Page 41 of One Short Summer

She shrugs her shoulders, hernakedshoulders. The skin that peeks out of the pool with the movement is slightly rosy and slick with water.

Shoulders shouldn’t be this sexy.

Who am I kidding? This woman is a walking temptation, from her head all the way down to her toes, and I’m absolutely sure she knows it too. She was out of her comfort zone for a while during her recovery, but she seems to be back for good, confidence and all.

“You deserve a break. Want to join me in the hot tub?” Her voice is low as she looks at me from under her eyelashes.

I might be staring at her a little too long because she starts chuckling. My eyes are trained on her as she steps out of the pool, walking in my direction.

I’m not sure what possesses me, but I just stand there like an idiot, following her every move as my gaze slowly wanders away from her face and down her water-clad body.

The black swimsuit she’s wearing has a big cutout in the front. It shows her skin almost all the way down to her belly button while the sides barely cover her breasts. Her legs are smooth and toned, and my fingers are itching to touch them.

Before I know it, she’s right in front of me. She places her wet hands on my T-shirt, getting up on her toes, putting her face mere inches away from mine. “So, how about the hot tub, big guy?”

Chapter Fifteen

Monica

Gabe’s breathis warm on my face as we stare at each other. He doesn’t answer my question, and I’m momentarily too wrapped up in his gaze to ask again. Even though we started talking about what happened between us, we haven’t directly come to a conclusion with all the craziness going on after Dahlia’s accident.

All I know is, I couldn’t forget about our moment even if I wanted to.

Which, for the record, I don’t.

Not one bit.

That moment in the dance studio will be burned into my memory forever. The way he kissed me back after the initial shock had worn off was extraordinary, to say the least. Absolutely phenomenal. Perfect even.

Just the memory alone makes me shiver.

“Are you getting cold? Do you want to go inside?” He hasn’t moved away from me yet, and I enjoy being this close to him. His words are a low murmur, causing even more goose bumps to pop up on my skin.

Most definitely not from the temperatures though.

“Nope.” My voice sounds strained and when his eyes flicker to mine, I can’t help but lower my gaze, those nice lips of his vying for my attention. My own lips tingle in response as if they remember the kiss too, the memory of it releasing an almost desperate need in me. “I’m just going to warm up in the water in a minute.”

I not only feel but also hear his breath falter for a second, and use that exact moment to take the few steps to the hot tub, having absolutely no doubt he’s checking out my backside. The warm water feels perfect as I carefully step inside it, turning back around to look at Gabe over my shoulder. “Are you coming, Charming?”

His eyes snap up to my face.Bingo.

Caught in the act.

I watch him quietly, hearing the wheels spin from all the way over here. Because this is Gabe. He has a lot of awesome traits, but I wouldn’t necessarily call him adventurous or spontaneous.

I practically wait for him to either tell me no or to go inside to get changed first.

To play things safely. To be cautious and think things through.

What I don’t expect, and have a hard time wrapping my head around, is Gabe standing just a few feet away from me, slowly taking off his clothes.

Right here, in front of me.

Who would have thought?

This moment seems too monumental to even attempt hiding the big, goofy smile that threatens to split my face in half.

Moving over to the edge of the hot tub, I prop up my face on my hands while unabashedly watching him. “Well, look at you, big guy. Coming over to the wild side.”

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