Page 60 of Falling for Them

Me: You’re so adorable. The date is good…

Libby: Why the ellipsis?

Me: *face with tears of joy emoji*

Libby: Did you kiss him?

Me: OMG Libby. No… not yet.

Libby: Ethan!

Me: I promise I’ll tell you all about it when I see you in the morning…

Libby: Ethan Roberts!

I couldn’t wipe the grin off my face as I changed into my swim trunks. I was probably going to pay for teasing her.

When I emerged back onto the pool deck, Leo was already there, his toned body making my mouth water. I swallowed hard, forcing my eyes up to his face.

“Race you to the other end?” I challenged, desperate for a distraction.

Leo grinned. “You’re on.”

We climbed the steps to the raised infinity pool and got into position. The water was the perfect temperature, and I found myself relaxing. Well, as much as I could considering I was about to race Leo.

“Ready?” I looked over at him and my mouth nearly hung open at how fucking sexy he looked with water dripping from his hair and face.

“Yeah.” He took off without waiting, and I cursed.

The pool wasn’t huge, but it was big enough for a few good strokes before we reached the other side. I touched the wall a split second before Leo, letting out a triumphant whoop.

“Suck it, cheater!” I splashed water in his direction, happy my long limbs helped me seal my victory.

Leo laughed, running a hand through his wet hair. “I let you win.”

“Sure you did.” I rolled my eyes.

We swam a few more laps before settling into a comfortable float. The lapping of the water against the pool’s edge was oddly soothing.

I glanced over at Leo, who had been mostly quiet since we’d gotten in. His brow was furrowed slightly, like he was lost in thought.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

Leo seemed to snap out of whatever reverie he’d been in, his eyes focusing on me. He hesitated for a moment before speaking. “What exactly happened that night at the Christmas party?”

The question caught me off guard; I hadn’t expected him to bring that up, especially not now. “The Christmas party? What do you mean?”

“I don’t remember any of it besides small flashes here and there… like how did we go from the Christmas party up to the room to you hating my guts?”

“You really want to know that badly?” Unlike him, I remembered every detail, even though I had been drunk too.

“Yes. Tell me everything.”

Nine months earlier

I slid onto a barstool at the Diamond Lounge at the Bella Grand Hotel, not quite ready to end my night after the company Christmas party. It had been too long since I’d gone to a bar to see what the night brought, but after several drinks at the party, I was feeling… festive.

The bar was more of a lounge with comfortable seats and no nonsense for rowdy behavior. I’d expect nothing less from one of the most expensive hotels in Manhattan. A hotel that one of my boss’s families owned, along with several others in the city.

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