Chapter Twenty
Tabby
T he pool shimmers with the light of the moon and the stars reflecting on the water as I float on my back, allowing the coolness to seep into my skin. The night air is thick with the scent of chlorine and remains heavy with humidity despite the late hour.
Laughter echoes around me, voices overlapping as the others splash and joke. Amiya and Avie are floating near the edge, wineglasses in hand, while Lennon and Wade attempt to dunk each other like overgrown kids.
And Anson …
Anson is chaos in the form of broad shoulders and reckless amusement, his deep laugh carrying over the water as he grabs Leia by the waist and effortlessly tosses her into the deep end. She shrieks, but when she surfaces, she’s grinning.
“Do it again!” she calls, slicking her dark hair back.
Anson smirks, treading water with ease. “Again? You’re going to wear this old man out.”
Leia rolls her eyes, but before she can protest, Lennon comes up behind her, lifts her up, and throws her again.
I watch from where I float, weightless and content, my fingers trailing through the water. I can’t remember the last time I did this—just played. Just existed in the moment without worrying about what comes next.
It’s … nice.
A shadow falls over me, and I open my eyes just in time to see Anson drifting closer, an unmistakable glint in his gaze.
“You look way too relaxed,” he muses.
I arch a brow. “Is that a problem?”
“Maybe.”
He smirks, reaching beneath the water. Before I can react, his hand wraps around my ankle, tugging me gently but firmly toward him. I yelp, twisting in the water to glare at him, but he’s already laughing.
“You’re a menace,” I tell him as I kick my feet, splashing him, but he just grins, ducking away easily.
We keep up the teasing for a while, the rest of the group completely unfazed by our antics. Eventually though, the energy starts to shift—people getting tired, the buzz of the night mellowing into something slower.
One by one, everyone starts making their way inside, the promise of food and dry towels too tempting to resist.
Avie is the last to leave, dragging her exhausted but still-protesting daughter from the water. She pauses at the edge of the pool with a knowing look in her eyes as she glances between me and Anson.
“We’re eating in the kitchen,” she says pointedly. “You two … take your time.”
She winks, then disappears inside, leaving us alone in the water.
The night settles around us, thick and quiet, the distant hum of cicadas filling the air.
Anson floats beside me for a long moment, then exhales, running a wet hand through his hair.
“Finally,” he mutters. “Thought they’d never leave.”
I smirk. “It’s their party.”
His gaze flicks to mine, something dark and amused lingering there. “I know, but they were hogging you. I want you to myself.”
Heat curls in my stomach, surprising and immediate.
I swallow, pushing off the pool wall, letting myself drift closer. “And what exactly do you have in mind?”
He doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he reaches out, his fingers brushing over my wrist beneath the water, slow and deliberate.
I realize I should say something teasing or lighthearted to ease the tension, especially since we’re not alone. I can still hear everyone talking and laughing behind the French doors.
But the way he’s looking at me makes my throat go dry.
“I like this,” he says after a beat, his voice quieter now. “Being here with you.”
Something in my chest pulls tight.
I don’t know how to respond to that. Not when he’s looking at me like that. Not when my heart is doing something stupid and fluttery in my ribs.
So, instead of speaking, I do the only thing that makes sense.
I reach for him.
Anson doesn’t hesitate. The second my fingers graze his shoulder, he’s moving, closing the space between us in one smooth, effortless motion.
And then his mouth is on mine.
It’s not hurried. Not rushed or desperate.
It’s intentional.
Slow and deep and real.
His hands find my waist, pulling me against him, the water lapping around us. I curl my fingers into his damp hair, anchoring myself as he deepens the kiss, his lips warm and insistent.
And I don’t want to fight it.
I just want to feel.
When we finally pull back, my breath is uneven, my heart pounding in a way that has nothing to do with the heat.
Anson watches me, his thumb gently brushing over my hip beneath the water. He clasps my waist with both hands and lifts me out of the water, setting me down on the edge of the pool. I let out a gasp at the unexpected movement.
“I meant what I said,” he murmurs as he steps between my legs. “I missed you this week.”
I nod, exhaling slowly. “I missed you too.”
I inhale sharply, and a shiver runs through me when his head dips and he kisses the spot between the base of my neck and my collarbone. His lips linger briefly before they slowly trail up my throat.
“Anson,” I moan, my hands running through his silky hair as he nuzzles against me, the prickly stubble on his jaw causing goose bumps to rise on my skin.
His hands gently rub circles on the outside of my thighs while he stands, and my hands fall to his shoulders as I hold on to him. We’re nose to nose, and it feels like my heart is pounding so hard that it might burst out of my chest.
His lips come to mine, and I open for him. Drinking him in.
“Tabby,” he groans.
I open my eyes as one of his hands comes up to caress my breast through the wet fabric of my bikini top.
His mouth moves to my ear. “I think we need to leave now.”
Warmth pools between my legs at the desperate sound of need in his voice. I nod, and he steps closer.
“You sure?” he asks, the proof of his excitement pressing into me.
Oh, yes, I’m sure. I can’t speak, so I just nod again.
He suddenly dives backward into the water, and I bring my confused gaze to his when he resurfaces.
“Go inside. Say your goodbyes. I need a minute,” he says hoarsely, and understanding washes over me.
“Okay,” I agree as I stand up. I bend over to shake the water from my hair.
“That’s not helping, Trouble,” he grits out.
I meet his gaze and grin before pulling my dress over my bikini and hurrying inside.
I decline the food that Amiya offers and thank everyone for the invitation.
“You’re leaving? Audrey just got here,” Avie says, pouting a little.
I glance apologetically at Audrey. “Yeah, I’m tired.”
“That’s okay. I’m sure we’ll have plenty of other opportunities to hang out,” she replies.
“Where’s Anson?” Amiya asks, glancing over my shoulder.
“He’s coming. He just needed a minute,” I say, realizing I should have thought that through first.
Amiya’s lips curl into a grin. “Oh, I see,” she says just as the door opens and he steps inside. She gives him a knowing look.
“What?” he asks.
“Oh, nothing. Tabby here is getting tired; you need to hurry up and get her home,” she replies.
He smiles. “I can do that.”
He walks over to Wade, who has his daughter cradled in the crook of his elbow. He leans down and kisses the top of her tiny head, then turns to me.
“You ready?”
I nod and take a deep breath. As I’ll ever be.