31. Eloise
31
ELOISE
“Unless you’re planning to jump in fully clothed,” he teases, the corner of his mouth lifting in a grin. “I could be into that.”
I swallow hard, my fingers trembling as they pop the button of my denim shorts open. I wiggle them off my hips, letting them fall to the ground. I kick the shorts aside and reach for the hem of my tee next, pulling it up and over my head in one smooth motion.
The cool night air kisses my bare skin, raising goosebumps along my arms and legs as I stand at the edge of the pool in nothing but my red lace bralette and thong. Beau’s eyes are molten as they roam over my body, drinking me in like a man dying of thirst.
“Fuck, Peach,” he murmurs, his voice gravelly. “You’re a goddamn vision.”
Heat blooms across my cheeks at the raw appreciation in his tone. Emboldened, I walk into the pool, down the four steps, until it reaches my chest.
“I’ve never been in a heated pool before.” I move my arms around underneath the surface, enjoying the way it feels like it swirls around me.
“It’s a step up from the lake in Avalon Falls, hm?” Beau murmurs, swimming closer.
“Yeah,” I say on an exhale, sinking into the water until it reaches my neck. We didn’t spend a lot of time at the lake or the quarry or the actual waterfall growing up. The girls and I have gone to the lake a few times, but it was never something we did often. It felt like a novelty, something we did once in a while.
Beau swims closer until he's right in front of me, the heat of his body radiating through the water. His hands find my waist beneath the surface, his touch electric even through the barrier of the water. He pulls me flush against him, our chests pressed together, my breasts crushed against the hard planes of his torso.
"Hi," I whisper, my voice barely audible over the gentle lapping of the water against the sides of the pool.
“Hi, Peach,” he murmurs back, his lips quirking into that devastating half-smile that never fails to make my stomach flip. “I want to show you something.”
I tilt my head, curiosity piqued. “Okay.”
He swims backward, keeping his eyes locked on mine as he moves toward the edge of the pool. “Wait here.”
I watch as he pops out of the pool, doing that stupid-hot move guys do where they lift themselves out and hop onto the ledge. He jogs toward the half-wall, reaching for something. A second later, the pool lights are off, leaving only four emergency lights on.
He’s back in the water a second later, reaching for me and snagging my hand. He pulls me through the water, reminding me just how weightless I feel.
“Ready?”
My chest tightens, caught between the weight of his gaze and the easy confidence in his voice. I’ve never felt this before—this magnetic pull toward someone, like stepping closer to him might make the world tilt back into balance.
I let Beau pull me into his arms, our bodies pressing together beneath the warm, rippling surface of the pool. The heat of his skin sears into mine, the water lapping gently around us as we drift in the center of the pool.
One muscular arm wraps securely around my waist while the other rises up, his finger pointing toward the inky sky above.
“Look,” he murmurs, his breath tickling the shell of my ear. “There’s Orion, the hunter. See those three stars in a row? That’s his belt.”
I tilt my head back against his shoulder, my eyes tracing the line of stars he's pointing out. The night sky stretches above us like a velvet blanket studded with diamonds, the constellations twinkling against the darkness.
“And over there,” Beau continues, his finger moving slightly to the left, “that’s Canis Major, Orion’s loyal hunting dog. The brightest star is Sirius, the dog star.”
I hum softly, enjoying the rumble of his voice and the solid warmth of his body next to mine. “Show me more,” I murmur, my fingers interlacing with his beneath the rippling surface of the water.
Beau’s lips curve into a smile against my temple before he gently guides us to our backs, the warm water cradling our bodies as we float together beneath the endless expanse of the night sky. My hair fans out around me, the strands swirling and dancing in the gentle current.
“There’s something different about stargazing out here,” Beau murmurs, his deep voice resonating through the quiet night. “It’s like you’re suspended between two universes. The depths below and the heavens above.”
I reach for him, lacing our fingers together as he points out every star we can see and even the ones we can’t.
I lose track of how long we drift there, suspended between the warm embrace of the water and the glittering expanse of stars above. Beau’s steady presence anchors me, his thumb rubbing soothing circles over my knuckles as he murmurs stories of the constellations, his voice a deep, hypnotic rumble that settles into my bones.
In this moment, floating weightless and untethered from the rest of the world, I feel something shift inside me. A lock clicking open, a wall crumbling, some inner barrier falling away.
It’s the most peaceful I’ve ever felt in my life.
The realization is startling. My chest aches in the most bittersweet way. I can’t remember ever feeling like this, not just in someone else’s presence, but in my own skin.
Is this what tranquility feels like?
It’s as if all the scattered, jagged pieces of myself have finally settled into place, if only for this stolen pocket of time.
My eyes water, and my soul aches. It feels profoundly unfair that I had to wait so long to experience such a wonderful feeling.
My breath hitches with overwhelming emotion, evoked by such a simple thing.
Holding hands, floating in a pool, looking at the stars.
In five years, ten, even twenty, I’ll look back on this moment with fondness. A pivotal moment, and I’m not going to waste it.
I let my feet hit the bottom just as he turns toward me. The water laps gently around us, the only sound in the still night air. His eyes find mine, dark and intense in the moonlight, and the breath catches in my throat.
