Page 17 of Tempting the Player
I laugh. “It’s not exactly my idea of a good time either - everyone from school seeing me half-naked . . . not good.”
Rosie, who is slightly larger than us both, says, “It's ok for you two, you’re bloody gorgeous in your bikinis, be thankful you’re not a size eighteen and have to do it. All I need now is for Lucia’s dad to walk in and see me in my swimsuit.”
My heart speeds at the mention of Nathan. I thought that the mums had noticed him, but now I’ve had it confirmed.
“You’ve noticed Lucia’s dad have you?” I ask her.
She snorts, “Are you kidding? Have you seen him? Every mother in the schoolyard has noticed him. He’s gorgeousandsingle. He's built like he should be an underwear model - I know I’m married - but a girl can daydream, can’t she?”
Charlotte pipes up. “Yeah, he’s a bit old for me, but even I can see he’s gorgeous for his age! I wouldn’t say no, he's a DILF. Bet he had a good time when he was younger - in fact, I bet he’s still having a good time now.”
Yes, he is, with me a couple of weeks ago!
Rosie nods toward me. “We think he’s got a thing for you, Kate. He’s always watching you, coming to talk to you - we’ve all noticed.”
“What? Nah, our girls are close, that’s all, sometimes Lucia comes for dinner or Jess goes to his, so I’ve gotten to know him a bit.”
“I bet you have.” Charlotte laughs, nudging Rosie.
“Speak of the devil.” Rosie gestures behind me.
I turned around and immediately wished I hadn’t. When I focus on him, my mouth goes dry - of course, he has swim shorts that hang low on his hips so that you can see his chiselled chest, his V, and his bloody treasure trail - I've had my tongue on that treasure trail. He’s obviously been in the shower before getting into the pool because his body is glistening, then... if he doesn’t stop just before he climbs in and runs his hand through his hair. Ever seen the Diet Coke Break ad? Well, I’m in it. Every other woman thinks the same because their mouths drop open. His glistening chest and arms are covered in tattoos. It could be a male model photoshoot. He doesn’t realise that every female in the place is watching him, or if he does, he doesn’t seem to show it. His eyes find Lucia. When he sees that she’s fine, they land on mine, and he gives me a wide grin.
Charlotte mutters to Rosie, “Oh my fucking God. Iknewhe would be like that under those work clothes!”
Rosie says back. “Holy shit! And what were we saying? He can’t take his eyes off Kate.”
I’ve seen him naked. I love that they don’t know that I've seen him naked. They think Nathan in his swim gear is good, they should see the whole package! I give him a wide smile that seems to take him back a little and stop him in his tracks, not used to getting such a nice reaction from me.
I could see him naked again if I wanted to. Maybe I could have him as a boyfriend if I wanted to. And every woman in this place wants him.
Do I want to go there? The mood I’m in today . . . yes, I guess I do. What has come over me? I’m happy that I wore my favourite and sexiest bikini. It’s a black and white bikini with ties at the sides of the bottoms, and I love the way it fits me. I do feel sexy in it, and it makes my boobs seem a bit bigger than they actually are.
He steps into the pool and makes his way to Lucia and Jess, throwing them around as they try to attack him. Generally, he's having fun, while all the women watch, happy that we’re in a swimming pool so our drool has somewhere to go.
When it’s time, we get dressed to make our way upstairs to the party room. Nathan’s already there, he pats the empty seat next to him on the bench.
“Saved you a seat.”
I smile and sit next to him. “Thanks, Nate.”
The expression on his face quickly goes dark, and he leans in so that only I can hear. “Fucking love it when you call me that. Call me only that from now on . . . please.”
I blush, looking at my hands, unable to meet his eye. I actually blush.
It’s nice to relax and laugh with him when I let my barrier down. He’s good company when I’m not too busy worrying that he’s trying to get in my knickers. The children are busy eating party food and playing games; they’re not bothered if we’re there or not, so I relax with Nate and enjoy his company.
If he asks me out again, I’m going to say yes. It’s much more fun being light-hearted instead of worrying constantly. He seems to like me, he’s certainly making the effort - if he wasn’tthat bothered, he would have given up by now, and I bloody like him.
“So...” Nathan says, leaning back in his seat, eyeing me speculatively “What’s with your mood today?”
“What do you mean?” I ask, grinning at him.
“You’re being friendly . . .veryfriendly . . . flirty even. I’m wondering what I’ve done to deserve it?”
I grin and wink at him. “Maybe I'm just trying to get you to buy me a drink.” I nod to the small bar. “I’d love a latte . . . ”
He smiles at me warmly. “When I get back, I'm going to ask you out again - I'm going to take advantage of you in this mood. I want you to think about your answer while I'm at the bar, and I want you to say yes.”
