Even I blushed at his comment, so I wasn't surprised when Becca bit down on her lip and averted eye contact. She looked irresistible in her dark blue bikini and I knew she had Penn wrapped around her finger.
“Hey Liam, can I borrow your phone?” Penn asked as they stepped closer to the pool.
“Oh, I left it inside,” he answered, patting his swim trunk pockets to confirm. Not two seconds later, Penn reached out and shoved him into the pool before he could realize his fatal mistake.
“Asshole!” Liam yelled between laughs after he surfaced.
“I can’t believe you actually fell for that. We learned that when we were like twelve!”
“I was distracted,” Liam shrugged with an adorable grin.
“Yeah, whatever. Let the record show, Penn: 1, Liam: 0,” he gloated before spinning toward Becca’s direction. "Want to walk down to the beach with me, y’know, since we’re the only dry ones now?" Penn asked, extending his hand out to her.
The longer I watched their interaction, the more I became aware of the fact that I was avoiding Liam's gaze. He was still standing near the far edge of the pool, and I could see him watching me out of the corner of my eye. I let my body sink back into the pool, suddenly appreciating the veil of the water surrounding me. I never heard Becca's response, but a moment later she and Penn were both heading down the stairs toward the beach, and I knew Liam and I were alone.
No more hiding.
The silence settled between us. The light from the bottom of the pool cast his handsome features into shadows and I tried to swallow past a lump in my throat.
His predatory eyes were a warning of dark, wild things to come.
I didn't realize I was backing up against the edge of the pool until he stood in front of me, trapping me against the wall. His hands gripped the edge on either side of my body just as his hips touched mine beneath the surface of the water. It was liquid seduction, the way my smooth legs entwined between his as if we were taking a bath together.
"Are you upset with me?" he asked, bending forward and nuzzling my neck with his pouty lips.
I bit my bottom lip to keep from moaning. "No."
He dragged his lips up to my ear.
"He doesn't get to touch you anymore. I've listened to him talk about you around the house for the past month and I've had enough. I know you aren't leading him on, he needs to realize that it's over."
I shivered against him, but nodded. His words sounded like the law and I was all too willing to comply.
"I'm sorry I did the article with him," I murmured, needing to get it off my chest.
He shook his head and I closed my eyes to gather my wits. "You didn't know."
He bent his elbows, leaning in dangerously close, but not touching me with his hips and chest yet.
"I’m sorry I’ve been distant the past few days. I just had to get my bearings, but… I want you. I don’t want this to end," I whispered.
I ran my hands down his sopping wet t-shirt and then began to collect the material at the bottom. I pushed it up over the toned ridges of his abs, revealing more and more of his skin as I went. He reached to the back of his neck and helped me pull the shirt over his head before tossing it out of the pool.
I sighed as my eyes scored down his bare chest. My hands drifted from the base of his arms, up over his broad shoulders and neck. My eyes met his and I smiled seductively, challenging him to kiss me.
His body pressed closer to mine and the water parted to accommodate his movements. I anticipated his touch as if his skin would shock me, but instead, when his hard stomach pressed against mine, I felt like he was setting my skin on fire.
"Then be with me. Be mine." He kissed my neck, just below my jaw, and I tilted my head back slightly to give him better access. His fingers traced a valentine heart against my neck, as if emphasizing his request.
"You don't know what you're getting yourself into. I'm jealous and untrusting. The last two boyfriends I had were scumbags."
"So you've traded up. I'm not a scumbag."
I laughed. "I bet your ex-girlfriends would beg to differ."
He pulled back to look me in the eye and gently cupped my chin.
"Yes, I have a past that you wouldn’t care to hear about, but my parents have a marriage that has survived thirty years. I know what it means to value the person you're with."
When I appeared to be absorbing his words, he started to let his hands drift down the back of my neck, just over the knot on my bikini top. I could feel the strings starting to loosen and I flashed him an amused grin.