Page 19 of Swim To Me

She nods.

“It’s not so bad once you’re in the water, right?” I push ever so slightly.

Delilah’s throat bobs as she swallows. “I guess not.”

I raise both of my brows, the corner of my lip twitching. “You’ll be coming back then?”

“I—” She pauses. “Maybe.”

“Come back.” I coax. “I’ll teach you. It’ll be—”

“Let me think about it and I’ll give you a message—”

“Don’t think about it! Just say yes, Delilah.”

“I—”

“Say yes.”

Delilah lowers her lashes, peering down at the water and then looks back up at me with something unreadable in her eyes. “Fine. I’ll come back next week.” My heart does a weird jolt in my chest before it regains its usual rhythm. “But only if you teach me and help take my mind of the sheer fear I’m feeling.”

“I can do that.” I smile. “Easy.”

“I don’t think it’ll be that easy, I—”

“Look back, Delilah.” Both of us gaze over our shoulders at the set of flags only a few metres away. “You’ve done the hardest part; getting in the water, and we’ve done about six laps already without you even realising it.”

She raises two perfectly manicured eyebrows at me. “Do you think I can get to ten?”

“You’ve done really amazing today, Delilah.” My gaze drops to her arse for a second as she ascends the steps, our teaching lesson over for the evening. Water droplets cascade down the length of her spine and her thighs, pooling at her hot pink painted toenails. My eyes bounce back up to her hips again, the white detailing in her bathing suit which perfectly follows the crease of her—

I look away, focusing on the pruned skin of my fingers.

I wait until she’s wrapping her towel around herself to pull myself out of the pool, wringing out the hem of my t-shirt and sliding on my flip flops with a squelch.

“You should be really proud of yourself,” I continue. “How are you feeling about next week?”

“A little less nervous,” she admits, eyes cast downward as she tucks the edge of her towel in between her breasts.

Holy fuck—

“Good,” I all but choke out, pulling my line of eyesight away from her chest, squeezing my hands into fists down by my sides, attempting to redirect my brain in literallyany othertrain of thought besides the gorgeous, soaking wet brunette, standing in front of me. “That’s what I like to hear.”

It’s not the only thing I’d like to hear—

I’ve got to stop it.Oh, my fucking—

“So, Wednesday again? Six till eight?”

“Yep.” I take the plunge and look into her eyes. How can I not? They’re so brown and doe-like, innocent looking and… and it’d be weird and rude not to look at her when she’s asking me aquestion. An important question. About our swimming lessons together.

Why have I agreed to be her swimming instructor?

What the hell have I done?

“Okay, I’ll see you then, Grey… unless I freak out on you between this week and the next, but I’m sure it’ll be fine, because—”

“It will be fine,” I hear myself promise. “You’re in control, remember? And you’ve got my number if you need anything.”

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