by Ford, Aria
“What was that? You have a cramp?” he shouted.
I ignored him. I wasn’t about to tell him he was throwing me off. I made a few more laps, focused my attention and was ready by the time I made it back to the edge of the pool.
“Today we’re going to keep working on your speed in the pool. Tomorrow I want to spend some time in the gym, working your core,” he was saying, all businesslike.
“Okay, sounds good to me,” I said, looking forward to getting out of the pool. I loved to swim, but being in the water four to five hours a day, swimming back and forth like a fish tended to get tedious. I loved meets, but I didn’t love the repetitive laps that came with training to improve speed and form.
“Let’s go!” he said, clapping his hand, pulling up the stopwatch he wore around his neck.
I spent the first hour listening to him shout at me and feeling like a complete failure. Every time I thought I was getting better, he had another complaint. Tanner was a terror. A good terror, but he bordered on Nazi.
When I made it back to the edge of the pool, ready to take a breather, I looked up to see him pulling off his shirt. He always wore shorts, like he was ready to jump in a pool or the ocean at any second. The next thing I knew, he jumped in.
“What are you doing?” I asked in surprise. My eyes were stuck on his muscular chest. He was casually swimming toward me, his eyes holding mine.
“I’m going to show you what I want,” he said.
The words were full of heat. I nodded my head, ready to do anything he asked.
“Watch,” he ordered a second before he took off, springing away from the wall.
I watched but probably not at what he was asking me to watch. I watched his strong arms cut through the water, the muscles in his back, stretching and pulling with every reach. His legs, long and muscled, stretched out behind him.
He was making his way back to me, where I was standing in the shallow end. He was staring at me in a way that made my belly feel like warm honey.
When he was within reach, he stopped, his green eyes still holding mine.
“Lindsey,” he said in a husky voice. His gaze roamed my body before coming back to hold my own.
I slowly walked toward him, the water lapping around my chest as I moved. I had no idea what I was doing. I knew it was wrong, but this invisible pull had me in a vise I couldn’t break free of.
His arm reached out, below the water, grabbing my waist, pulling me toward him. He kept pulling me in until my body was pressed into his bare chest. I knew it was coming, but I couldn’t have possibly been prepared for how good it felt when his lips touched mine. It felt like I had been waiting forever to taste him. I wasn’t about to let the opportunity pass me by.
His arms snaked around me, holding tight before his hands moved to my butt, squeezed and yanked me closer to his groin where I could feel his hard length. I moaned when his tongue drove between my lips and began a duel with my own tongue.
“Tanner,” I breathed when he pulled back.
“Lindsey—”
I stopped what he was going to say by running my hand into his hair and shoving his head back down to mine. I devoured him, telling him with my actions that I wanted this in every way.
“Don’t stop,” I said in a clear voice when his mouth left mine.
“I have no intention of doing that,” he said before slamming his mouth into mine. Heat coursed through my body. His erection was pushing against me, and I wanted to feel it in me. I dropped my hand between his legs and massaged him through his swim trunks.
He pulled back, staring into my eyes a second before he started yanking at my swimsuit. He yanked down one strap, my breast popped out, distracting him from his task. His mouth came down on my nipple, suckling before using his teeth to gently nibble.
“Oh.” I fought back the shout that nearly erupted when his teeth grazed over my breast before moving up my neck.
His hand worked at the other strap, yanking it down my arm. At the same time, his leg moved forward between mine, demanding I spread my legs. I obliged and was rewarded with his hard thigh pressed against my pussy. I moved forward, rubbing against it, relishing in the feel of his hardness.
His hands were on my breasts, “Ride me, Lindsey,” he demanded as he squeezed and cupped my breasts before putting his mouth on my other nipple.
My back arched as I rubbed against his leg, pushing harder and being rewarded with a lovely sensation that spiraled through my body. I was wet. I was ready.
“Please,” I groaned, my head back, my breasts pushing up and out, begging for more.
