Page 73 of No Strings

I glare at them all. Brent swallows his laughter, Molly just grins, and Dani dances her eyebrows. “I hate you all.”

“No, you don’t.”

I ignore that and bend down to talk to Molly. “Whenyour Dad says you can, we’ll do some drawing, but only if Dad says it’s okay.” Emphasising the if Brent says it’s okay.

She nods, even as her smile falls. I’ve been teaching her to draw. One day she was in trouble for sneaking some chocolate and wasn’t allowed. Which I didn’t know, so when she came over to Rhys’s with paper and pencils in her hands, I didn’t think anything of it.

Tia just stands there, taking everything in. She seems out of place in her floor length skirt and blush tank top. At least she has the singlet right. But it is too hot up here for the skirt. Each to their own, I guess. She seems so innocent, the station will change that soon enough.

I leave them to it, and decide on a swim.

Once I’m changed, I make my way to the pool, Esky quick on my heels. She sits at the gate, Brent said she’s not allowed in. Her fur could block the pool pump or something. I didn’t push the matter, and Esky seems content waiting at the gate. When I get there, I notice there are some holiday goers already in. The men outnumbering the women.

I’m not sure if I’m comfortable around men I don’t know. I turn to make my way back to Rhys’s, but I see him walking in this direction. Boardshorts on, showing off his body, muscles and tattoos. I can’t help when my gaze lowers to his crutch. I know what’s there now. I know how dirty his mouth is. I know….

“Leaving so soon?”

I turn back to face the pool. “No, just got here actually.”

We enter together. The women eye him up and down, and I can’t help but roll my eyes, though I myself was just eye fucking him.

Once he throws a towel on one of the chairs, he dives in, making a show of the whole thing. He doesn’t have to tryhard to get a woman’s attention. Just when he surfaces, I drop my towel, showing off my bikini. He chokes on water, and I run my tongue over my teeth, trying to fight off the smile. I feel like I won the game. The game that only I’m aware we were playing.

He isn’t the only one who is looking at me. I have the attention of a guy who isn’t unattractive. It’s a bit hard to ignore this bikini, that was kind of the point. Rhys says he hates it, but his gaze is the one I feel the most.

Slowly, I step into the pool adding more sway to my hips then is necessary. I don’t know what I’m doing or why I’m doing it, but I fake a fall.

The attractive guy comes over and helps me. His touch doesn’t have me recoiling, but it also doesn’t feel right. I give him my best smile and bat my eyelids.

“Oh, thank you so much, I must have lost my footing.”

Rhys snorts and rolls his eyes at my theatrics.

“No thanks needed.” He has a slight accent, but the tone of his voice is off. Just when I think about giving Rhys this hand, I hear a high-pitched laugh. Looking over the guy’s shoulder, and see Rhys is chatting with both of the women. And they are lapping it up. He subtly looks over his shoulder and I quickly school my features from disgust to boredom. But the corner of his lips tips up in a smirk, and I know he saw me. Yeah, I can’t let him win.

Turning my attention back to the attractive guy, whose gaze is locked in on my chest, typical, I offer my hand in a handshake and say, “I’m Morgan.”

“William.” His gaze is now on my face.

We stay by the edge of the pool, floating and chatting for the next hour. He was born in England and has lived in Australia, Melbourne more preciously, since he was eleven.He has an older sister and a younger brother. He’s relocated to Burra Point for work.

Rhys and the girls are still chatting and flirting. Playing stupid pool games.

Every now and then I’ll look over, purely out of curiosity, and sometimes I’ll feel his gaze on me.

“So, Morgan, are you from up here?”

“No, I’m from a hole in the wall town in New South Wales”

“What brings you here, then?”

I don’t know how to answer that. But by the graces of the gods themselves, Beau and Davis walk into the pool area. Beau takes one look at Rhys, then me. “Are you two fucking serious?”

Okay so maybe not the graces of the Gods, graces of Hades? Beau then jumps in the pool. Davis, who is still wearing his bandage, just takes one of the lounges.

William looks at me in question, “What was that about?”

I shrug. “Couldn’t tell ya.” Feigning ignorance.