Page 91 of Wild Catch
“We had a massive pool when I was a kid. It was the only place where no one in the house bothered me,” I volunteer, shocking myself.
“Really?” Her head tilts, the tips of her wet hair sending droplets down her face. “Wasn’t that dangerous for a kid?”
Oh, yeah. But it was the least dangerous thing in that house.
The fact that I’m even able to string a sentence now means that the water is helping. Except that the ripples seem to push her closer, and if we collide I don’t know what I’ll do.
But then a little voice talks. “Can you teach me how to do that?”
Both Rose and I turn to find a girl standing by the edge of the pool. I give her around ten years old, and a fifteen out of ten for the floatie around her that has a giant flamingo head.
“Teach you what, sweetie?” Rose asks in a very different voice from what she uses for me. This one is all kind and calm.
“Not you, him.” The kid points at me. “I want to make a big splash like that.”
“Do you know how to swim?” I comb my wet hair back from my face.
She raises her chin defiantly. “Yes, I do.”
“And would your parents give the same answer?” I ask, and this time she falters.
Rose wades over to the edge, keeping her eyes on me. She mouthssmartat me before addressing the kid. “Who are your parents, sweetie? We should talk with them before Logan can give you the tutorial.”
My eyebrow twitches. Rose is trying to haul herself out of the water, too far from the ladder but too proud to admit how her arms tremble.
Tucking my tongue against my cheek, I reach for her waist again. Despite the water, it’s still a shock to touch her bare skin. It’s even more of a shock when I lift her and gain a front row view of her perfect butt.
“Marty! Marty.” A new voice joins, and I watch as Miguel Machado breaks through a group of people to come over. His eyes are set on the kid. “I told you not to get out of my sight.”
The girl stomps her bare foot and her expression turns into grumpiness personified. “But I want to swim. I don’t want to talk with boring adults.”
Rose now sits by the pool next to the girl, but her attention turns to me as I pull myself out of the water. I kneel to stabilize myself before sitting down half facing the pool, half facing everyone else.
And Rose’s eyes are still on me, everywhere at once. Blatantly.
Okay, so… I affect her some. Good to know.
Or not. Maybe it’s worse to know.
It takes herculean effort to shift my attention from her to my new teammate.
“We’re going to swim after the conversation ends.” Machado kneels in front of the girl, the massive gold chain and crucifix around his neck swinging with the motion. He grabs the kid’s shoulders and looks into her eyes all serious. “Did I also not say to keep out of the deep end?”
“You did.” The girl scrunches her face.
“She wants to learn how to cannonball like Logan,” Rose supplies, grinning as the kid turns her glare on her.
I tense as Machado glances at Rose. But then something interesting happens. His eyes stay on her face, and there are no funny sparks even as he grins in return, like maybe he’s nowhere as interested in her as I am.
On the one hand that makes him a fool. On the other hand it means he can stick around.
“Thanks for ratting her out.”
“I hate you,” the girl hisses at Rose.
I snort, and this pulls their attention to me.
“Hey, Kim,” Machado says before pointing his lips at the girl. “This is my daughter, Martina. She prefers to be called Marty.”
