by Skye McNeil
With his blood simmering, Asher did his best to push the earlier cuddle fest from his mind. He couldn’t think about it without his pulse skyrocketing even now. Jessie reciprocated whatever casual attraction they shared. As he waited for her to put on a damn swim suit which would display her exquisite body, Asher dreaded the coming hours. Whoever suggested a late afternoon swim at the infamous hot springs needed to be whipped. Jessie in little to nothing could be too much to handle.
“Can you help me?” her stubborn voice asked.
Slowly, Asher turned to see a disgruntled Jessie as she failed to attach her swim suit top. “I may be able to help,” he replied with a grin, which she ignored as usual.
Stepping to where she stood fuming, Asher took the polka dot strap in his hands. “Hmm, this looks complicated,” he admitted, eyeing the contraption. Why women went to great lengths for their clothes was beyond him.
“It’s the latest fashion,” Jessie said, moving her hair from her shoulder.
Asher’s fingers fumbled with the strap once, but then he succeeded in administering the elastic fabric. “There ya go.”
“Thanks.” Jessie adjusted her top straightaway, exposing a bewildering amount of cleavage.
Clearing his throat, Asher crossed to the door and swung it open. “I think you got it all out there for your ex to see.”
Jessie’s bright eyes pinned him to his spot. “Maybe I like showing off the girls.”
Grabbing his ball cap from the doorknob, Asher nodded. “Yeah, I noticed,” he replied before moving through the door. He ignored the angry leer Jessie tossed toward him. If he had to endure Jessie looking delectable, he would have a long afternoon.
Tromping down the stairs, Asher pasted on a smile when her cousins came into view.
“Come along, Asher,” Jessie’s mom called. “You and Jess will ride with the rest of the kids in the back of the pickup. The springs is just down the mountain a bit.”
Asher nodded to be sociable but didn’t bother to reciprocate. Bouncing around in the bed of a pickup with her cousins and sister didn’t sound like fun, but his options were limited.
Following Dawn outside, Asher was surprised to see Jessie already in the truck. His lips flattened into a line when he noticed she sat directly across from Tommy. “Nothing like bouncy boobs to distract the groom,” he mumbled, advancing on the group clad in swim gear.
“Hop in, Asher.” One of the cousins directed and he obeyed, though he loathed it.
Fifteen minutes later, Asher’s ass was sore, but not as much as his pride. Jessie ignored him the entire ride down the mountain. He should’ve known better than to hope for something different, but he had nonetheless.
Trailing the rest of the group through the gated pools, Asher was relieved to see the business wasn’t too busy. Modern country music blared through speakers near the inviting pools. With mountains looming on all sides, the location couldn’t be more perfect.
Not bothering to set up on a lawn chair as the others were doing, Asher slipped off his shirt and shoes, and finding the deepest end of the Olympic sized pool, took a breath and dove in. The hot water eased his muscles at once as he swam the better half of the pool with the ease of an expert.
Coming up for air, Asher blinked water from his lashes as he found his bearings. The sight before him made catching his breath unbearable. Just when Asher thought the backdrop of the chalk cliffs couldn’t be more stunning, Jessie walked into his vision line. Running his hand through his hair, he let out a breath that skittered like a cloud along the surface of the water.
The swimming suit from hell couldn’t be farther from the truth. The brown and pink polka dots made him dizzy from their arrangement on the delicate two-piece. If Jessie’s legs weren’t meant to be on the runway, he didn’t know if any were. Her Amazonian legs extended much farther than he anticipated, but her lanky figure didn’t end there. Her firm torso bespoke endless hours at the gym and her arms were toned to precision. Asher had to hand it to Jessie for knowing the right selection for her body type, though he was ninety percent sure the top was a size too small. Though busty without the push-up bra, Jessie’s breasts were the vision of perky delight in her suit.
One of Jessie’s cousins called to her, forcing her to turn away from Asher. “Oh, a horrible mistake.” His breathing turned ragged. Jessie’s backside was just as splendid as her front. Her plump ass filled out the bikini bottom, leaving nothing to imagination. Her swim suit top crisscrossed in the back, giving the illusion of a cup size more than she possessed, but he didn’t mind. Boobs and butt were his main vices and Jessie possessed both in spades.
