Page 40 of One Short Summer

Still no answer. Not a single peep.

She should be home. It’s Sunday, and if she goes anywhere, she usually tells me first.

We spent the rest of yesterday in kind of a daze. After the hospital visit, we had a quiet dinner and Monica crashed pretty soon after, probably from a mixture of the “almost-accident” and the exhaustion from the trip.

Thankfully, she seemed to be in good spirits this morning when she poked her head into my office. I was on a phone call, but she was all smiles, whispering she was going to work out and dance.

Dance.

She’s really doing it again. On a daily basis too. I’ve never been more grateful for building a large gym in the basement.

After working on some marketing the rest of the morning, I decided it was time for a break. I still haven’t had a breakthrough with my story, but it seems like there’s never a lack of work for an author, even when the words don’t want to come.

I make my way into the kitchen, hoping to find a clue about where Monica disappeared to. Since there’s no note anywhere on the counter, or the fridge, I go over to the window and exhale loudly.

Maybe the picturesque scenery can help quiet my mind. It’s been extra busy these last few days with everything going on.

My breath finally slows down, when—

“Monica?” Her name comes out in a low groan.

Fucking hell. This woman will be the end of me.

At least I found her, floating on her back in the pool like she doesn’t have a care in the world, her small figure trying to become one with the water around her. Of course, she stands out like a sore thumb in her swimsuit—if you can even call that little piece of fabric one.

Well, I definitely know where she is, all right.

Her and her barely there swimsuit.

Without thinking about it, my hands are in my hair, scratching my skull. Usually, that motion calms me down. Right now, not so much. Not that it surprises me. Monica has thrown my world upside down since she barged into my life.

I have to admit, it’s been a lot more fun though.

Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes for a moment.

When I open them again, Monica is standing in the shallow side of the pool, waving at me. She has a big smile on her face like I’m her favorite person in the whole wide world. Or maybe because she just caught me with my face pressed against the window, like this is a candy store and I’m salivating over the goodies.

The goodies being her in this case.

Just great.

My hand goes to the doorknob, and it squeaks when I grab it a little too hard. To be honest, I wouldn’t even care if I ripped that thing completely off its hinges right now. It might actually help take some of that tension off of me. My back muscles are strung so tight, I feel like I’m getting ready to go into battle.

With this woman, I might just be. It’s not like I have much of a clue when it comes to her.

“Hey, Charming.” Monica’s voice carries across the backyard as I step out of the house.

I push my hands into my jeans pockets and make my way over to her, all the while telling my body to stop the inappropriate thoughts about her in that bathing suit. I don’t need to walk over there with an apparent boner. Despite the warm temperatures, the grass is a lot cooler under my bare soles. At least it provides a distraction for all of two seconds.

When I reach her a moment later, she gives me another big smile. It’s quiet around us, the only sound the soft bubbling of the water in the adjacent hot tub. Her body is almost fully submerged in the water again, and I’m equally relieved and disappointed.

My thoughts from yesterday come to the forefront of my mind, reminding me of the decision I made. The fact that I want her however I can, even if our time is limited until she goes back to work. I still don’t think that means I can just jump her bones though. Since I want to make sure she wants this too, I’ve been waiting to see if she’s going to make another move.

“What’s up?” Monica brushes her hands across the surface, the water moving in soft waves around her. Her hair is piled up on top of her head, a few strands framing her face, the red in it shimmering in the sunlight.

So dang gorgeous.

I pull one of the patio chairs closer to the edge and sit down. “I needed a break, so I came looking for you to see what you’re up to.”

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