Chapter 39 Drag Suit Practice
Drag Suit Practice
Connor
My mouth goes dry as Maisie exits our shared hotel room.
She opted for no cover-up, so as she turns to catch the door before it slams shut, I’m greeted with an uninhibited view of her backside.
I stifle a groan. It’s not uncommon for that part to be curvy and muscular on divers, but Maize takes the cake.
I’m distracted by the way her red suit hugs her and the depraved thought of her thighs wrapped around me when she turns to face me. I lift my gaze, but when my eyes meet hers, her nose crinkles like she knows what I was doing. I blush.
The pool is only down the hall, but I gather her hand in mine so she doesn’t have any question about where I want to be. Touching her. Holding her. Talking to her. All of it. With her. And only her. Not just friends.
I’m still pissed that our kiss was interrupted by room service, but I know her too well. Even with an imminent kiss, she wouldn’t want anything to come before food, so we ate. The next available chance, though…
We reach the glass door unceremoniously labeled “Pool,” and I open the door for her to precede me.
She collects her hair into a ponytail, back muscles stretching taut and exposing the slope of her kissable neck.
Too distracted, I completely miss the family of five wading in the shallow end.
My eyes must bug out because one of the kids flinches away.
My awareness surges back toward Maisie as she tugs gently at my forearm, guiding us to the opposite side of the pool where there are some empty chairs.
I don’t think I make a coherent phrase, mostly grumbling in response.
She giggles but leads the way, never dropping the point of contact between us.
At that, I smile. I love this carefree version of her.
Don’t get me wrong—I love her when she’s anxious too, nail biting and all—but this moment has a soft glow.
I’m falling in love with my best friend.
I squeeze her hand as my smile grows.
She doesn’t seem to mind being trapped here with me, and I daresay it might even relax her.
My chest fills with pride at the thought.
I want to be her safe place to land, the person she can be her full self with and know there is nothing she could do that would change the way I feel about her.
These are big feelings, though, ones I know she’s not ready to hear, and that’s okay.
For now, Operation Kiss My Best Friend is a go.
I just need to get this family to leave.
We don’t have anything with us other than our key card, so when we reach the chairs, we casually plop down.
She looks at me in a way that says what now?
I’m about to tell her to get in when I hear the dad of the family announce it’s time to get out of the pool.
It’s bedtime. The kids all whine, but he shoots them a look even I would be a little afraid of.
One by one, like little ducklings, they make their way up the steps and out of the pool, dripping as they go but quickly enveloped in a toweled hug by the mom.
A pang shoots through my chest. We were a happy family unit once, until my dad ruined everything.
My face must show my inner turmoil because Maisie reaches over to squeeze my arm. I’m here, she seems to say.
The corner of my mouth tips up. How did I get so lucky?
We wait a moment until the family is through the glass door. I can still hear their shouting down the hall, and I cringe for the people trying to sleep in those rooms.
As soon as I know we’re alone, my skin prickles in anticipation.
Abruptly standing, I bow and hold out my hand to her. “My Queen,” I say in a dorky British accent.
She takes my hand and is working on standing when I bend and scoop her up. She squeals—half in terror, half in delight.
“What are you doing!” she shouts, but before either of us can say anything else, I turn and let us crash into the water.
My back takes the brunt of the fall. If hotel pools were lifeguarded, we would for sure have the whistle sounding, but thank goodness they aren’t here. It’s just me and Maize, and there is literally no place I’d rather be.
We surface, and she releases some water from her mouth, rubbing her eyes to adjust to the chlorine, which is definitely too high for this size pool based on the smell in here.
She laughs as I wipe the water from my own eyes and take the single stroke needed to crowd her space.
Her laugh cuts out as she tugs at the corner of her bottom lip with her teeth.
My eyes track the movement, and when I look back up, her expression is dark…
longing, even. Her soft yet slanted eyes meet mine, her lips curved in a subtle smile.
I wade an arm through the water until it rounds her back and pull her into me.
She instinctively wraps her legs around my middle and gasps at what she finds there.
Her fingers dig into each of my shoulders, and I tighten my grip.
Her eyes meet mine, and there is nothing unsure in her gaze. I take that as my green light.
Slowly—so, so fucking slowly—I tilt my head and close what little distance is left between our lips, giving her every chance to pull away.
Instead, she crashes her mouth into mine.
I nearly lose my footing, but I quickly recover and back her up against the wall of the pool. She tastes like chlorine and sunshine.
I’ve stared at her soft lips more times than I can count, and now, the feel of them is better than I could have ever imagined.
I can’t get enough. Part of my brain acknowledges that if someone walked into this very public place right now, that would not be good.
My protective instincts flare. No one should get to see her like this.
But the other part is chanting Maisie Maisie Maisie, and I focus entirely on her.
Absorbing every bit of sunshine that she offers me, I deepen the kiss.
She opens for me without hesitation, our tongues tangling.
When she lets out a moan, my knees buckle.
I envelop the side of her head with my hand, and when my fingers caress her ear, she sucks in a breath and kisses me with even more fervor.
With her legs still wrapped around me, I start to nudge my hips, feeling her center even through our clothes.
I should have taken the time to remove them, but I can’t bring myself to regret the spontaneous decision that brought us to this point.
Her arm is closed tightly around my neck and she’s clawing at my chest. This is heaven.
I never want it to stop, but before I can think better of it, I pull back, panting.
I drop my forehead to hers and ask breathlessly, “Are you sure this is okay?”
“Yes,” she says, but disentangles her legs from me. I’m about to protest when she gracefully pulls herself out of the pool. I zero in on her peaked nipples visible through her suit as she walks casually to the basket of towels not far from the chairs we claimed.
I’m still dumbstruck when she says, “Coming? Or are you planning to get a drag suit practice in?”
I choke out a laugh. Drag suit practice, when we have to swim in our clothes, is one of my least favorites. I sweep myself over the edge and out of the pool as quickly as I can. Not as graceful, but just as fast as her.
She hands me a towel, smirking. “Good choice,” she says with a wink. As soon as she dries herself and wraps the towel around her middle, she takes my hand and pulls me toward the glass doors. As if I wouldn’t go willingly.
I blow out a relieved breath. This is really happening.