Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 61851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Done being bossed around, he set down the trimmer and crossed the yard, kicking off his shoes and removing his socks as he neared the pool. Her gaze settled on him as he ripped off his damp T-shirt and tossed it aside, leaving him in just his shorts.
Her lips parted—which almost made him grin. “What are . . . you . . . you doing?” she stuttered as he drew closer, while he enjoyed watching as she finally realized he’d gained some power in their little dynamic. “You’re not done with the trimming!”
“I am for now.” He continued toward her, even as she tried to paddle away from the deep end with her hands. “I think I need to cool off.”
Grinning, he gave himself a small running start, and just as he reached the edge of the pool, he jumped up, tucking his legs beneath him with his arms holding them in place as he catapulted himself toward the deep end.
“Derek . . . Nooo!” Jessica yelled.
It was too late to stop him and all he felt was smug satisfaction as he dive-bombed into the cool water—creating a huge splash that produced a turbulent wave strong enough to tip over Jessica’s floatie, unceremoniously dumping her into the pool.
He rose to the surface at the same time she did, a good six feet away, with her sputtering for air and staring at him in shock. Her sunglasses were gone, and half of her wet hair had come loose from the clip on her head. She looked adorable, even with that peeved look on her face.
“That was a total jerk move,” she said, using the palm of her hand to splash water toward him, but he was too far away to hit him square on.
“Yeah, well, you deserved it after bossing me around all afternoon, just to make things more difficult. So this time, maybe I wanted a bit of payback.”
He swam toward her and she backed away, turning so she could move faster. He kept it up, slowly, deliberately, playfully stalking her around the pool. Every time she looked back to see where he was, her eyes flashed not with panic but with a goddamn gleam of fire. Daring him to catch her. She was such a tease, and he couldn’t resist the chase, his body rock hard at the thought of what he’d do to her if he captured her at last.
She dipped beneath the surface and kicked off, heading to the opposite side of the pool, but he was faster, and when she popped back out of the water, he was right there. She let out a startled scream and backed up, cornering herself against the edge of the pool.
With a warning smirk, he closed the distance and braced his hands on either side of her body. “Gotcha,” he murmured, all the pent-up sexual tension heating up between them again.
She licked her pink, wet lips. “Now that you have me, what are you going to do with me?” she whispered, looking up at him with water droplets sparkling on her lashes.
His gaze fell to her sassy mouth. He knew what he wanted to do, and he was also well aware that Jessica was all but inviting him to kiss her again. Those lips beckoned to him, and desire churned hot and heavy in his veins—despite his vow to keep his hands, mouth, and other body parts to himself.
Clearly, he hadn’t thought through catching and trapping her, or her cheeky what are you going to do taunt.
Her question haunted him and he forced out his reply. “Not a fucking thing,” he said, regret in his tone as he pushed himself away, not missing her disappointment. “I need to finish up the yard work, and you should probably go take a shower and get ready for your girls’ night out.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that,” she said, turning around and wading out of the pool.
Water dripped off her curves, and everything in him wanted to scream, Screw it and pounce on her. Take what he wanted. What she offered. Because resisting was torment for them both, but he was the one enforcing the “no touching” rules.
But he didn’t do any of those things.
As she walked away without looking back, he couldn’t help but wonder how long he was going to last before his good intentions went to hell and his control snapped.
And what would happen then?
Chapter Ten
Jessica took a long, hot shower, shampooing the chlorine out of her hair and using a body scrub to exfoliate her skin. All the while, she tried not to let her frustration with Derek get the best of her or dampen her enthusiasm for the evening’s fun she planned to have with her friends at Club Ten29.
This afternoon, she’d definitely enjoyed the easy flirtation and light banter between them until things had taken a very tempting turn in the pool. He’d come so close to kissing her again, and a fluttering sensation took up residence in her stomach at the memory of how desperately she’d ached to feel his lips on hers a second time . . . only to be denied.