Dunking his head under the water, Asher willed himself to calm his thudding heart. He stayed in the depths until his lungs burned for air. When he came up to the surface, he saw Jessie had vanished. Scanning the area, Asher spotted her in the smaller pool meant for children to the north of him.
Gritting his teeth at the additional people alongside her, he compelled his arms to stroke the length of the pool. If Jessie was going to flaunt in front of her ex, then Asher would have no part of it. He reached the far end of the pool and began the breast stroke. Or I could join her. The latter sounded better to his waterlogged ears, but how far was Jessie willing to go for this charade?
∙•∙
Jessie noticed the way Asher dove into the pool like he owned it. If she hadn’t been gawking at his fluid arm strokes, she wouldn’t have tripped over the poolside lounging chair in her way.
“Wow, Asher sure is a sight,” her cousin Evie stated.
Jessie glared at her and saw drool all but drip from her cousin’s dainty chin. If Asher could induce this kind of reaction from a stranger, she was wary of what he would do to her.
“He’s a bit of a showoff,” she offered as a reprieve.
“Oh, he would most definitely show me right off,” said her cousin jokingly. Evie poked Jessie with her elbow and offered her a brazen wink. “I’ll bet he does more than that for you.”
Ignoring the childish innuendo, Jessie stomped toward her faux boyfriend, who was consuming more of her conversation than she cared for. Sure, Asher was supposed to make Tommy jealous, but then why were the tables turned on her instead?
Shoving the thought from her mind, she headed to the end of the pool. Skimming her eyes to Asher’s submerged body, Jessie’s throat dried as she watched his easy movements. His body sliced through the water better than a knife on warm butter. The tattoos on his back beckoned to her, so she reviewed the masterful artwork with discretion.
As she neared the goal line, Bobbi’s joyous laughter echoed through the valley. Turning her sights on the pool beyond Asher’s, Jessie slowed her gait. She watched her baby sister swoon over Tommy. Their act boiled her blood. She didn’t love Tommy anymore, but seeing him so intimately embraced with Bobbi set a fire beneath her ass.
“Jess, did you bring sunblock?” Evie hollered from her spot.
Halting her feet, Jessie turned back around to yell, “In my purse pocket.” She waited until Evie waved the bottle before swiveling again.
Bubbles from the water caught her attention, but when she eyed the pool, Asher was submerged once more. Rolling her eyes, she walked over to the cylinder pool where her family floated in the shallow water. Not bothering to greet anyone, Jessie stepped down the ladder at a slow rate and into the pool. Her breath hitched at the bath-like water. This was how she preferred to swim.
Slicing through the four-foot-deep pool, she scrunched her nose at the sounds of smooching. “Ugh, disgusting,” she gurgled into the water. Her eyes landed on Tommy and Bobbi locking lips, so she dipped her head underwater to escape. As the water muffled the voices above, Jessie coveted a less-than-difficult Asher. Sure, she picked up on his disapproval of her revealing suit and flirty actions on the way to the hot springs, but he didn’t understand. She didn’t want Tommy. She wanted her ex’s envy. It wasn’t too much to ask for.
Popping her head up, Jessie observed Evie speaking with
Asher on the far end of his pool. Her brow furrowed at the thought of those two together. They would be a fetching couple. A pang of envy rippled through her body and pebbled her skin.
Shaking her head, she reminded herself for the umpteenth time that she and Asher weren’t together in reality. They were business partners and loose ones. Releasing a calming breath, Jessie swam over to where her cousins congregated around the soon-to-be wed couple.
“So, Tommy, how did you propose to Bobbi? I haven’t heard the story,” a cousin from Tulsa asked.
Gripping the side of the pool, Jessie tread water as she dreaded the response.
“Well, uh.” Tommy reviewed his audience and grinned when he saw Jessie. He swung his arm around Bobbi’s shoulder. “Bobbi had been dying to go to this ritzy, new French restaurant in Denver.”
