Page 17 of The Book Signing

“I’ve decided the reset of the afternoon needs to end by the pool.” He says casually, confidence rolling off in waves.

I cross my arms and walk over to him, quirking my eyebrows.

“It’s a large resort. We might not even see each other so soon. Don’t get your hopes up.” I tease.

Jaxon rewards me with one of his smirks and says, “Oh, don’t worry about that. See, I forgot to mention we are three doors apart.” He winks and leaves, shutting the door behind him.

I roll my eyes as the white plank of wood closes in front of me, because I bet he uses that charm with all the ladies.

Why would I be any different? Get over it, Abigail. Don’t fall so easily for his charms–any guy can call you stunning. Actually, they have.

With a sigh, I stalk over to my suitcase and find my yellow polka dot bikini, then shuck off my jeans and remove my top. Looking at myself in the mirror as I undress, my gaze focuses on my near naked body.

“Gosh, I really need to get new underwear and bras. Maybe buy some lingerie?”

But only for myself. I need to remember it’s for me, not foranyone else.

I strip and change into my bikini, adjusting my boobs so they don’t look like they’re going to fall out of the cup, then quickly wrap my hair into a bird’s nest bun. I do a quick check in the mirror. My face still has left over makeup from this morning, and I accept that as enough. I’m not here for a beauty pageant. Even with Jaxon in my vicinity.

Grabbing a towel, I slip on my sandals, grab my cell, and, of course, my sunglasses.

The moment I shut the door behind me, I find Jaxon standing outside, waiting for me. And holy shit on sticks, he looks built.

His abs are like fucking ripples and the smooth skin that runs down to a V, leaving the rest up to my imagination. And man, that bulge beneath the green board shorts…

Snap out of it, Abigail. You’ve just been starved of good dick, that’s all.

“Wow,” is all he says when he looks me up and down, gawping at me. The way his captivating eyes scrutinize my body makes me self-conscious where before, I used to take this position to my advantage.

“Okay, let’s go.” I gesture, trying to stop him from staring at me.

He must get the picture since he turns and adjusts his towel over his shoulder, giving me a glimpse of his anchor tattoo.

One day I’ll get it out of him. Or at least, I’ll try before I leave.

We walk in comfortable silence until we arrive at the outdoor swimming pool, only to find it empty.

“Huh, that’s not what I expected. Where is everyone?” Jaxon says with a furrowed brow.

“There is some rugby game on that Australians love watching. It’s Football, I think. Still, I would have expected others to still be around.” I say, recalling someone mentioning that at reception yesterday when I checked in.

It’s like the universe put us in this position just to mess with us.

Jaxon shrugs and puts his towel down onto a cabana lounge.

“No complaints from me.” Then turns and dives into the pool, his body leaving ripples in the water.

I slip off my sandals and toe the warm water and sigh in contentment, my body loving the inviting temperature.

“Dive in!” Jaxon shouts with a sexy grin once he appears above the water, pushing back his wet fringe.

“No. I’ll gracefully slide into the pool. I probably look like a hippo falling into water whendiving.” I laugh at the imagery and shake my head. “No, thank you.”

Jaxon doesn’t laugh with me, instead he says, “Trust me, with your body, you aren’t even close to a hippo. It’s a good look at a woman to be confident in herself. Guys like that,”

“Oh, so deep Jaxon.” I tease as I slip into the warm water and then add, “I’m confident enough to say that I have no self-esteem issues. I just foresee me diving into a pool not quite so delicately.” When I find my footing, I push forward and swim over to the other end.

It doesn’t seem to deter Jaxon from keeping his distance, which is something I’m needing. His presence is clouding my mind, and I’m not here to focus on men. With Jaxon around, it makes things tricky, and every time I see him, I get more attracted.

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