He stepped back, “Take off the suit, Lindsey.”
I opened my eyes. His demanding tone had me on fire. I nodded my head, moved my hands to my suit and pulled it down, bending over, my breasts brushing over the water. The sensation sent another chill over my body as I quickly pulled the suit off.
I tossed it on the cement and waited. He stared but didn’t move toward me. My body felt as liquid and flowing as the water we were standing in.
“Touch me,” I breathed.
He moved forward, one hand went between my breasts, his finger running a trail through the valley as it ran down my stomach. My bare sex tingled, waiting for his touch. Instead of doing what I expected, his hand splayed out, gripping my waist and yanking me into him. His mouth was on mine again.
“You’re fucking amazing. I want to fuck you hard and fast,” he was saying. The words were making me dizzy. I nodded, giving him permission as if that was what he was asking. “Are you going to let me fuck you, Lindsey?”
“Yes, yes, fuck me, Tanner,” I said in crazed passion. My hands were gripping his cock through his shorts. It wasn’t enough.
“Take them off,” he demanded.
I quickly obliged, yanking the shorts down over his hips. His cock sprang free, and I moaned. It was big and engorged, and I couldn’t wait to have him in me.
I used my foot to push his shorts down to his ankles. He casually stepped out of them, his hand on my ass in a possessive manner the whole time, making me wetter than I had been. I reached down to grab his dick, guiding him to where I needed him. The difference in our height made it impossible for it to work. I groaned in frustration.
His other hand reached down, both on my ass, he yanked me up his body. My arms went around his neck and my legs around his waist. In one smooth motion, he plunged into my body. The invasion stretched me in sweet agony. I threw my head back, arching my back and pushing my hips against him, trying to take him deeper.
“Fuck, you’re wet, Lindsey. Holy shit,” he moaned before running his tongue down my neck. “I’m going to fuck you hard and fast,” he warned before moving his hips and plunging deeper. His arms were wrapped around my waist as he dove into my body.
It was fast and furious, and we were both climaxing way too soon. He pulled out and stepped away from me.
“Tanner,” I said, suddenly feeling very awkward standing naked in the pool.
He swam to where his shorts were floating in the pool. Grabbed them and swam to the edge, using his muscular arms to pull himself up and out. He yanked on the shorts, ignoring me the whole time.
“Tanner.”
He looked at me, “This can never happen again. Never. And don’t tell Brian,” he said, not looking back as he walked toward the door.
I reached for my suit, pulled it out while I was in the pool, feeling completely vulnerable. I climbed out of the pool, wrapped myself in a towel and headed for the locker room to change. I felt like a fool.
Chapter 5
Tanner
I fucked up. I know I did. I shouldn’t have let myself get near her. I knew better. Lindsey was Brian’s little sister. What the hell had I been thinking! It was a onetime thing, I promised myself. I wouldn’t let it happen again. I wanted it to happen again.
I canceled practice yesterday because I didn’t trust myself to be around her. It didn’t help our interactions always involved us being nearly half-dress
ed. I had taken the coward’s way out and sent her a text saying I couldn’t make it. Her one-word answer “fine” spoke volumes. I had fucked her and then walked away. Classy. Typical of me, but not how I would ever want Lindsey to be treated. Brian would kick a dude’s ass for treating her like that. I would too. I owed her an apology. I just had to figure out how to man-up and do it.
I couldn’t cancel today. Her training was too important, and I would not be the one to hold her back. I would have to figure out a way to keep my hands to myself, and hopefully it wouldn’t be completely awkward. I hadn’t been able to get her out of my mind since that night. Thank God Brian had decided to leave Tuesday afternoon after our lunch. I don’t think I could have faced him. It felt like my guilt was written all over my face, and he would see right through me. He would know.
