Page 45 of Quiet Longing

Aidan made a few more attempts to get to me, sneakily giving us a wide berth and then trying to dive for me from behind. Rhys was onto him though and easily swung me around, my arms tightening as he moved us through the water. Every time my chest pressed against his back, it sent a flutter of awareness through me. My pores tingled with all the places we were touching. My nipples beaded, and I wondered if he could feel them prodding into his back.

Eventually, everyone started getting out of the pool. Nuala made an announcement that she was ordering pizza and that weall needed to come upstairs to pick what we wanted from the menu. Aidan tried waiting us out, but my will was stronger, and the prospect of takeout won in the end. He shot me a strange, defeated look as he glanced from me to Rhys like he was finally accepting I wasn’t interested in him.

He climbed from the pool, and I sighed in relief.

I was about to finally let go of Rhys when I was suddenly aware it was just the two of us left in the pool.

We were alone, and my heart began to race.

11.

Charli

“I think it’s safe for you to let go now,” Rhys said quietly, breaking me from my fixation.

I’d been officially staring.

I never realised how sexy a boy’s throat could be, but I was obsessed with Rhys’. The way it moved when he swallowed, or the flutter in his jaw when my palm splayed out over his collarbone. Did I affect him like he affected me?

Finally, I released my hold and floated away a small distance. “Thank you for keeping me safe from Aidan, good sir,” I said, fluttering my eyelashes humorously though my voice was breathy, betraying how worked up I was. Maybe it was all the touching. I wasn’t used to so much contact, especially not with someone I liked.

Rhys nodded silently, running a hand through his wet hair. A strand still clung to his forehead, and I moved towards him on instinct, my hand snatching out to smooth it back. Rhys arched a curious eyebrow, and I flushed. His eyes ran over me, dipping low to my cleavage. The swimsuit was tight, and it pushed my boobs together in a way Rhys appeared to find diverting.

I started to smile, and his eyes flicked up. Now, it was his turn to flush.

“See something you like?” I tilted my head.

“I wasn’t, uh, I mean, okay, yes, I was. Sorry for staring.”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind,” I said, and something like surprise danced across his features.

Several moments of quiet passed, the tension thick, before he rubbed his jaw. “We should probably head upstairs.”

He started to move to the edge of the pool to climb out when I said, “Wait.” Rhys looked back at me. I swam close to him and plucked at the wet material of his T-shirt. “Why are you wearing this?”

His face clouded. “I’ve never really been comfortable going shirtless.”

My heart clenched hearing his reason. The fact he could have such low self-esteem when he was so handsome boggled my mind. “That’s too bad. I was hoping to do some staring of my own.”

Rhys chuckled softly. “I promise you there’s nothing worth staring at.”

I moved even closer, my mouth a hair’s breadth from his cheek when I murmured, “I’ll be the judge of that.”

With a flirty smile, I finally moved away and climbed out of the pool. I didn’t look back, but I felt his eyes on me as I emerged, the water dripping down my body. I grabbed one of the remaining clean towels Derek had left on the lounge chairs and wrapped it around myself before I picked one up for Rhys. He was out of the pool, too, his T-shirt drenched and clinging to him.

“Here,” I said softly, handing him the towel.

“Thanks.” There was a slightly unsure look on his face as he patted the ends of his hair. I stood watching him, not wanting to go upstairs yet because I liked being alone with him too much. There was a feeling between us, a lovely kind of tension. Surely, he felt it, too.

Surprising me, he reached for the hem of his T-shirt and pulled it off. My stomach flipped. Rhys was a tall guy, and though he was carrying a few extra pounds, that didn’t take away from my attraction to him. In fact, I wasveryattracted to those extra pounds. There was something so manly about his huskyphysique. I just wanted him to pick me up and throw me over his shoulder like a caveman.

Yes, I was a cliché.

I knew he was probably feeling self-conscious, especially if he never took his shirt off around people. So, even though I was shy about liking him, and there was a part of me that just wanted to keep it secret, there was another part that wanted to validate him. I wanted him to know there was nothing about his body he needed to keep covered up.

“Has it gotten hotter in here?” I asked, fanning myself as my eyes traced his chest and stomach while he dried off with the towel.

A very faint smile tugged at his lips as he rolled his eyes. “Okay, you don’t need to pretend.”

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