Page 63 of Connor

“At least youcan float without your inflatables,” Connor says as I step into the water quicker than he has time to disrobe. But he throws off his t-shirt and steps in just after me, grabbing my hand and keeping me close. I bite down a grin at his protectiveness, his moves swift, almost panicked.

“That I can,” I say, smiling.

“You have no fear of the water, do you?” he asks, almost gobsmacked, and I shake my head.

“No. Not at all. I probably should, but…” I shrug, not really sure where my lack of fear comes from. I guess, having not been around it, it’s not like I have a fear of the water or anything; I just don’t have the ability to swim. Like someone may not have the ability to do some yoga poses. But I’m hopeful with practice that I can do it.

“So how is it that you never learned how to swim?” he asks as the water gets deeper. My heart races a little because I haven’t been this deep before when walking in. Usually, I’m floating about now.

“I’ve got you.” Still able to touch the bottom, he pulls me to him, my body gliding through the water to him effortlessly, and I hook my arms around his neck.

“We were never a water family, really. It wasn’t our thing. No one has ever offered to teach me to swim before,” I tell him as his large hands grip on to my waist. Our bodies are used to each other now, yet the sensation still makes me gasp when my breasts push up against his bare chest.

“If you’re coming down here, then I want you to at least be able to get yourself out of trouble if needed. To be able to get to the edge quickly and safely,” he says, and I can tell he’s in serious mode.

“Okay, so what do I do?” I ask, keen to learn.

“Well, you can float on your back, so let’s practice you floating upright. I’m going to let go of you. I want you to move your arms around a little to keep you buoyant in the water. Do you think you can try that?”

“Sure,” I say, not really knowing exactly what he wants me to do, but I’ll try.

“I’ll be right here to grab you if you go under. Okay. One, two, three.” Suddenly, his hands are gone, and my body starts to sink. I move my hands, slight panic crawling up my skin as my mouth gets covered with water. I can see a look of complete fear in Connor's eyes before I glide my hands in a strong motion around the water and bob back up again.

“Oh my God, I’m doing it!” I shout and laugh. It’s a major workout for my arms, but I’m too excited to care.

“Good girl,” he praises me, watching my every move, like he’s ready to pounce.

“I can bob in the water! I can bob in the water!”

“Okay, I want you to see if you can do the same motion, but move toward me a little.”

I nod before I move my hands like he shows me. It’s harder than I thought, and I start to go under again. Pushing my lips together tight, my legs and arms keep moving, but I’m not making any ground, and I go under. My head completely submerges.

My panic is short-lived as large hands wrap around me and hoist me up like I weigh nothing, and I blow out the breath I was holding.

“I’ve got you. You’re alright,” he murmurs, his hands firmly on me, not letting me go as I brush the wet hair from my face and squint the water from my eyes.

“I couldn’t get the right motion. I tried to circle them, but I couldn’t move.” I frown, not liking not being able to get something right the first time.

“Try again. Take a few deep breaths and calm yourself.” I listen to him and do as I’m told to slow my breathing again.

“Alright, this time, instead of circles with your hands, I want you to pretend you’re reaching out in front of you and grabbing something, and then cupping it and pulling it back toward you.”

My mind immediately goes to a place that’s not G-rated.

“I have no idea what you’re thinking, but if you want a reward at the end, I’m more than happy to oblige,” he says with a chuckle, a wicked grin on his face.

“I always liked being the teacher's pet,” I tease, smiling, with him still holding me tightly.

“One… two… three…” he says before letting me go slowly and stepping out of reach, and I do as he says, imagining I’m grabbing an apple, cupping it and pulling it to my chest. I keep repeating the motion, my head bobbing on the surface of the water, my mouth closed and my eyes squinting due to all the splashes.

“That’s it. Keep going…” He continually steps back, and I continue to swim toward him, Connor staying just out of reach, yet close enough to grab me, should I need it. Before long, I see the water is up to his waist, which means I can probably touch the bottom. I tentatively put my feet down, feeling the solid rocks underneath as I stand.

“Oh my God, I did it!” I say with a giddy squeal, not sure I could actually do it.

“You did. That was amazing. You, my girl, are amazing,” Connor says, and I look up at him, seeing the pure pride in his eyes. I swallow, my feelings building.My girl.Was it just a turn of phrase, or does he mean the words he says? While sex together is great, I shouldn’t think I’m special. Just the right woman at the right time, maybe?

But I do wonder what it would be like to be Connor’s girl more permanently, and my feelings for him are growing every minute of every day. Surely, he wouldn’t be here on the weekend, teaching me to swim, if what we had was nothing. But then I look at the half-finished path and remember I’m here to build the spa business, and I roll my shoulders. I said it earlier as a joke, but maybe Connor is just trying to mitigate the risk of me drowning, obviously not needing that to happen for his business. I look back at him, knowing that my feelings for him are growing, and they have been ever since I met him. But I have no way of knowing if he feels the same.

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