“And Tommy told me we were going on our anniversary,” Bobbi said with a gleeful smile.
Tommy pulled her closer. “Right, except what she didn’t know was I rented the whole place for us and had a string quartet waiting.”
Jessie propped her chin up with her fist while her cousins sighed.
“The minute we got there, I bent down on one knee and asked her to marry me to the sound of our favorite song,” concluded Tommy.
Snorting, Jessie could only imagine the tune was similar to Shaggy’s “It Wasn’t Me.” Now done with the conversation, Jessie ducked under the comforting water once more. To her surprise, almost the instant she opened her eyes underwater, she locked on Asher’s gaze. His green eyes smiled back at her shocked expression.
Asher placed his index finger over his lips and then tossed her a devious grin. Jessie watched motionless as he swam over to Tommy’s location. What he did next made her lose the air left in her lungs. With ease, Asher created a giant bubble beneath the surface which erupted behind Tommy’s back.
Sputtering on the chlorinated water, Jessie made it to the surface in time to see her cousins’ looks of disgust at Tommy’s supposed underwater flatulence. Hiding her humor behind her hands, Jessie heard Asher’s head pop up behind her.
“Why did you do that?” she asked when his cool breath collided with her steamed shoulders.
Asher slipped his arms around her waist and led her to his lap. “Because you needed to leave,” he explained.
Hovering in his embrace, Jessie bit back a smile. It was uncanny how this man could predict her moods. “Thanks,” she offered, still watching the women flee from Tommy’s side. Despite the embarrassment, Bobbi remained by her fiancé. Jessie would’ve been able to handle the scene if Tommy didn’t maul her sister with his lips as his appreciation.
“Let’s go to the bigger pool,” suggested Asher as he looped his arms around her waist.
“Good idea,” Jessie replied as they reached the ladder.
Pulling herself out of the water, she didn’t wait for Asher before she jumped into the deepest part of the main pool. As she paddled up to the surface, she frowned when Asher was nowhere in sight. As she moved toward the edge of the pool, fingers tickled her sides from the water.
Laughing, she shoved Asher away with her feet when he failed to stop. “Hey, not nice,” she laughed as he poked his eyes from the water.
“Oh, I don’t know, you seem to like it,” he pointed out, swimming close. “You are smiling after all.”
Jessie shook her head but couldn’t disagree. She did like his attention, but not when it involved his hands on her. She shouldn’t allow it, but their interaction felt so natural. She couldn’t deny his dimpled smile if she wanted to.
“Well, maybe.”
Asher continued his shark swim pattern, forcing her to retreat to the side of the pool. His effortless strokes in the water sparked questions, but Jessie didn’t want to know him. Creating a kinship would make their parting harder.
“You’re playing your part quite well,” said Jessie.
Asher placed his hands on the drain at either side of her shoulders. “You make it easy.” His gaze lowered down her torso. “Except when you wear something like a teeny bikini.” His eyes met hers. “For him.”
Suddenly self-conscious, Jessie wrapped her arms over her chest as she bobbed in the water. “I like the way I look in it.”
His white teeth all but blinded her. “Yeah, me too.” Asher inched closer, his legs tangling with Jessie’s.
Jessie’s stomach fluttered at his familiar touch. She ought to push him away, but in order to sell their connection, acting like she detested him wasn’t a smart move.
Slipping her wet arms around Asher’s neck, Jessie urged him closer. “If you weren’t so charming, it would make this entire situation easier.”
Asher studied her unabashed, his eyes skeptical and confused. At last, he opened the lips she desired to explore on a more intimate level. “Sorry, not possible. You’ll have to deal with my irresistible self.”
Feeling Asher’s abs pressed against her naked torso sent Jessie into a tailspin. An overabundance of skin-to-skin contact forced her to forget creating an illusion for those around them. The only thing consuming her mind was the tattooed swimmer before her.
Ignoring any warning bells activated by his proximity, Jessie closed the distance between their lips. The rough taste of chlorine on his lips didn’t faze her when he returned her kiss with leisure. With her back up to the pool wall, every delicious inch of Asher’s muscles molded to her.
