Page 19 of Shielding Aubree

He thought about it for a minute, seeing her cheeks heat up with embarrassment.

"Well, I'd say you're in luck."

She leaned back a little, her eyes widening. "How so?"

"I wasn't going to ask you to swim."

Aubree frowned, her forehead creasing. "We're not going to swim?"

He saw her gaze sweep around the pool deck including the water she was standing in.

"Uh... okay?"

He smiled and felt his chest swell with joy. There was just something about her...

"We're going to take a walk."

He saw her process his words and the subtle frown that touched her features.

When she turned to step out of the pool he acted on instinct and caught her hand in his.

She turned her head to look at him and damn, he'd never seen someone so beautiful.

And vulnerable.

"In the pool, Aubree."

He gave her hand what he hoped was a reassuring squeeze.

"We're going to walk in the pool."

She looked at him as if he was a little bit of crazy. "Why would wewalkin apool?"

“It's a great way to build strength but also to ease the pull of gravity on your spine. Walking or running outside of a pool, you get the full weight of gravity pulling you down. The impact on the ground jars your body. Having the buoying effect of water helps you work without all the hurt that would be involved without it. So I'd like to have you walk with me across the pool."

She turned her head to look at the far side of the pool. "That's got to be what? Eight feet?"

"You're one of those people."

She frowned instantly. "What?"

"Fuck," he swore softly under his breath. "That's not what I meant. Or at least not what I meant to say." He sighed and shook his head. "You're a literal person. Your focus is fairly linear in nature. I told you we're walking across the pool and you thought the length of it."

She nodded, slowly. He felt like she was considering the words.

Then she smiled. "So we're walking across the pool at the same depth."

He nodded and realized that he was still holding her hand.

He knew he had to let it go but not just yet.

Ruben kept a hold of it and took a step down into the pool. "I'll help you in. I don't want you to slip."

Her smile brightened more than his day. It brightened his whole outlook on life.

Finn' words slipped back into his head as she grasped his hand tighter and stepped deeper into the pool.

He kept his focus on her and saw the way her smile deepened the further she got into the pool. Once she had both feet on the floor of the pool she let out a breath and smiled.

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