Page 29 of If Our Hearts Collide

They trust me. Problem is, I am starting not to trust myself with each second spent in her presence.

“Turn around.” My voice comes out raspier than expected.

Penny’s face beams with a huge smile, as she complies with my simple command. I reach for her slender waist, picking herup with ease. My vision fogs with the soft curves of her ass, while I lift her above my head. Her thighs spread around my neck.

Penny is very light, and yet I feel like the weight of the world is resting upon my shoulders. I feel her shift above me, and I grip her calves to steady her from falling, as she reaches into the water to pick up a pink pool noodle without warning.

“Game on,” she says to Angie, and then gives a fake growl.

My eyes lock with Graham’s, and he actually looks relaxed. That’s what Angie does to him though. She has a way of getting him to lose some of his rigidness.

I wonder what the right woman would do for me?

There’s no point fantasizing. My lifestyle doesn’t leave room for anyone to get close to me. I am all about work. I am a loner and a bit of a hermit. I like things done a certain way and have no qualms about avoiding anyone who disrupts my rhythm.

The only type of women I attract are those who thrive on temporary arrangements, with no long-term commitment or hope for the future.

“Three,” Angie starts.

“Two,” Penny counts down.

“One,” Claire chimes in from the pool’s edge.

“Fight,” the girls scream in unison, reminding me of what this is all about.

Then the two go at it, as the giggling gets more vocal. Claire waves her hands, chanting some made-up cheer that has some filthy connotations to it—but I can’t pay attention enough to be sure.

I steady Penny, shifting my weight in the water to dodge some of Angie’s moves. I’ve played football with both ladies before, so I know how competitive they can be, and how rules are merely suggestions to them. However, based on how Angie isn’t going full throttle, I know this is simply meant to be fun.

Everything about today has been fun.

“I don’t even know who to root for,” Claire calls out while attempting to jump during her sporadic cheer moves.

I have to laugh over Nic’s hovering. It’s as if he’s spotting a guy bench pressing in the gym. The dude needs to chill a bit, or Claire’s going to go into labor early from just the stress alone.

Penny gets a couple of good jabs in with the noodle, missing one time and hitting Graham in the face.

“Oops,” she mutters.

He laughs. “I’m starting to question if that was an accident.”

Doubling up her pool noodle, Angie catches Penny off guard, as she swings and hits her on the side. Penny giggles and loses her balance, causing us both to fall into the water. Her hands grab at my arms, as I pull her up to the surface.

“You okay?” I ask, laughing at her tangled mess of hair in her eyes. I sweep the wayward locks back, tucking some behind her ears. “There, is that better?”

Her doe-like eyes look up at me as she nods. “I appreciate it.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” I whisper, instantly regretting how impassioned it sounds.

Get your head on straight.

I pull my hands back, keeping them down at my sides. I know my way around the female body, and yet everything about Penny is foreign territory. Every touch seems different. Every emotion running through me is new.

“That was fun,” she admits.

Penny breaks eye contact and then swims to the opposite end of the pool. She exits via the stairs and then meanders over to the dessert area to fill her plate with pink French macarons and some fresh berries with whipped cream. The girls join her, and the giggle fest continues, as I catch bits and pieces of their conversation.

The night concludes with a toast to Penny, more wishes of happy birthdays, and then some sparklers in the backyard.Penny says goodbye to her brothers and their women, and then turns to me with a warm smile.

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