Physical ability and natural talent were no good unless you had the dedication that went with them and Chloe didn’t...but she really loved to swim. Apart from the times she had stayed with her sister, as camera lenses and shocked stares were really not an issue in the royal palace, she had not ventured into the water since the accident.
She liked to think that one day she would be brave enough to swim in a public pool and not care about the stares, but that day had not yet come.
Walking to the edge, she hitched the folds of silk around her knees and sat down, dangling her feet in the warm water, thinking about the lovely feeling of it on her skin.
It was tempting to go in for a swim, it really was... Who was around to see?
* * *
Nik had been swimming lengths for ten minutes, pushing his body to the limit in an attempt to wash away the personal devils left in his head after the nightmare had visited him yet again. He neared the wall at the deep end, flipped over and had lifted his head to gulp in air when he saw Chloe approach the pool through a watery haze.
He paused, his head just breaking the surface as he trod water, the shimmering image solidifying. He was unable to take his eyes off her as she walked towards the water, the thin floor-length robe she wore blowing tight against her, outlining every supple curve of her long, luscious body.
She obviously wasn’t wearing a stitch underneath.
The sound of blood drumming in his ears became deafening as in his head he saw her opening the garment and slipping it off, then standing there naked on the side before diving in... All she actually did was trail her toes in the water, pretty tame by most standards, but Nik felt his dormant libido once more kick into life—hard.
He took a deep breath and slid silently down under the surface of the water.
Her dreamy thoughts drifted as she continued to inscribe circles in the water with her toes.
The sheer unexpectedness of the sudden tug on her foot drew a shrill shriek from her throat. She pulled against the pressure and scooted back, fighting against the restraint and kicking out wildly.
There was a grunt of pain followed by a curse and she was suddenly free. She had curled both legs up protectively against her body when Nik’s sleek dark head appeared, water streaming down his face.
‘What the hell did you think you were doing? You nearly gave me a heart attack!’ she accused shakily.
‘I was swimming...it’s good; come in and join me.’
The invitation sent a slam of hormonal heat through her body. She shook her head, her heart thudding like a metronome as she stared at him.
‘Fair enough.’ It took him two lazy strokes to reach the side. ‘Then I’ll join you.’ Hands flat on the mosaic tiles, he casually heaved himself out of the pool, pausing for a moment on the balls of his feet before straightening up to his full impressive height.
Chloe had no control over her stare, and her skin prickled with heat as her helpless gaze travelled up the length of his long legs, taking in the ridges of his flat belly and broad, hair-roughened chest. His shoulders were muscle packed and powerful but he wasn’t bulky. There was a streamlined strength to him, no excess flesh at all to blur the symmetry. Each individual muscle stood out defined and perfect beneath the surface of his gleaming golden skin.
Her eyes reached his face and his white grin flashed, making him look like a very smug fallen angel as he lifted one hand and rubbed it hard across his hair, causing more water to stream down his face.
He tilted his head to one side in an enquiring attitude. ‘Sure I can’t tempt you?’ asked her personal embodiment of temptation, the gleam in his eyes suggesting that this was no secret to him.
Even though it was frustrating it was also true—she had zero control over the colour that rushed to her cheeks—but she refused to drop her gaze, or was it she couldn’t escape the grip of his black, heavy-lidded stare? Her insides clenched as she ran her tongue across the outline of her dry lips.
‘No, you can’t,’ she lied, struggling to inject a note of amusement into her response. ‘But don’t let me stop you.’ Hearing the quiver of something near to desperation in her own voice, she half turned and gave an elaborate yawn. ‘I was just going back inside.’
He reached for a towel that was slung over a chair, rubbing it over his dripping hair, then blotting the moisture off his face. ‘You really should take a swim.’ His eyes went to the wet hair that was slicked back to reveal her smooth, high forehead and perfect pure profile. ‘Or have you already?’
She lifted a self-conscious hand, dragging it down the damp surface of her wet hair. ‘I showered.’
He swallowed, the muscles in his brown throat visibly working, a nerve spasmodically clenching in his lean cheek as his darkened eyes drifted slowly over her face, then down over the soft curves of her lush body outlined beneath the folds of iridescent fabric, his imagination peeling away the fabric, seeing the water streaming down her smooth skin.
It took Chloe a few moments to realise that the noise she could hear was her own breathing, as she struggled to breathe through the sexual tension that hung in the air.
She wasn’t sure that Nik was breathing at all. He just stood there, the bands of dull colour running along the slashing angles of his cheekbones emphasising their razor-edged prominence as the moments ticked away. Each passing second made her heart beat faster until she could feel the thuds vibrating throughout her entire body.
‘I... I need to go.’ Her voice sounded as though it was coming from a long way away.
‘Why?’
‘I need to book my flight.’