Page 21 of Resist

Noah laughed. “Fucked, you are,” he said to Lucas before lowering himself under the water.

I nodded. “Yes, fucked he is.”

* * *

After takingan impromptu dip in the pool, bearing witness to a weird display of dolphin impersonations by Josh and Brad, and then chatting to Corinne about some photographic promotional ideas I’d been deliberating, I’d retreated to my sun lounger and had gotten lost in my book.

“The Husband’s Secret?”

I lowered the Liane Moriarty novel and spied Lucas over the rim of my sunglasses as he plonked his heavy frame on the sun lounger next to me, aqua blue boardshorts riding low on his chiselled hips. Dampened hair clung to his legs, and I decided in that moment that I desperately wanted to lick them.

“Sounds mysterious,” he added.

I let out a subdued laugh. “Of course it does. All secrets are mysterious.”

Lying back on the sun lounger, he rested his arms behind his head and made himself comfortable. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t have any.”

“You don’t have any secrets?” I placed my bookmark between the pages and laid the book down. “I find that hard to believe.”

“It’s true. I don’t.”

Allowing my eyes to wander the length of his body behind the privacy of my darkened lenses, I smiled greedily at the sight. Everyone had secrets. EVERYONE. And right now, one of mine were all the things I wanted to do with the youngest member of my revue.

Lucas was fine with capital Fuck yes! Taut, hard, virile, and extremely difficult not to ogle, because, in all honesty, I was trying not to. I mean, the last time I’d fucked a guy with my eyes was in my bedroom at the age of sixteen — before Lucas was even born —when I’d all but licked my life-sized poster of Patrick Swayze inDirty Dancing.

Nobody puts Helena in the corner.

“I really am sorry. I shouldn’t have—”

“What?” Snapping my eyes to his, I, unfortunately, had no choice but to break my amorous perve to find his worrisome face.

“For before. I shouldn’t have thrown you in the pool like that.”

“Oh.” I adjusted the strapless hem of my bathing suit. “No, you shouldn’t have. But like I said, I’ll make you pay.”

He let out an unconvincing chuckle. “Now you have me worried.”

“Good.”

“Will I get any warning of your pending attack? Maybe a diplomatic exchange before battle?”

I shook my head. “No.”

“Gee. Ruthless.”

Rolling onto my side, I propped my hand underneath my head and faced him. “They’ll be no surprise attack, little boy. Revenge is best served when your victim sees it coming and knows there is absolutely nothing they can do to stop it.”

His eyes trailed to my hip before he raised his hands in a show of surrender. “Wow. You’re a little scary.”

Rotating to lie on my back once again, Lucas relaxed his position also, this time draping one hand over the waistband of his shorts, his tapping fingers taunting me.

“By the way, I’m not a little boy.”

I bit back a smile as I stretched my legs and welcomed the sun. “We’ll see.”

A grumble reverberated from his throat, and I could feel his eyes burning into my skin.

“So,” he said, clearing his throat. I watched out of the corner of my eye as he adjusted himself before continuing. “I was wondering if you’d have dinner with me tonight?”