by Malone, Nana
The big man slumped into the visitor seat as Liam sat behind the old metal desk. “He’s got potential, I’ll give you that.”
Liam grinned. “He’s got damn good potential, and you know it. All he needs is proper training.”
“Training costs money.”
Money kids like Henry didn’t have. “I’ll take care of his expenses.”
“His parents okay with him moving to L.A. and living at my center?”
Henry’s father was in the wind. His mom had four other kids and a drinking problem. “Mom’s already signed an agreement.”
Manny rubbed a hand over his chin. “You sure your dad doesn’t want him?”
Funny that Manny cared what Jonathan wanted. Liam shook his head. “Like I said, you’re better suited for Henry.”
“Why don’t you train him?”
Because I have other priorities. “Not my gig.”
“I don’t want your old man to think I’m poaching.”
Territories. What bullshit. “This isn’t about you and my father. This is about Henry. He deserves a shot.”
Another long pause. Manny stood. “Give me two days. I’ll be in touch with some details. I want to see the kid swim in my pool if you can get his scrawny ass up to L.A.”
“Done.” Liam stood as well, and they exchanged another handshake. “I’ll make sure he gets there.”
“Bring your trunks. You can swim for me too.”
Now that would give his old man a heart attack. “Thanks, but I’ll pass. I’d just embarrass myself.”
Manny left, stopping to chat a minute with Henry. Afterward, Liam shared the news with Henry and his friends. The kids cheered, slapping Henry on the back and dunking him under the water.
Twenty minutes later, Liam left the pool with hope in his heart that Henry had a shot at fulfilling a dream. A dream Liam had never realized. He jumped on his Yamaha and headed for his next job. One that actually paid. Not that he needed the money. And thank goodness for that since a full-time paying job would take too much time away from his mother. Her health had to come first. With his Dad always busy at the training center, and his older brother Oliver living in Canada, the only person around every day was Liam. Putting his life on hold sucked, but losing his mother would bring his world crashing down.
Swimming was his passion, but he was loath to swim or coach for his dad. Before his mother got sick, Liam had loved his job as an architect for Leesom and Sons, and had found a side niche creating interactive videos to help clients visualize renovations and new builds. If things worked out down the road and Liam was able to return to his old job, Mr. Leesom wanted him to develop apps for the firm as well.
As he crossed into Del Mar, he steeled himself for a night of teaching swim lessons to a different type of group. A group that wouldn’t give Henry and his friends a second glance.
As usual, the Del Mar Athletic Club parking lot was jam-packed. Women in top-of-the-line sports clothes and wearing enough diamonds to sink the Titanic hustled in and out the front doors. Some on their way to Pilates, others to the gym.
Glimpsing a lone open space at the far corner of the lot, he double-timed it. He was already late for his class. The club manager would not be impressed.
He hit the gas, and too late, saw a car coming from the other direction with the same intention. He curved and braked, halfway into the parking space when the owner of the car saw him. Her eyes popped wide and her mouth formed a perfect O as she slammed on her brakes. Her front bumper connected with his rear tire, sending him careening into the curb.
His back wheel went sideways but he saved the bike from going down. Killing the engine, he parked the bike and hopped off to look at the damage.
Great. Just what he needed. The wheel was okay, with only some paint scraped off the fender, but she’d over-steered, trying to avoid him and bumped into the end of the bike rack sitting there, creasing her front bumper. His motorcycle wasn’t anything special—but she was driving a Mercedes CLA. A lower end model, but still, they’d have to replace the entire bumper for that little crease. Luckily, she didn’t appear to be hurt. Her air bag hadn’t even gone off.
But he was definitely going to be late for class.
The woman put the car in park, the front end half up on the curb and the back hanging out of the parking space. “I’m so sorry,” she said, bailing out and frowning at the scrapes on his fender. “You came out of nowhere. You really should slow down.”
He turned to give her an earful and fell silent. She was barely five foot two. Dark brown curly hair fell in waves around her face. She had dark brown eyes. And curves. Jesus, God, the woman had beautiful curves.
