“I guess that makes sense,” she replies.
“Once they get used to you being here, they’ll probably feel more comfortable with the change.” Dipping the sponge into the bucket, I bend over and put some muscle into scrubbing a dead bug off the headlight.
“Do you have sunscreen on?”
“No.” I shake my head. “I brought it out with me and forgot to put some on.”
“Well, your shoulders are looking pretty red. Want me to apply some for you?”
I glance down at one shoulder and then the other and they do appear to be getting burnt. “Fuck.” I drop the sponge in the bucket and walk over to grab the sunscreen off the deck stairs where I left it.
“Here, let me.” Juliet walks toward me with her palm outstretched. I find myself handing off the bottle without a word as I rub my wet hands on my shorts. She squirts the white lotion into her palm and passes the bottle back to me. Rubbing her hands together, she moves directly in front of me and deliberately slides her hands up my pecs and over my shoulders. Her captivating eyes reverently trace over my skin and her red tongue darts out to lick her bottom lip. Fuck. Having her hands on me is temptation personified. My jaw is clenched, teeth gritting together as I fight off the urge to kiss her.
Juliet reverses direction, sliding back down to my pecs before spreading the sunscreen over the remainder of my chest and along the tops of my shoulders. Her hands massage up the sides of my neck, her palms dragging over the thick, dark stubble as they run along the sides of my jawline. Can she feel how taught my muscles are? I’m strung so tight, I’m sure to snap like a guitar string.
Our eyes meet, her irises shimmering beneath the sunlight, and every logical thought leaves my head. My gaze skims down to her bow-shaped lips, the bottom one plump and biteable. I’m gripped with a crushing need to taste them. I lean forward, and Juliet takes a step back, eyes darting in every direction but mine.
“I should get inside. I have… uh, stuff to do.” She’s flustered.
“Yeah, I need to finish up before the soap dries.”
“See you later.” She whirls around and races to her house.
What a dumbass. I curse myself for my rash behavior. Now things are sure to be awkward between us.
Chapter Four
Emmett
“Hey, there. I was hoping I’d bump into you,” Mrs. Thatcher calls out as she walks over to stand on the strip of lawn separating the two yards.
My head swivels around and my eyes bulge when I notice the red bikini adorning her lithe frame. I’ve seen plenty of bikini clad bodies, but none as alluring as hers. The triangles of the top and the strings on each side of her bottoms are a tease. My fingers are already itching to slide the triangles apart and pull on the ends of each tie and watch them unravel. If it wasn’t for the mirrored shades I have on, she’d notice my gawking stare.
Hell, if she glances down at my groin, she’ll know how much being around her affects me. My cock automatically responds to the sight of her. I can’t seem to control my body’s impulses when she’s around. Which is why I’ve been trying to avoid her as much as possible. But here we are…
“Hi, what’s up?” I keep my tone flat. I haven’t seen her in a few days. Not since the “almost kiss”.
“I saw you vacuuming your pool and I was wondering if you could help me with something?”
Inwardly, I groan. I don’t want to spend any time alone with her. It’s too hard—in every way you can imagine. But I can’t be an asshole. It’s not her fault that I’m so attracted to her. And at this point, it goes beyond physical attraction. She’s intelligent and kind. I like talking with her and being in her company. “Sure, what do you need?”
“I can’t seem to get the vacuum to work. It’s not sucking properly.”
I bet you know how to suck properly.
Shit. Stop. I scold myself. I can’t seem to rein in the unbidden thoughts. They come as they please, usually whenever she opens her mouth.
I’d like to see her open her mouth around my… fuck. I sigh and rake a hand through my hair in frustration.
“Let me take a look and see if something’s blocking the hose.” Walking beside her, we head toward her backyard. “I used to swim in this pool all the time when I was younger. The former owners had a grandson my age.”
“Well, you’re welcome to come over and swim anytime you want. I could use the company.”
Glancing her way, I take in the gentle curve of her smiling lips. Pink and shiny, they remind me of the inside of a watermelon—my favorite fruit. I wonder if they taste as good. Are her nipples the same color? What about her—.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make things weird,” Mrs. Thatcher yanks me back to the present.
“Huh?” I question, snapping out of my lust-infused fog. “I’m sorry, I missed what you said.”
“I said, I didn’t mean to make things awkward by inviting you over.”
Shit. Now she feels bad and she has no reason to. I’m the one who made things awkward between us. I’m the one who can’t keep my feelings for her reined in. I smile to ease her concern. “No, it’s all good. In fact, how about we take a swim once I get your vacuum straightened out?”
“I think that’s a great idea.” She peers over her shoulder at me as she opens the gate on the fence surrounding her back yard. Her eyes sparkle, hinting at how lonely she truly must be if the thought of swimming with me makes her so happy.
I like Mrs. Thatcher and her mild manner. She’s so easy to be around. If it weren’t for my attraction to her, I’d want to spend more time in her company.
We continue across her expansive patio to where the hose is stretched out on the ground.
“I’m really not sure what the problem could be. I used it last week with no issues.” She tucks one side of her hair behind an ear.
“First, I’m going to run some water through and see if it’s clear.” I turn on the outdoor faucet. Grabbing the garden hose, I place it on the end of the unconnected vacuum hose. The water should run through to the other end, but it’s not. Shutting the water off, I wipe my hands on my board shorts. “Do you have a broom handle? Or a plumber’s snake? Either one could work.”
“You know, there was a broom handle left in the pool shed from the former owner. I wondered why, but I guess now I know.” She giggles. “I’ll go grab it.”
I watch her walk off toward the shed, bikini bottoms revealing the bottom of her ass cheeks. Damn. She’s got the perfect amount of jiggle going on.
Is there any part of her body that isn’t banging? I force myself to look away until she’s handing me the broom handle.
“Hopefully this works, because if it doesn’t, I’m not sure what the problem is.” Inserting the handle, I push it through as far as it will go, before repeating the same steps from the other end of the hose. “Let’s try the water test again and see if we have better luck now.” Turning on the faucet, I direct the stream of water into the end of the vacuum hose and this time it runs out the other end, along with the clump of leaves that must’ve been what was clogging it up.