Page 25 of The Pilot & the Athlete

Paul could only stare at him. Shay and Easton made a lot of sense. Both elite athletes. Both famous in certain circles. Teasing, flirting, throwing around teenage slang.

“So … are you together?” Easton asked.

“No,” Paul admitted.

Easton’s blue eyes lit up. “Thanks, man.”

“She’s here for a protection detail, not a date,” Paul shot back, probably too harshly.

“I know. Doesn’t mean we can’t flirt and have some fun, right?” Easton grinned, touched the brim of his hat, and jogged down the porch steps and across the walk to a horse tied up to the porch railing. He swung on, looking like a male cowboy model. “See ya soon.” He turned the horse with a click of his tongue and rode off.

Paul pushed out a heavy breath. Easton and Shay. It made too much sense. He hated it. Easton was a charming playboy. The bull rider had flirted shamelessly with Autumn as well.Should Paul warn Shay off? Did he have any proof Easton was a playboy? Not really. He was just being defensive for Shay’s sake.

He couldn’t think of the last time he’d felt jealousy stirring in his gut like this. He wanted to call Autumn and ask what he should do, but he didn’t want the razzing from his friend.

Turning back into the house, he caught Shay staring at him. Their gazes caught and held. The longing in her teal-colored eyes made his heart miss a beat. Was he seeing that clearly? Why would she flirt with Easton if she longed for him?

Why was he being so selfish? He couldn’t be with her, so he should be happy she seemed to have a connection with Easton.

He wasn’t.

She turned back to the food. “This looks delicious. Are you hungry?”

“Starved,” he managed to answer. He shut and deadbolted the door and armed the security. The truth was, his stomach was churning so much, he didn’t know that he could eat.

Chapter

Eight

Shay swam long,steady strokes across the Colevilles’ lake. The cold water invigorated her and being in the water made her feel like she’d come home. They didn’t have any goggles, but that was a minor inconvenience. She’d spent so many hours in the water she could swim without goggles, and it wasn’t as if anyone was timing her or it mattered if she swam a perfectly straight line. She lived to compete, but swimming like this was freeing and restorative. Pure joy. She prayed as she swam—gratitude for safety, Paul and the Colevilles, pleas for her family, students, teammates, and FBI agents, understanding for what was happening with her and Paul.

Paul and Walker Coleville were on the bank, watching out for her. Walker was a thoughtful, handsome roper with a devastating slow grin. She liked him, but not the way she liked Paul. Nobody was like Paul.

At first it had been unnerving thinking that Paul was watching,but she’d swum in front of crowds and on camera too many times to let someone watching bother her.

Yet, it was Paul. She was confused by him and far too interested in him. If she was a boy, her friends could call her a ‘simp’ about Paul. Willing to do almost anything to get his interest. Her cheeks heated, even in the frigid water, as she thought of flirting with Easton Coleville to make Paul jealous. That was petty and not like her at all. She didn’t want to lead Easton on, though she suspected he flirted with so many women he wouldn’t be too put out when she threw him a curve and he found out she wasn’t into him. She also didn’t want Paul to be jealous or uncomfortable. She only wanted him to want her.

She’d been jealous when Paul had talked to Autumn and Autumn kept calling him ‘her handsome pilot’. Was Paul Autumn’s? He’d admitted she was beautiful without hesitation, and he smiled when he talked about Autumn. Autumn had said to ‘kick him in the pants or kiss him’ for her. Did he kiss Autumn while they worked together?

She swam faster and harder. Her mind wandered to the nightmare she was in and being attacked last night. She had to find a way to shove those thoughts out. So she focused on Paul. The way he’d looked so heroic and manly and straight fire when he’d rescued her. Their incredible kiss. The warmth in his deep brown eyes. The way it felt when he teased with her, looked at her, touched her.

A loud splash sounded directly in front of her. She surfaced and blinked water out of her eyes. Walker was still standing on the bluff above the lake, glancing around at their surroundings.

Paul surfaced in front of her, his handsome face sparkling with droplets of water and sunshine. He swiped a hand over his face and through his wet hair, smiled at her, andsplashed her. He sunk lower from pulling his hand out to splash her and quickly used both hands again to tread water.

“Hey! Are you messing with me?” She splashed him back. She could tread water all day.

“No, ma’am.” He grinned at her. His shoulder muscles rippled with his hands rotating under the water and he glistened like Adonis. “I’ve been waiting until you’d worked some energy out so I could challenge you to a race.”

“A swimming race?” She laughed. “You think you can beat me in the water?”

“No. But I figured you’ve been swimming for over an hour and maybe you were tired.”

She hid a smile. No need to tell him she spent hours in the pool every day and then time lifting weights and doing yoga and other recovery training on land. At least she used to before protective custody.

Still, she doubted any ‘air man’ could beat her in the water. Even a Navy SEAL would need a head start.

“I’m just thrashed.” She fluttered her eyelashes. “But I’ll let you talk me into it a quick race. Down and back?”

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