“Don’t test me, Thalia.”
She beams, the smile genuine and absurdly beautiful. “Relax. I’m not that courageous.”
My hold on her loosens, a gesture I quickly regret when she walks around me, that perfect ass swaying from left to right. She has no idea how sexy she is. Fully clothed and still wearing heels, she doesn’t slow down or hesitates before leaping into the pool. It doesn’t matter that she’s not wearing a bikini or that she’s not naked.
She’ll get me killed regardless.
White dress, olive skin, and a halo of dark hair. She emerges wet and bathed in the orange hue of the pool lights. An incarnation of a Greek goddess.
She beckons me, bending her index finger and winks, arching back to float on the surface. My heart swells, my pulse roars, and... fuck me sideways. I think I’m falling in love with her.
I yank off my t-shirt and kick my jeans off before following her into the water. She swims away to rest her back on the pool’s edge, elbows on the tiles. More splashes happen behind me, followed by a fit of girly giggles, but it all sounds distant, muffled as if coming through a glass wall.
“Thank you.” I hold onto her waist with one hand, raking the other through my hair. “That helped.”
“I should think so. Her fingers trace the lines of my tattoo, and the fascination on her face is so genuine I couldn’t look away if I tried. “It’d cripple my self-esteem if it didn’t.”
“You’re perfect. Don’t ever think otherwise.”
More people plunge into the pool fully clothed, laughing and cheering—a background noise to my racing heart. I don’t pay attention to any of that. All I feel is a thick, heavy air settling around Thalia and me, taking me back to this morning.
It’d take a leap of faith... one second to close the distance parting our lips. One second to throw away all my assumptions and listen to my heart instead of my mind.
I lift my hand to the side of her face, brushing my thumb across her lips, thinking, weighing my options.
“You drive me insane,” I whisper, glancing into her eyes filled with need. Who knew I’m such a fucking coward? “Stop.”
God, I want her. I want her so fucking much. My hands in her hair, my lips on hers—kissing, nipping, grazing my teeth over her bottom lip. A short, looping video clip plays in my head, and my stomach wrenches with intense desire.
“You first,” she whispers, inching closer.
“He’s gone!” Nico booms behind us, giving me a heads-up before he approaches with the others.
I step away from the girl who makes me reconsider everything I know about myself and turn to Nico, who must’ve gotten a few punches in too. His knuckles are bloody, and a red splatter covers his immaculate white shirt.
Jack trails close behind with two beach towels in hand.
“But he’ll be back,” Logan adds, glaring at me. “He really wants to talk to you.”
I nod, refusing to get sucked back into the rage. “Thanks. I owe you.”
I hoist myself out of the pool, then help Thalia and drape a towel around her wet body before anyone has a chance to ogle her perfect curves.
“Come on, let’s get a drink to warm you up.” Logan wraps a protective arm around her shoulders, leading her away.
“What did he want?” I ask Nico when they’re out of earshot.
“He wants to make amends,” he says, his face as stoic as always. “He heard about the game you’re pitching to companies and thinks he might be useful.”
Useful? What a joke. All Kai wants is to get his hands on my project, then screw me over like last time.
“What was that about with Thalia?” Nico motions with his chin at the pool. “You changed your mind?”
“I don’t know...” I squeeze the back of my neck to rid the frustration. “She tried to distract me. I was on my way to kill the asshole.”
“I doubt he’ll have the guts to show his face around here anytime soon, but don’t expect this to be over... you’re not listening to me right now, are you?” he clips, following my line of sight to Thalia. “Give up, man.” He slaps his hand on my back. “You’re fighting a lost battle.”
I think I am.