She wasn’t the usual type the Athletic Club attracted, but he needed to hold his tongue. Telling off a client wasn’t good business, and the club manager would hear about it if he said anything out of line. “My fault. Give me your number, and I’ll have my insurance take care of it.”
She hesitated. “I don’t give my number out to strangers.”
“You ran into me, and I’m offering to take care of the damages. What’s the problem?”
“I wouldn’t have run into you if you hadn’t stolen my parking space right out from under me.”
“I didn’t steal the space, and I’m going to be late to class. How about if I leave my contact information at the front desk, and you can do what you like about getting your car fixed?”
“You’re not the only one who’s late here. Look, aren’t we supposed to wait for the police or something?”
“Police don’t give tickets in a parking lot fender-bender. It’s your word against mine, and right now, my word is that you ran into me, so even if they did show up, they’d ticket you.” Her look of consternation made him soften. “I’ve got to go. I work here, so you know where to find me if you want me to cover the bill. That’s the best I can offer.”
He hiked up the straps of his backpack and took off at a slow jog. Of course, the parking lot was half a mile long. He’d made it halfway to the front door when he heard footsteps running behind him.
She was breathing heavy. “Hey, you can’t just…” She huffed and held up a hand. “Run off. I’m not done with you.” She put a hand on her stomach and dragged in several more labored breaths. “You admitted guilt. So they’d give you the ticket.”
Admitted guilt? Jeez, what had he gotten himself into? “Are you okay?”
She waved a petite hand in the air and bent at the waist. “Why does running hurt so much, damn it? Leave your information, and I’ll grab it after my class.”
Of course, he felt sorry for her. With her fancy car…he doubted she had a care in the world. But hells bells, she was out of shape. He couldn’t exactly leave her gasping for air...she might accuse him of giving her a heart attack.
He wanted to take her arm, help her up. Best not to. She might add inappropriate touching to his list of offenses. And damn it if he didn’t want to touch her.
“Do you need help inside?” he asked instead.
“No, I’m fine. Nothing a latte and a Snickers won’t fix. Seriously, who chooses to run for fun?”
He couldn’t help but laugh. “What are doing here at a gym if you don’t like exercise?”
“Oh, you know, just signed myself up for some self-induced torture.”
Looked like exercise might do her good. “Give it a chance. It won’t be that bad, I promise.”
She gave him a doubtful look and slowly walked away. “I’ll hold you to that. And to fixing my car,” she called over her shoulder.
She had a nice ass, he’d give her that. And a nice rack.
Heading through the front doors, he gave Melody at the front desk a nod. “Hey, Mel.”
She smiled, her artificially whitened teeth nearly blinding him. “Liam! Thought you’d never get here.”
“There’s a gal who may come looking for my information. Petite brunette, curly hair, brown eyes.” Beautiful light brown skin that has never seen the inside of a tanning bed
. “In need of some cardio classes. Make sure she gets my number, okay?”
Melody stuck out a full bottom lip. “New girlfriend?”
“God, no.” The last thing he needed was another project, even if she was cute and curvy, and he’d already had half a dozen inappropriate thoughts about her. “I’ve got to run.”
He took off for the locker room, Melody’s voice following him. “Want to get a juice after class?”
A juice. With Melody. He should go out. Have a little fun. She was his type, all trim and toned, and San Diego tan. “Can’t,” he lied for the second time that day. A juice with Mel would lead to other things, other demands he didn’t have the time or energy for. The doctors had told him his mother only had six months tops. “I’ve got a...thing.”
Brilliant. A thing. Lame, Liam. So lame.
“A date?” Mel pouted.
“Yep, a date.” With a bottle of Landshark and his TV remote. He had to take his mother to her regularly scheduled blood workup appointment first thing in the morning. He waved Mel off and sighed with relief once he entered the locker room. Hell of a night, dodging two women who could both make him lose his shit in the span of six minutes.
