Page 19 of Resist

Untying my sarong, I slid it free from around my waist and draped it over the end of the lounge, revealing my black, strapless, one-piece suit. I’d never been blessed with voluptuous breasts, apart from the time I’d breastfed Jason, but I wasn’t ashamed of my slender frame nor was I embarrassed to show it off. If anything, I was proud of the skin I was in. Every scar, wrinkle, dip, bump, and groove; I’d earned them all … apart from the ones I hadn’t earned. Those scars were both visible and not, and they were gifted to me by a monster.

Stepping out of my flip-flops, I moved to the edge of the pool and dunked my toe into the water to test the temperature.

“She’s definitelynotforty,” Josh announced. “Sorry, Dimps, you lose the bet.”

I glared at Josh again but then found Lucas in the water not far from where I was dipping my toe like a teabag, his eyes firmly locked on my legs.

“How tall are you?” he asked, his stare unwavering.

“How tall am I?”

He nodded.

“Well, like my age…” I said, glaring at Josh for the third time, “that’s none of your business.”

Lucas’s lip quirked and both of his dimples popped, his glue-like leer sending every nerve ending in my body into a frenzy. I looked away from him, and rather than ignore what I was feeling and walk back to my sun lounger like I should’ve, I did something completely out of character and toe-flicked water right at his face.

Josh nearly spat his apple.

Johnno busted into a belly-laugh.

And Lucas, sweet Lucas, just stood there, water lapping his abdomen.

He slowly wiped his face, a look of playful excitement now gleaming from his dimpled cheeks. “It’s gonna be like that, huh?”

“Like what?” I shrugged. “My foot slipped.”

He waded toward me, his face predatory, which was when his intent caused the bottom of my stomach to drop.

I raised my hand. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Fair’s fair. You wet me, I wet you.”

Little did he know he’d already made me wet that day and I was just repaying the favour.

“Nice try,” I said, laughing him off. “You were already in the water.”

He reached the edge of the pool and effortlessly hoisting himself onto the decking, water cascading down his body like an X-rated waterfall. “Doesn’t matter, pool rules are pool rules.”

I stepped back. “What? There’s no such thing.”

“Sure is,” Brad added. “No pissing. No eating. No splashing—”

I pointed at Josh. “But he’s eating.”

“Technically, I’m not in the pool,” Josh answered. “Only my legs.” He kicked them again for emphasis.

“But …”

Lucas took another step in my direction, a devilish glint in his eyes.

“NO! Absolutely not.” I stood my ground, my hand on my hip. “I mean it. Don’t even think about throwing me in that pool.”

“Oh, I’m thinkin’ about it.” The promise in his tone matched the purpose in his eyes, and it made me shiver. Yes, damn well shiver.

“Wait a minute,” Corinne exclaimed. “Is this like a right of passage into the Revue? Because I vaguely recall something similar happening to me on my first day.” Her tone turned bitter. “Except I was fully clothed.”

Josh chuckled. “Right of passage… yes, let’s call it that.”