“Beau,” I whisper, my voice barely audible over the pounding of my own heart.
The words stick in my throat, tangled up with a thousand feelings I’m not quite ready to name. But in this moment, suspended in the warm water with the stars stretched endlessly above us, I feel vulnerable and brave.
“Peach,” he murmurs, his gaze roaming my face, his brows dipping low.
His hand comes up to cradle my cheek, his thumb brushing feather-light over my cheekbone. The touch is so tender, so achingly gentle, that it steals the breath from my lungs. He leans in slowly, his nose brushing against mine, his lips hovering a hairsbreadth from my own.
“It’s alright, baby,” he whispers, his breath warm against my skin.
And then he’s kissing me with a reverence I’ve never felt before. His lips are soft and gentle as they mold to mine. Tender and unhurried, like we have all the time in the world.
He tastes like promises and possibilities, like a future I never dared to dream of until this moment. His kiss is a revelation, a whispered secret shared between us in the hush of the night.
I melt into him, my hands sliding up his bare chest to loop around his neck, pulling him closer. The water swirls around us, a gentle caress against our skin as we lose ourselves in each other.
When we finally part, I’m breathless and dizzy, my heart racing in my chest. Beau rests his forehead against mine, his eyes closed, his breath coming in soft pants.
“You’re gonna be the death of me, baby.”
“That sounds terrible,” I whisper with a soft laugh.
“Nah, it’s the only way to go,” he says with a wide grin, dimples popping. “Death by Eloise’s sweet peach.”
“Oh my god, that was such a line. Eloise’s sweet peach ,” I mimic his deep voice through laughter.
His laugh rumbles through his chest, the sound warm and rich in the quiet night. “Oh, is that funny, hm?”
Before I can respond, his hands are on my waist, strong and sure, and he carries me through the water. My arms and legs wind around him, laughter still light on my tongue.
We reach the shallow end, and he sets me on the top step, the cool concrete a shock against my heated skin. Water sluices off my body in rivulets, the droplets catching the moonlight like scattered diamonds. Beau’s hands skim up my thighs, his touch leaving trails of fire in their wake. He kneels on the middle step, wedging himself between my parted legs, and I widen them to give him more room.
His fingers trace teasing patterns on my inner thighs as he presses soft, open-mouthed kisses along my collarbone. I tip my head back, a breathy moan escaping my lips as his teeth graze my skin.
“Beau,” I whisper, my fingers threading into his damp hair, nails scratching lightly against his scalp.
“Yeah, baby?” He hums against my throat, the vibration sending shivers racing down my spine. His lips trail lower, mapping a path of fire down my chest until he reaches the edge of my bralette. He flicks his tongue along the top, my nipples straining through the cotton fabric, begging for his touch.
“What are you doing?”
He chuckles, this slow sound that reminds me of molasses. Smooth and rich and decadent. “I’m gonna show you how fucking delicious you taste.”
His words send a bolt of liquid heat straight to my core. My breath hitches as his fingers curl around the edge of my bralette, slowly easing the damp fabric down. The cool night air kisses my exposed skin, my nipples pebbling in response.
He leans in, his breath ghosting over my sensitive flesh. “So fucking beautiful,” he murmurs, awe lacing every word.
And then his mouth is on me, hot and wet, sucking my nipple through the thin fabric. I cry out, my back arching, pressing my breast into his mouth further.
His tongue swirls around the tight bud before he sucks it into his mouth, his teeth grazing ever so gently. Pleasure spikes through me, sharp and intense, pooling liquid heat between my thighs.
“Fuck,” I gasp, tugging on his hair.
He releases my nipple with a wet pop, a wicked grin curving his lips. “There she is, my greedy girl,” he says, before shifting his attention to my other nipple.
He palms my hips and shifts me closer. My ass balances on the little rounded edge, my hands flying behind me to brace myself.
He holds my gaze as he lowers himself into the water, the pads of his thumbs dragging over the sensitive crease of my hips. His eyes, dark with hunger, lock onto mine as he drags his lips along my inner thigh. “I’ve been dreaming of the way you taste, Peach. Craving it like a man starved.”
Desire pools, hot and heavy in my core. I’m trembling with need, my body wound tight in anticipation.
“Yes,” I breathe, the word escaping me on a desperate exhale.
A carnal grin curves his lips. “You know I like it when you use your words, baby.”
“I want you.”
“I’m right here,” he counters, dragging his tongue along the hem of my thong.
I shiver, lust coasting along my nerve endings like goosebumps. “Your mouth, Beau.” A breathless plea.
“This mouth?” He punctuates his question with a soft kiss to the center of my thong.
Arousal swirls so heavily in my veins, I feel almost drunk on it, and he’s barely touched me. But it’s not enough. I am greedy, and I do want more. I’m a little worried I’ll never have my fill of Beau Carter. Not when it feels like this with him.
I rock my hips toward him, feeling his chuckle rather than seeing it. “I want you to eat my pussy, Beau.” The words come out bold and brazen, dripping with need.
His eyes flash with primal hunger, a low growl rumbling in his chest. “Fuck, you have no idea what you do to me when you talk like that, Peach. But I’m going to show you.”