The rest of the evening should be smooth sailing.
He hummed the latest Adam Levine song under his breath as he undressed and pulled on his swim trunks. Yep, smooth sailing.
He entered the pool, and six students stood near the shallow end of the pool, all adults and all looking nervous about the water. “Welcome to Adult Swim Lessons,” Liam said. “I’m your instructor, and the first thing we’re going to do is—”
“Wait,” an out of breath female voice called from behind him. “I’m here! Don’t start without me. I know I’m late, but…”
Liam turned and froze. God, help him. Miss Hit and Run was in his class.
Chapter Three
Becca stared in shock as she struggled to regulate her breathing. No. Not him. He could not be her instructor. He could not—her brain stuttered as her gaze drifted past his surprised, clearly annoyed—although attractive—face.
Oh wow. Holy shoulders. The Tribots at work weren’t kidding when they talked about swimmers’ shoulders. He had a broad chest to match equally impressive abs worth staring at. He looked exactly like the kind of guy who did triathlons. Perfect. Her swim instructor was a totally hot Tribot. Shoot her now.
No. She wouldn’t freak out. She had a task to complete. An assignment. Learn to swim. She could do this. All she had to do was ignore Mr. Shoulders and Abs. Oh yeah, and get in the water.
Her heart rate ticked up, and she swallowed hard. Stay calm, Becs. Focus on the things you can control. And twenty-three-year-old Becca was in a hell of a lot more control than seven-year-old, learning-to-swim Becca.
She shook her head. She was an adult, damn it. It was just a little water. She forced a smile onto her face and dragged her unwilling eyes back to Mr. Couldn’t Drive’s face. “Sorry. I’m late.”
He stared at her long and hard, and Becca shifted from foot to foot. She resisted the urge to tug on her bathing suit. There was no hiding her boobs in this thing. Or her ass, for that matter. She’d looked for her Armani racerback for nearly thirty minutes this morning, but all she’d been able to find was her beach bathing suit. With its double ties at the straps and the low cut of the bottoms, it was made for sunning and getting attention, not actual swimming. Of course, the lack of fabric had never bothered her before because she’d never planned on being in the water.
Finally, he shook his head. “Please join the rest of the class.”
“Right. Sorry again.” She scuttled over to join her new classmates gathered on the concrete near the shallow end. They looked like a herd of baby cattle off to a too-early slaughter. Only one brave soul, a rail-thin woman who was more limbs than body, had the courage to smile at her. Everyone else just stared at the water, looking terrified.
Stay calm. Stay calm. It’s only water. She repeated her new mantra to herself over and over again.
“As I was saying, I’m your instructor, Liam. Today we’re going to start with the basics. I don’t want you to worry. I’m here to help you. We’re in this together.” He smiled.
Becca blinked. Yeah well, he should certainly not be allowed to do that in public. If he’d smiled at her in the parking lot, she would have been less annoyed.
He continued. “Can I get a show of hands for anyone who’s never been in a pool before? It seems like a silly question, but I’ve learned it’s a good one to ask.”
Everyone slid covert glances around. No one dared actually turn their heads and look. Becca did not raise her hand. She’d been in a pool. Like on those floating chair thingies. And maybe if she were feeling brave, she’d stood knee-deep in the shallow end. No need to embarrass herself, especially since no one else raised a hand.
Liam nodded. “Okay good. I’m going to ask each of you to follow me into the shallow end then. Feel free to hold onto the sides. We’re going to do some introductions and get to know each other a little bit before we get started.”
A few brave souls sitting on the edge of the pool plopped right in with tiny little splashes that spritzed their neighbors’ legs and torsos. Most of the class opted for the relative safety of the stairs.
Becca shivered despite the warmth of the room. She knew that they kept the pool at a balmy ninety-three degrees, which was the reason she’d chosen this pool as opposed to the one closer to her place in Golden Hill. It didn’t take her long to realize that she was the only one still standing on the sidelines.
