The breeze blew, ruffling her hair, but she didn’t move to push the strands back out of her face. The intensity between us had her locked in her chair.
“I always knew when you were around.” My voice went soft. “So, I figured if he wasn’t interested . . . I’d try to show you a guy who was.”
She blinked, slowly processing all of it. “You’re saying you learned to play the guitar, because you wanted to . . . fuck me?”
My chest expanded with a deep breath, and I rubbed the pads of my fingers against my forehead. “Okay, so it doesn’t sound great when you say it like that.”
It was encouraging that she didn’t look like it sounded all that bad to her. Warmth colored her cheeks. “But we never talked.”
“I was working up to that.” I quirked the corner of my mouth into a pained smile. “Your pool is the only one I work on.”
She pressed her lips together. “Your master plan was to seduce me with clean skimmers and perfectly balanced pH?”
I laughed. “I told you, I was working on it.” I didn’t know how long she’d need after her divorce. She wasn’t dating yet, according to my mom. “Look, maybe it’s weird or it doesn’t make sense to you—but it makes sense to me. You’re hot. Us together? We’d be off the charts. And don’t act like you’re not interested.” My dirty mouth hadn’t shocked her before—in fact, she’d responded to it. I smirked as I went in for the kill. “Shit, you’re looking at me right now like you want me to bend you over this table.”
She straightened uncomfortably in her seat, which told me everything I needed to know. She was visualizing it right this second, me pulling her from her chair, getting her pants down, and bending her over until her tits were pressed against the wrought iron.
I loaded it with seduction. “You want me to?”
She tangled her fingers together in her lap, pinching her knees together. “It doesn’t matter what I want, because you can’t do that.”
Was she kidding? “Yeah, I fucking can.”
“No.” She sighed. “I mean, we can’t.”
I flexed the muscles in my jaw with annoyance. “Why not?”
“Because if I slept with you, I might lose my job.”
I . . . hadn’t thought about that, but there was an easy solution. “We don’t have to tell anyone,” I offered. “I’ve already proven I can keep a secret.”
Hadn’t I? I wasn’t talking about hiding what we’d done in the pool house from my mom or my performances at Blanche’s either. I meant the years I’d gone secretly wanting her. Waiting to strike when the time was right.
Wasn’t it now?
She sucked in a heavy breath and stared at me like she wanted to give in.
Just say yes, Erika.
“You’re asking me,” I said, “to take a chance on this audition. I think it’s only fair you take a chance on me.”
She gazed at me like she was standing on the edge of a cliff. “That’s it? Your final offer?”
“Yeah.” I was confident she was going to agree to it. How could she not?
The breeze stopped blowing, and the moment hung for an eternity. Much longer than I expected it to, and I searched her eyes for her answer.
She rose from her seat. “The pool’s been cloudy the past two days. Come see me when you’re done.”
What?
No.
It felt like I’d been punched in the chest. My mouth dropped open, and I sat in shock, watching as she strode quickly toward the house, abandoning me at the table with the two glasses of melted iced tea.
I’d fucking blown it and I didn’t know where to go now or what to do next.
I’d been so sure she’d see this was a total win-win. But she didn’t come back out of the house, and . . . I couldn’t sit there all day like the idiot I was.
I took my time while cleaning her pool, trying to come up with a way to salvage the situation. I considered my options as I tested the water, skimmed its surface, and added the right chemicals in to balance the alkalinity.
When I put away the last of the supplies and made my way across the covered patio, Erika was waiting for me just inside her house. She slid open the back door and hovered, her hand still latched on the handle. I slowed my pace as I gazed at her, confusion wiping out the things I was going to say.
She’d changed clothes, which made sense, but why was she wearing a fluffy white bathrobe when it was eighty-five degrees outside?
I was only a few feet away when she shed the robe, shrugging it off her shoulders and letting it fall until it was a heap on the floor.
My mind went blank as I took in the sight of all the dark red lace wrapped around her magnificent body. Had I died? Was I dreaming this? I traced every line and curve of the bodysuit like I was reading a secret message meant only for me.
She was so hot, I was going to damage my retinas just looking at her.
“Fuck,” I whispered.
“Yes,” she answered, her voice wavering. “We should do that.”
Erika
It took Troy only a heartbeat to process what I’d said before he had his hands on my body. He rushed at me, clasping one arm behind my back and a hand clenched on my ass, and then his mouth crushed against mine.
His kiss numbed my mind, yet filled me with fire. My heart went into overdrive as he pushed his tongue past my lips and claimed my mouth, moving in as if he had every right. It pulled a groan of satisfaction from my chest.
The door was jerked shut and we stumbled deeper into the kitchen, me backpedaling, while he advanced. The eat-in counter jutted out from a wall and sectioned the space off from the dining area, and he guided us to it.
I didn’t get a moment to catch my breath before he picked me up and plopped me down on the counter—but I gasped anyway. The stone was icy cold against my flushed, bare skin.
His mouth was needy. It moved against mine like he was starved for connection, and now that I’d finally allowed it, he was going to feast. In an instant, I was lightheaded and falling . . . only to realize he’d pushed me down onto my back. More cold stone kissed my skin, but then he was there, climbing up on the counter so he could follow me onto the peninsula.
I’d made this decision back when we’d been seated at the table, yet I’d second-guessed myself the entire time while I changed into the red lingerie I’d bought a year ago. I hadn’t bought it for Clark, I’d reminded myself while tugging it into place. I’d bought it for myself. Plus, my ex-husband had never seen it.
While I’d only gotten a glimpse of Troy’s reaction to the sexy bodysuit, it had been everything I’d hoped for and more. His eyes hazed and lips parted to take in a wild breath before he’d lunged at me.
My head was still spinning from what he’d confessed. Five years he’d wanted me, and now he’d become a man wild with lust.
It was wrong, but I couldn’t help myself. I felt exactly the same way.
What we were doing was reckless. He was my best friend’s son, and she’d never forgive this betrayal, but I was too desperate to stop. Troy and I were already past the point of no return, so I justified what was happening between us made no difference.