the trip itself. I should have come alone. I shouldn’t have let Connor charm me into it.

Closing my eyes, I let myself slide down until the hot water covered everything from the neck down. This was the relaxing part of the trip I’d hoped for. What with this job, and Connor, and Peter…

I suppressed an outward curse as I thought about the slideshow presentation he’d asked — or rathertold —me to make for him. I hadn’t even started on it. Maybe I should just not do it. Let him show up to his meeting unprepared.

That would only piss him off, though, and if I pissed him off…

Something brushed my toe and I jolted, eyes flying open.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” Connor said as he took a seat across from me in the tub. “I just wanted to come and enjoy all the amenities I paid for.”

I tucked my legs under myself, not wanting our limbs to tangle together.

“You mean the amenities your brother paid for?” I asked. “Remind me to thank him when we get back.”

“It’s all part of the job, right?”