Shit. Okay, it’s fine, Becca. It’s fine. It’s only water.
Brittle, determined smile in place, she forced one foot in front of the other until she was at the edge of the stairs. The woman who’d smiled at her before gave her an encouraging nod.
And Liam, damn him, waited patiently for her to join her classmates.
Okay. Now or never.
She gripped the railing and took a tentative step in. Oh wow, that was nice. Just like a bath. The water lapped gently at her skin, and she gripped the rails even tighter. Another step. Shin level. Great. She was really going somewhere now.
Everyone was waiting on her; she had to do this. It was either this or tell Holden that she couldn’t swim. And she was not doing that. She had the perfect guy with the perfect honeymoon planned. And the perfect job. If she didn’t do this, everyone would know eventually. With another deep breath, she took another step. Knee-deep. Yay! Except, she was expected to go farther.
Liam half swam, half walked through the water to get to her. “It’s okay.” His smile was softer, and his voice was low, soothing, as if they were the only two people in the pool. “What’s your name?”
Name, what was her damn name? Her energy was so focused on not letting go of the railing and not drowning that she’d forgotten her damn name. Deep breath. “Uhm, it’s Becca.”
“Nice to meet you, Becca. Now why don’t you give me your hand? I’ll help you the rest of the way in.”
“N-no. That’s okay. I think maybe I can learn from here.”
There were a few snickers from her classmates. Liam ignored them and lowered his voice even further. “Have you been in a pool before, Becca?”
Well, maybe she shouldn’t have lied about that part. “Yes. But usually with a floating chair or something.”
He nodded. “Okay, no problem. Focus on my voice. We’ll get you into the water together.”
She glanced around at her classmates. Some of them looked impatient. A few looked encouraging. But the vast majority were focused on clutching onto the side of the pool, oblivious to her torture. “I—maybe I can’t do this. Can I just watch?”
Liam chuckled. “You’ve already been brave enough to come this far. Let’s see what happens if you trust me. You have nothing to lose by trying.”
“You mean besides my life?”
She could tell he was trying to contain a smile as his lips twitched. “Now how would that make me look
if I lost a student on the first night? I have my reputation to protect.”
This time, Becca did smile. Slowly, she let go of the rail with her left even as she gripped tighter with her right. She slid her hand into his warm and firm one and he held her tight as if he’d never let her go. “D-do you have me?”
“Look at me, Becca. Focus on me. Nothing else matters right now, except you and me.”
She nodded. His voice really was soothing, washing over her like warm rain. She focused on his eyes. The deep blue color mesmerized her, and she took another step in. Water lapped at her upper thighs.
“That’s it, Becca. Well done. Two more steps, and you’re in.”
With a little more coaxing, and a lot more focusing on Liam, her feet hit the bottom of the shallow end. Holy shit. The water lapped at her waist, and there was no shock of cold making her panic. This wasn’t so bad.
She grinned up at Liam, and he smiled in return. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his gaze fell to her lips. Warmth bloomed from her chest and—a wave suddenly hit her in the back, nearly knocking her off her feet. She squealed and wrapped herself around Liam, octopus style, unwilling and unable to let go.
Liam held her tight as she squeezed her eyes shut. She heard him say, “First rule of the pool, no deliberate splashing of the other students. Do you understand me?”
His voice was stern and a little intimidating. The warm, lazy, mellow quality had vanished. From behind her, a male voice muttered a weak apology.
With her arms and legs wrapped around Liam, Becca hid her face, letting his strong body carry her to the side. “You can let go now. You’re safe.”
Becca blinked. A small, kitten-like whimper issued from the back of her throat. From over her shoulder, she saw all her classmates watching her with curiosity. Okay, maybe she’d overreacted. But did she really have to let go? Because it seemed so much safer with him holding her. What are you going to do, take Liam on your Honeymoon? Her whole body flushed, and she reached out for the ledge. Only when she felt the cool concrete under her fingertips did she unwrap herself from her instructor.