I had tried to get the woman out of my head for the past twenty-four hours, but it was pointless. She was under my skin. I’d fucked her, but it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t right. I wanted her but not like one of the women I screwed and left in my wake. I wanted to worship her body. I wanted to spend time learning every inch. Every crevice. Our pool time had been too fast, and I didn’t get to really enjoy that sweet body of hers. I was left craving more because, though I’d had only a little taste, I wanted it all.
Snap out of it, man!
My phone beeped.
Are you going to show up?
It was a text from Lindsey. It was slightly bitchy, but I couldn’t blame her.
Yes . See you at 6.
I didn’t have a choice. I was a professional trainer and couldn’t ditch clients on a whim. It was going to be difficult and awkward, but we were both adults. Or at least I was pretending to be, even though I felt like a horny teenager.
I let myself into the high school pool, trying not to think about the last time we’d been here. There was another young kid with whom I assumed was his private trainer. The kid couldn’t have been more than twelve. It was amazing to see kids that age with such dedication. Lindsey had been like that, and now all her hard work was about to pay off.
When she came strolling through the side door, her long legs covered in a pair of sweats, my heart jumped. Her red suit clung to her body. My mind instantly thought back to my mouth on her breasts, sucking and teasing. They weren’t too big or too small. They were perfect, just like the rest of her.
“Hi,” I said, doing my best not to sound like a complete idiot.
“I’m ready to get started,” she answered, clearly not in the mood for small talk.
She was pissed. I wasn’t sure if it was because I canceled the day before or because we had sex, and I had left without so much as a thank-you.
I nodded. “Let’s get to it, then.”
She peeled off the sweats, and I had to look away. Images of her legs wrapped around me came flooding back. I walked toward the east wall and casually adjusted my dick, which was growing hard. I doubted the kid and his trainer would appreciate me walking around with a hard-on. Not now.
When I turned back around, she was watching me. Her cheeks were flushed. She knew. That only made my semierection grow bigger. Her eyes drifted down before meeting mine again. I stared back, not caring that she knew the effect she had on me. Let her see. I pulled off my shirt, knowing it would distract her. I hadn’t been the only one in the pool that night. She had been more than ready and willing. I wanted her aroused, and I wasn’t stupid. I knew she wanted me.
I watched her gaze drop to my chest, so I flexed. She was staring, and I was loving it.
“Get in,” I demanded.
Her eyes met mine. I could see the passion.
“Get in, Lindsey,” I said, my tone firm.
She rolled her eyes, the passion gone. I thought she would tell me to go to hell, but she did as I said.
We managed to get through the practice, but it was incredibly weird. When I normally would have jumped in the pool to demonstrate what I wanted, I didn’t. I couldn’t get close to her. The last time had ended with both of us naked.
“I think we’re good,” I said about five minutes before nine. I couldn’t take the tension between us a minute longer. I was either going to rip that suit off her and fuck her on that poolside chair like I had been fantasizing about, or she was going to fire me. The sexual tension between us was palpable, so thick you could reach out and touch it. I had to get away before we made another huge mistake.
“Yeah, I agree. I have homework,” she said, climbing the ladder out of the pool. Water dripped down her legs and arms and between her breasts tucked away in the suit. I imagined lapping at the rivulets of water, tasting her skin. I wanted her body stretched out, wet, inside and out, with me over the top of her.
“I’ll see you tomorrow?” I asked, before leaving.
“Yeah, I have a meet Saturday, but I can still train tomorrow night,” she said, pulling on the sweats over her wet swimsuit.
“Okay, well, uh, see ya,” I said, walking past her and out the door.
I needed a beer or five. The air had been so sexually charged, I thought for sure it would ignite. I wondered if the other trainer and his student could feel it. They had left after an hour or so, leaving Lindsey and I alone in the pool area. I’d maintained a safe distance, which had been taxing. Now I needed to unwind.
I started with a shot of tequila, followed by another, and then another. I chased each shot with an ice-cold Corona. The buzz hit me the second I jumped off my stool to go to the bathroom. Shit . I was going to have to call an Uber and leave my truck.
