Sloane decided, her eyes bright and mischievous.
Ari rolled her eyes. “Are you trying to get me in your pool?” She laughed. “There has to be a smoother move than that. Come on, I have faith in you.”
Sloane watched her for a moment as if calculating some chess move. “Maybe I am,” she decided, setting down her glass and inching closer until they were almost touching.
“Do you not know how to swim?”
From Sloane’s icy tone she knew she was being bated, but she reacted defensively from muscle memory. “Of course I know how to swim.”
Sloane’s lip twitched in amusement. Old memories of Sloane’s bullshit in law school burned in Ari’s mind. It unlocked something she hadn’t felt in a while. The overwhelming desire to beat Sloane at something. Anything.
Ari leaned in, her lips brushing against Sloane’s. “Let’s go,” she decided. “Unless you think we’d wake your mother.”
Sloane cocked her head to the side. “These impact windows can block the sound of a cannon being fired on the front lawn,” she joked. “And my mother’s room doesn’t face the pool.”
“Well then. Do you know how to swim?” Ari asked as if there was nothing left to discuss.
“It’s a little chilly out there tonight.” Sloane’s attention dropped to Ari’s lips, unable or unwilling to conceal her desire. Ari shifted her weight, keeping her kiss out of reach.
Sloane grinned. “I guess I’ll go get you a bathing suit.”
CHAPTER 40
SLOANE’S BODY buzzed with excitement as she climbed up the stairs, careful not to make too much noise. Her mother took pretty heavy sleeping pills, but she didn’t want to risk waking her. There was an air of something in Arwyn tonight, and she didn’t want to waste it.
In the hall closet, Sloane pulled out a garment box. She rifled through the selection of new bathing suits her mother used to keep for guests, a weird practice she was now very grateful for.
After pulling out a medium one-piece Sloane thought would fit, she tiptoed down the hall and stopped in front of her mother’s room. Pressing her ear to the door, she confirmed the symphony of snores she was hoping for.
Sloane walked back to the kitchen. “If this doesn’t fit, there’s other—” She stopped short when she noticed Arwyn was gone. “Where the hell did you go?” she muttered to herself before noticing the pretty green dress in a puddle by the sliding glass door.
Sloane’s heart raced at the sight. Outside, she was shocked to find the rest of her clothes bundled up on a patio
chair next to her glasses and Arwyn casually treading water in the deep end. Backlit by the soft, white light of the pool in the dark, moonless night, she was breathtaking.
“I brought you something, you know?” Sloane tried to play it cool despite her pulse throbbing in her throat.
Ari raised an eyebrow. “Are you getting in or what?”
Sloane identified the edge in her tone. It had been a while, but she’d recognize it anywhere. It was a challenge Arwyn wanted.
“Turn around,” Sloane demanded before setting the bathing suit down. She’d intended on grabbing hers from the guesthouse but agreeing to skinny dipping didn’t exactly mean she wanted Arwyn to see her naked under the porch’s LED lights.
“I didn’t take you for one who plays coy,” Arwyn joked before spinning around.
Sloane unbuttoned her shirt as she stared at the back of Arwyn’s head. She didn’t hurry. Despite their games, she trusted her not to turn around. When she was finished, Sloane piled her things next to Arwyn’s and
strode across the cool stone to the pool.
As soon as the cold breeze hit her uncovered skin, Sloane hurried toward the warmth of the heated water. In a fluid motion, she dove from the shallow end, landing several feet in front of Arwyn and swimming the rest of the way to her underwater.
When she broke the surface of the water, Sloane made sure to arch her back so her hair would end up slicked back and sleek. If they were competing, she was already behind
after Arwyn’s bold move. She couldn’t lose points by looking messy.
Arwyn glided toward her. “Took you long enough,” she teased before running her thumbs under her eyes, cleaning the mascara that had certainly run. Her words were teasing, but her expression was loving. Her touch, careful and tender, eliminated any pretense.
Sloane took her hand, guiding her back with her until she found the pool floor with her toes. As soon as she could stand, Sloane pulled her close, the water rippling around Arwyn as she cut through it and landed in her arms.