“It was my pleasure,” I growl. “I couldn’t let a pretty thing like you drown now, could I?”
Her cheeks go crimson and she looks down and bites her lip before looking into my eyes again.
“Thanks again,” she manages in a steadier voice. “I’m Petunia, by the way. I work here as a hostess.”
I nod. “Nice to meet you, sweetheart. I’m Nico Matthews and I’m glad we’ve finally made our introductions, seeing that our first interaction was literally one of life and death.”
Petunia blushes and squirms some more before clearing her throat and letting go of my shoulders.
“I know, and sorry about that, Mr. Matthews. I appreciate you jumping in when you did because otherwise, I’d be toast.”
“You wouldn’t be toast,” I interject humorously. “You’d be a waterlogged piece of toast maybe, but definitely not a crispy slice straight out of the oven.”
She giggles then, flashing me a sweet smile.
“You’re right,” she murmurs. “Or maybe a soggy marshmallow.”
I throw my head back and let out an amused laugh because I appreciate Petunia’s sense of humor although of course, there’s nothing soggy about this woman. Everything about her is lush, ripe, and perfect for harboring a man. But then, I shake my head while securing my arms more firmly about that plush body.
“I can’t let you go, sweetheart, because you might just start to drown again. Don’t you know how to swim?”
She blushes while ducking her head again.
“Well, not exactly,” she admits in a low voice.
“Really?” I question in disbelief. “Well, then why’d you get in the water?”
She swallows hard again, two spots of color burning on her cheeks.
“Well, I thought the pool looked nice,” she murmurs hesitantly. “And I thought it’d be fine if I got in just as long as I was sure to stay in the shallow end and hang on to the pool’s ledge. You know that the pool’s only four feet deep at its deepest right?”
I nod.
“And?”
She blushes again.
“Well, I slipped and lost my grip on the wall, and then everything happened so fast after that.”
I nod.
“Yeah, you nearly drowned,” I frown. But then my expression lightens. “Well, there’s only one solution to that. Either you never enter the pool again, or I teach you how to swim.”
Petunia’s eyes widen as she shakes her head quickly. “Oh, no no no, that’s not necessary. I’m not very athletic, and trust me, I’ve taken swim lessons before to no avail. It never works because I’m just not a water person.”
But I cut her off.
“No one is a water person, honey. In fact, there’s no such thing as a water person because humans live on land. But I’m a good teacher, so you’ll be fine. I’ll teach you, never fear, and soon you’ll be zipping about like a seal in the sea.”
But Petunia’s stubborn and shakes her head again.
“No, I appreciate it Nico, but you see, I’ve taken years of lessons. Hundreds of hours in fact, and I just can’t swim. I can’t even float, it’s that bad,” she says hurriedly. “Really, I should have never have gotten into the pool. The Jacuzzi is more my milieu.”
I raise a black eyebrow at her.
“Petunia, youcanfloat. Trust me on this one. I can make it happen.”
The pretty girl lets out a small sound of disbelief, but before she can open her mouth, I speak again. “Believe me, honey. You’ll be able to float within twenty minutes of lessons with me. How much do you want to bet?”