Once in the door of my one-bedroom apartment that I paid way too much for, I stumbled to the couch and debated whether to grab another beer from the fridge. The fridge was too far. Fuck it. My phone was pressing into my ass. I didn’t want to crack the screen. I rolled over and fished it out of my pocket, holding it in my hand, trying to remember why I had it in the first place.
I stared at the screen, ran my thumb over it and unlocked it with practiced ease. Last number called was Lindsey. Her name and the tiny picture of the left side of her face stared back at me. Don’t do it. Don’t you dare do it.
My head fell back on the couch, my mouth hung open, and I let the alcohol do its trick. I floated away, enjoying the blissful oblivion that the copious amounts of alcohol had blessed me with.
It was the screeching of a distant alarm clock that woke me up. My head felt foggy, and there was an annoying pounding making me very irritable. I blinked several times, trying to figure out why my neck was killing me. I was staring at the ceiling in my apartment. It was then the night before came flooding back.
I jerked forward, pulling the strained muscles in my neck and felt around on the couch for my phone. I found it and brought it up, staring at the screen, willing my eyes to focus. Last number dialed was Lindsey’s. I checked the time stamp. Shit . I did call her last night. I checked the call log and realized I’d talked with her for twenty long minutes. I had no recollection of what may have been said.
I groaned, doing my best to remember, walking through each step I’d taken after coming through the apartment door. Nothing was coming back. I slowly sat up and then stood, the room spinning a few times before righting itself. I needed coffee. And water. After getting both, I slowly made my way into the shower and let the hot water run down my face. No matter how hard I tried, I could not remember what I’d said to her last night.
Our training session was going to be loads of fun.
Chapter 6
Lindsey
I needed to get my head in the game. Or the meet. Same thing. I couldn’t get Tanner’s voice out of my head. I knew he had been drunk—no, wasted—last night. Had he meant what he said? Weren’t the ramblings of a drunk man the truth that was always carefully hidden but allowed out with a little liquid courage? My dad always said you could trust the ramblings of a drunk.
I couldn’t get his voice out of my head. The way he confessed to having the hots for me for the past seven years. I loved hearing it. It made m
e feel beautiful and sexy. I told him I had been crushing on him for years, but he never paid me any attention. He laughed and said Brian would kill us both if he knew we were even talking about anything other than swimming.
“Hello?” Brittany hissed.
I snapped myself out of my daydream. “What?” I whispered back.
We were sitting in the back of the classroom, but this particular professor could be awfully cranky. I only had another year of school and wasn’t going to risk earning a reputation as a slacker who wasn’t serious. Too many athletes at this school skated by on their talents alone and not their brains. I wasn’t going to be one of them.
“You have been all googly-eyed. What or who did you do?” she asked, knowing me too well.
I shrugged. “Nothing. No one,” I lied.
Tanner had turned my brain into mush. One quickie in the pool and his drunken ramblings about him wanting me since my breasts had started to develop, and I was just like the rest of the groupies lusting after him. He had said things were different now. Back then he couldn’t make a move. It would have been inappropriate and illegal, but now he wanted me. It had been like one of those fantasies coming true for me. What high school girl didn’t dream about some older, very hot and sexy guy? She was lucky enough to get the chance to make that fantasy come true.
“You’re full of shit.” Brittany glared at me, one of her perfectly sculpted brows with expertly applied highlighter raised. “Don’t lie to me. I have known you since forever, and I know when you’re full of shit. You’re full of shit!”
I grinned, not the least bit offended by her words. “Maybe.”
She flipped her hair, glared at me, and spun back around to face the professor. I knew most people thought she was a stuck-up bitch. She was, but she was also my best friend. We’d been together since preschool. She had followed me to San Diego State, even though she’d been accepted to Yale. There was no way she was going to move that far away from her best friend. I loved her and never doubted she had my back.