Page 52 of Enemies with Benefits
"As much as the sound of a child having fun?"
"Mmm, when you put it like that, I sound like a terrible person."
"No, just an asshole."
"It says something about you that you think there's a distinction between the two. I'm not sure what it says, but it does say something."
"It means that, unlike some people, I know you're not a bad person. You just tend to be an asshole on occasion."
"Don't think I didn't see your eyes dart to someone when you said that."
"Mmm."
That someone being Jace, of course. He was the one currently making Micah scream like he was being burned by the pool rather than just being tossed around like he weighed nothing. Then again, other than being tall for his age, he wasn't all that big, and Jace wasn't a weak man, as I could attest personally. The result was Micah being tossed around like a ragdoll andclearlyhaving the time of his life.
While I was settled on how I felt about Micah, I was glad the kid was having a blast, even if it meant blowing out my eardrums in a room that was practically built to amplify sound. I was still trying to sort out how I felt about watching Jace. On the one hand, in the couple of weeks since our little...well, I suppose I could call it a rendezvous for the fun of it, in the supply closet, I'd been trying to figure out my feelings about him. I was normally pretty good at figuring out how I felt, and even when the feelings conflicted with one another, like Micah's noise making, I was still good at accepting that apparent conflict, or in some cases, ambiguity, and moving on with my life without being troubled.
Not so much with Jace, though. He had always been a source of vexation, and clearly, something decided that wasn't going to change. Well, I suppose it had changed, but now it was just the way he vexed me.
He still got on my nerves by simply being himself, which had always been a gift he was apparently never going to be rid of, and I wasn't going to be rid of it either, since he was clearly warming up to the idea of sticking around. No, now I had the added layer of dealing with that old, if not outright familiar, feeling of annoyance on top.
As I watched him emerge from the water to give Micah another toss, I was given an eyeful of a prime example of that new...layer. My eyes, thankfully hidden behind a pair of dark glasses, roamed over him instantly and without the slightest permission from me. For a moment, I felt a familiar and normally welcome sense of hunger as I took in the sight of his body, hard and toned from diligent training, water from the pool clinging to the dark swirls of hair on his chest and the small but thick patch that slid down out of sight beneath swim trunks that wereclingingto his body from the water.
Of course, back when our feud had been strong and ongoing, I would have denied he was attractive in any way, shape, or form, mostly because I was still in denial about finding any guy even remotely attractive. Denial was one hell of a potent force, even for someone who grew up with a mom who had been as comfortable with anyone outside of the norm as she was wearing clothes, and a dad who had apparently had a couple of boyfriends before falling in love with my mom. The rest of my denial would have come from the fact that it was Jace, and why the hell would I give him any credit, even if it was winning the genetic lottery?
I was not that same stubborn teenager who refused to admit things that were right in front of him. Now I was astubborn adult who had learned at least a little to admit, however grudgingly, that even someone you despised could still be attractive. Of course, that was perfectly fine in my book. Still, the water got a lot more muddied when you realized you not only admitted that person was attractive, but you were actively, overwhelmingly attracted to them.
Yet here I was, practically stripping Jace out of those skintight board shorts with my eyes, and glad I was old enough that even being attracted to someone didn't automatically create a boner. Of course, if I let my thoughts obsess too much over what I was seeing, then the inevitable physical reaction would creep up on me, and lying on the pool chair would no longer be feasible. Well, not if I didn't want to give everyone in the vicinity a show, and considering some of the people around were my family, it was probably not a good idea.
"So," I said, bringing the conversation back before I let my thoughts get out of control. "Were you trying to say I'm an asshole to him? Or were you calling him a bad person?"
"Really?" Dom asked with a snort.
"What? Both ideas have merit."
"One a lot more than the other."
"Him being a bad person."
"Jesus," Dominic groaned, and despite the annoyance, I had the distinct impression there was some amusement in his voice. "Seriously, what is it with you two? I mean, you can't have a normal conversation about him that he's not even a part of without taking a shot at him. And he can't look at you without looking like he's trying to summon a lightning bolt to smite you on the spot."
"Look, if he had that kind of in with the Almighty, he would have me...is it smited or smitten?"
"Smote."
"Really? Weird."
"English is weird."
"Yeah, well, glad I don't have to rely on using it for a living. I'd be fucked."
"And I'm sure being fucked would be such a horror for you," Dominic said as he rolled onto his stomach. I wasn't sure why he was bothering to rotate, it wasn't like anyone was going to be getting any sunlight today. "But yes, you are an asshole sometimes, especially when it comes to him."
"I have good reason."
"It's funny you say that, when you've literally given a reason."
"Sure have, he's a dick to me."
