Page 7 of Dear Brother's Best Friend
“Dinner with my fiancée tonight!” Hayden calls out to us as we get out of our rental. “Don’t wait up!”
Jodie looks concerned at me like she wants to ask how it went, but Hayden is determined they get going. I give her a nod and thumbs up. It's the least I can do to help ease her mind so that she can relax tonight. She visibly relaxes in her seat and mouths, “thank you,” to me. They both need alone time. The wedding has consumed their lives for so long that I'm sure they need to get back to focusing on just them.
"Are you hungry?" Dylan asks as we walk into the bungalow and set down our bags.
“I’m still full from our late lunch,” I say, resting my hand on my stomach.
"Well then, I guess it's time to get on our swimsuits."
I groan. “I thought you were just kidding about that.”
“Nope.” He shakes his head. “You agreed to it. Plus, I don’t like the idea of you not knowing how to swim. It’s dangerous not to have that skill.”
“You aren’t going to let up, are you?”
“Not a chance.”
“Fine, but when this goes badly, you have no one to blame but yourself,” I call out to him as I head into my room to change.
I can hear through my open window when Dylan dives into the pool. It sounds like he’s doing a few laps. I step lightly over to the window and watch as he glides through the water, the muscles in his back moving with each stroke in the illuminated pool.
Butterflies flutter in my lower belly as I watch him. I've done everything I could to keep from letting my guard down around Dylan. I know all too well the pain of heartbreak from loving someone that doesn't love you in return. I can’t get lost in whatever is happening with him. His one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn is something I always hoped for but never dreamed it could happen.
“Are you coming down?” Dylan calls out, making me jump.
“Be right there!”
I grab my beach towel and check myself one last time in the mirror. I'm already regretting the two-piece suit that I packed. My plan wasn't to wear it in front of anyone I know, especially Dylan, but since it's the only bathing suit I have, I don't have many options.
My soft curves fill out in the shape of an hourglass. It won’t look so bad once I’m in the water. I decide to wrap the towel around me and head down.
Dylan is still doing laps by the time I get to the edge of the pool. He stops just in front of me, wipes the water from his face with his hands, and pushes his hair back.
“Are you coming in?” he asks, looking me up and down.
I clutch the towel tighter to me as I dip my toes into the pool. If the water is cold, I’m not going to get in, but the heated water feels fantastic.
“Any chance I can just sit on the edge and learn by watching you?”
“Nice try, Cassidy. I forgot how much you like to argue with people.”
“I’m not arguing. I’m simply asking if there is another way to learn how to swim.”
“Without getting in the pool? No.”
“Fine,” I roll my eyes. “Turn around then.”
He laughs. “What for?”
“So I can get in without all my bits on display.”
"You're beautiful. I don't know why you think you need to hide."
The way his eyes widen in surprise, I’m assuming the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them.
Does Dylan think I'm beautiful?
He turns around without another word, allowing me to step down the ladder. The water comes up just below my breasts. When Dylan turns around, I watch as his eyes dart down to my cleavage and then back up to me. Only this time, he doesn’t try to hide the fact that he’s looking. He’s not embarrassed, and neither am I. I like the feeling of womanly beauty I feel when he looks at me.
