Page 145 of Just This Once

“Yes! And there’s achildin your backyard if you haven’t noticed. Which is why I’d really like a towel.Right now.”

He glanced over and finally saw the kid. “Yeah. That’s Lawson,” he told me matter-of-factly. “He lives here.”

My mouth sagged open. “Since when do you live with children?”

Turning back to me, he furrowed his brow. “For about a year now. Why are younakedin the pool?”

“Because I wanted to know what it’d be like to skinny-dip,” I gritted out. And so far, it wasn’t all rainbows and sunshine, that was for sure. “It’s on my bucket list.”

Parker shook his head, scowling in confusion. “No, it isn’t.”

I widened my eyes at him in warning. “Well, I just put it on there, okay?” I snapped, losing my temper. “Now, could you getme a towel? I think I’ve traumatizedLawsonenough for one day.”

Parker transferred his attention to the other side of the pool. “Kiddo?” he asked hesitantly. “You okay, bud?”

“I—She—” The boy pointed at me. “I saw her?—”

Parker’s eyebrows lifted with interest, and his lips tightened as if he were trying not to smile. “You saw her…what?”

“Oh my God!” I cried in outrage. “He saw everything, okay? I was climbing out of the water, and when I looked up, he was just standing there, staring.”

Parker glanced between the kid and me one more time before he cracked a snort.

Yes, the bastard actually dared to laugh at my distress.

“Parker Roman Ohrley,” I seethed. “Get me a goddamn towel. Right fucking now.”

“Hey, hey,” he cautioned, lifting a hand in reproach. “Watch your language around the kid, will you?”

“Thatkid—” I sputtered. “Just ogled my tits and kitty cat and everything in between. I’m going to say his innocence has already been thoroughly compromised for today.”

Parker glanced at the boy and laughed outright this time, not even bothering to hide his mirth anymore.

“Oh for the love of Pete,” I muttered, still tucked neck-deep in the water and hugging one hand around my chest and the other between my legs.

“Here you go, dear,” a female voice told me

Whirling from Parker, who couldn’t seem to stop laughing, I found a middle-aged woman coming forward and holding up a big, fluffy, white towel.

“Oh my God, thank you,” I gushed. “Bless you to the moon and back,” I told her, snagging it from her hand, but still unable to wrap it around me until I got out of the water.

“Mm-hmm,” she murmured, turning away as soon as she handed the towel over. “Lawson,” she snapped. “Turn away right this instant and give the girl some privacy, will you? You too, Bill.”

Bill?

I swiveled my attention toward the backyard, only to find an older man with a big, shit-eating grin on his face and a long-handled pair of trimming shears slung over his shoulder.

My eyes widened as I wondered how the hell longhe’dbeen standing there, watching the show.

Tipping his hat in greeting, he turned his back at the same time the boy did.

“Who the hellarethese people?” I hissed at Parker when he finally held a hand down to help me out of the water.

I accepted, and he pulled me up, lifting his eyebrows at my hard nipples before he helped wrap the towel around me.

“This is my gardener, Bill Porter, housekeeper, Sharon Porter, and their grandson, Lawson Porter. They stay in the main house. Guys,” he called out to let them know they could look again. “This is my friend, Hope Langston. I met her at the grief center when we were kids.”

“Langston?” Lawson cried in surprise, whirling back around to gape between me and Parker. “You mean, the Langston who you’ve never been able to beat at Mario Kart?”

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