Page 83 of A World Apart
“The master bedroom?” I turned to Jihoon who nodded.
“Where’s your stuff?”
He ducked his head and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I put them in the small bedroom. I thought you could stay in here, if you wanted to.”
“That’s not fair. This is your rental, not mine. If anything, I should be in the smallest,” I said, choosing to breeze over the ‘stay’ part − for now.
“We don’t have to decide now,” he said quietly. “I’ll leave you to change and meet you at the pool, ok?”
“Sure, ok.” I said easily, not knowing what to do with the suddenly-weird air between us.
Jihoon left the room, quietly closing the door behind him as I wondered what I had said wrong.
Sighing, I tossed my backpack onto the bed and began to pick through it, but after a few moments of fruitless searching, I opted to just up-end it onto the sheets.
What spilled out was a cacophony of random items of clothing and accessories, or so it seemed, but then I began to notice things I was sure weren’t mine.
“Is this Becka’s?” I muttered to myself, holding up a scrap of lace I knew I didn’t own. Holding it by the straps to look at it more closely, I almost dropped it.
“Snacks, my ass, Rebecca Hanson!” I hissed at the offending item, the sales tag clearly visible. It was a black, lace ‘babydoll’−according to the tag. Eying it critically, I had to admit it wasn’t as bad as I’d first thought. Nothing peeped, nothing opened indecently. The top part was a plunging lace front, but the lace was pretty and not sheer. The bottom, skirt bit was sheer by comparison, but nothing a pair of underwear wouldn’t solve.
A far cry from the ratty shorts and t-shirt I normally slept in. I spotted a second one that was similar in style, but in a pretty blush pink colour. It had a large, satin bow under the bust and, on further inspection, it seemed to be holding the whole thing together.
Refusing to look at the offending items any longer than necessary, I tossed them to the side and continued hunting for a swim suit. I found undies, a sundress, shorts, bralette, and… ah-ha! A two piece that also had the tags on. It was a black, halter neck bikini and tie-string bottoms, but they seemed to blessedly be made with enough fabric that nothing would fall out. At least Becka had had the good judgment to know what wouldn’t push my boundaries too far.
I laughed when I saw the tube of suncream nestled in amongst the clothes. Being a fair skinned Brit, suncream was really a non-negotiable for me, especially in this weather.
Trying not to think too hard about anything, I changed into the swimsuit and applied the suncream liberally. Ten minutes later I opened the bedroom door, wrapped in a towel from the generously sized ensuite and padded down the hallway and down the stairs. Jihoon was nowhere to be seen, so I continued on through the house until I reached the French windows leading out to the garden.
That’s where I found him. Jihoon was stood on the grass and looking up into the trees surrounding the pool. His back was too me and he hadn’t noticed me yet, which allowed for shameless voyeurism for me. He was wearing a pair of long board shorts, but he was topless, displaying his strong, muscled back which tapered down to a narrow waist.
My mouth went dry as I stood there, looking my fill, until I must have made a noise and he turned round to face me. The full force of seeing him half-dressed made my knees feel weak. Every time I thought I was past the constant shock of how attracted I was to him, I’d see him in a whole new light. Butterflies swooped and dived in my belly and I didn’t try to fight the smile that inched up my face as we stood, looking at one another. His own gaze lingered as they traveled up my body, despite the towel I had wrapped around me, and for the first time, I felt a sort of… equality in our relationship dynamic.
After a moment, he held out his hand to me. I walked out and past the stepping stones towards him, sliding my hand into his once he was close enough to touch. He rubbed his thumb back and forth over the back of my hand.
“Do you want to get in?” he asked.
“Yes, absolutely,” I said. The heat of the day, while well past its zenith, still lingered in the air, and honestly, the thought of sliding into that clear pool of water was irresistible.
Jihoon squeezed my hand before letting it go. He sat down on the ledge before sliding into the pool in one graceful movement. It wasn’t too deep this end, enough that when he stood, the water came up to his ribs, and I was momentarily again distracted by his bare chest, the water sliding down it in a way I almost envied.
Jihoon ran a hand through his wet hair, bringing my attention back to his face, a smirk tugging up his lips, letting me know he’d caught me looking.
I flushed and hastily knelt down and then swung my legs round so they were dangling in the water over the edge of the pool. He held my gaze as my handsloosened their hold on the towel I still clung to and, heart pounding, I lowered the thick fabric to the sides and let it fall to the grass.
Jihoon waded closer until his chest was nearly brushing against my legs. His gaze was locked onto mine, unwavering, as he placed his hands on my knees, slowly guiding them apart. He slipped between them, his palms gliding up my bare thighs until he was pressed against the edge, his face level with my chest, which rose and fell with each unsteady breath. His hands left a trail of fire up my thighs, the burn settling into my hips as he grasped them firmly. His fingers tightened, drawing a gasp from me, my mouth parting slightly. I held his gaze, feeling the desire in his eyes and knowing it was mirrored in my own.
My hands trembled as I brought them up to cup his face, tilting it just so as I lowered to brush my lips over his.
Each of the times before when we’d kissed, it had been Jihoon who’d kissed me, now it was me kissing him and oh, how I’d missed him.
He opened his mouth without hesitation and I pressed against him more firmly, needy energy pulsing through me in a way I fought to satisfy. I ran my tongue against his full lower lip, and he groaned into my mouth, which only made me more greedy. There was too much space between our bodies, I tried to lessen it by pressing myself against him, but I couldn’t manage it with this angle. Jihoon seemed to sense what I needed, as he tugged on my hips, which tore my lips from his, but tilted my pelvis as I slid further off the ledge. Jihoon was right there, a physical wall of muscle and warm skin and as I slid into the pool, I wrapped my arms around his neck, sliding down his body in a way that made my abdomen clench in desire.
Fully in now, I held tight to his neck, our bodies pressed close, no room even for the water to lap between us. I felt each rise of his chest against mine, each shaky exhale stirring my hair.
This time, when he kissed me, it was with a different kind of fire that set ablaze the need in my chest. It was sweeter, less all-consuming but deeper, as if the embers were burning through my skin and into my heart, rather than setting me ablaze.
His hands roamed gently over my back, soothing me. My own hands smoothed up his neck, fingers twisting into the damp strands of his hair, long enough for a gentle tug. I gave a playful nip to his lip before pulling away.