Kissing Asher felt right on more levels than she could count. The hot springs sent tumultuous cravings throughout her veins. Deepening their kiss, Jessie marveled at the intensity of a poolside exchange. No longer did she want to drown in sorrows. The exclusive drowning she craved was under Asher’s skillful lips.
“Oh, look at Asher and Jess.” Evie’s voice skidded across the pool like a rock.
Breaking free from Asher, Jessie stared at his red lips, fully aware hers mirrored the lusty hue. Despite their interruption, Asher kept her latched in his arms.
“If you could stop looking, Evie, I’d appreciate it,” retorted Asher, not once moving his eyes from Jessie.
Jessie bit her bottom lip when she heard her cousin giggle in delight. This was how it was supposed to be. She was supposed to have a protective and profane man to dally with her. But none of it’s true, she noted in silence.
Her tête–à–tête high drained from her blood without warning, leaving her shivering in the heated pool.
“Are you all right? You’re trembling.” Asher’s eyes turned worried and he rubbed his hands over her shoulders. “Maybe we should get out for a bit.”
He didn’t have to suggest it a second time. She needed a fluffy towel on the opposite side of the world from Asher. Pushing out of the water, Jessie hoped he wouldn’t follow her. The slosh of water behind her told her a different story. Unable to meet his gaze, she scampered away from the edge of the pool lest he convince her to remain in his comforting grip.
»»•««
Two hours later, Asher kicked a pebble down the dusty road as he and Jessie walked through the shielded path to the cabin. Staying behind her should’ve been easy, but her damp hair distracted him. The gentle sway of her hips entranced him the longer he watched her from his position.
Adjusting the towel on his shoulder, he picked up his pace. Since leaving the hot springs, Jessie hadn’t slowed long enough to catch her breath. He wasn’t sure the exact reason why she was avoiding him, but he assumed it had to do with her ex. Asher cracked his neck at the thought of the man whose hazardous actions damaged the New York executive.
Deciding to press his luck, Asher filled the silence with his voice. “How did Tommy propose to you?”
Jessie twirled around so fast a cloud of dust emitted from under her feet. “What?”
“You heard me,” he snapped back.
Her face clouded despite the sun setting behind her. She looked quite magnificent glowering at him. Jessie propped her hand on her hip, but it made her more adorable.
“Tell me about it,” he implored.
Pressing her lips together, she eyed him from head to toe. If she kept it up, they might not get to the cabin before nightfall. “Our couch,” she admitted at long last.
“Pardon?” Asher cocked his eyebrows up at the bland response. It was nothing like the elegant story Tommy spewed about his proposal to Bobbi.
Jessie retraced her steps until she was in front of him. “Tommy asked me to marry him while we were watching ESPN. He handed me the box. The end.”
Asher scratched his head in frustration. “You’re telling me that dickweed tossed you a ring box while you watched sports in hopes of you saying yes to a life with him?”
She nodded. “Something along those lines.”
Letting out his pent-up dismay, Asher paced the trail. “No offense to you, but why the hell would you say yes? He may as well have been eating a sandwich when he did it.” He eyed Jessie.
“Well—”
“Oh my God, how unromantic,” spewed Asher. He prided himself in all things romance related, and this complete misuse of a proposal pissed him off.
“It’s no big deal,” Jessie said.
Grabbing Jessie by the shoulders, Asher shook his head. “No. It is a big deal,” he stressed. “That guy didn’t appreciate or love you enough to half-ass it. He was a full nitwit.”
Jessie chuckled. “Its fine, Asher, honestly. I wasn’t supposed to be with him. I should’ve known from the janky proposal.”
Her reaction to story time in the pool made more sense now to Asher. The lout went above and beyond for her sister while she had to live with the cold truth about how Tommy felt about her then. If the man couldn’t balls up to get on bended knee, he didn’t deserve any faction of Jessie.
Hugging Jessie tight, Asher inhaled her citrus shampoo and willed her to heal. Though he didn’t know much about this woman, the little he discovered made his heart ache to be a part of her life.