Chapter 20
Kaylee
The entire day has been weird.
After our conversation last night by the pool, Ellis and I walked to the room we're currently sharing.
I showered and got into bed, and then he showered and did the same.
There wasn't a word spoken. There was no conversation about us sharing a bed.
We didn't whisper in the darkness to continue our conversation. We just rolled over in opposite directions and fell asleep.
When I woke hours and hours ago, he was gone, having left a note on the bedside table, saying that I should make myself at home and that he'd be gone most of the day today.
So I did just that, staying in bed, snoozing off and on until noon. When my stomach woke me up with a growl, I found the kitchen and made myself a pizza pocket. Surely it was one of the ones he bought from the grocery store. In the corner of the kitchen in a large bowl, I saw the candy he purchased from me at the register. Although Ellis's body doesn't look like he eats much junk food, he could very easily spend hours at the gym in order to keep as physically fit as he is.
Thinking of his body is what landed me in the sauna room for over an hour, thinking I could sweat out all that damn inappropriateness. But even after coming out drenched in sweat, it didn't rid those types of thoughts from my head.
I lounged by the pool, but it was just too hot outside, and went inside for a shower.
Then I snoozed some more. After seeing myself in the mirror after my nap, I knew I had to get back into the shower.
The entire day was already gone, the sun already setting, by the time I turned off the shower and walked back into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around my body.
Other than the bag sitting on the bed, there was no other evidence that Ellis had come into the room.
Although my name was on a little tag connected to the bag, I was still hesitant to open it.
I stared down at the thing as if it were a coiled snake ready to strike.
This isn't the first bag the man has left for me. Twice now I've been presented with things, and both times his intention was not kindly met. When I give in and open it, I can't help but huff a laugh at the very demure one-piece bathing suit inside.
I thought I was creating something that wasn't there when he walked up to Bandera and me chatting last night. I could've sworn I saw jealousy on his face, but when he just sat down and started talking to us like it was something he'd do every day, I convinced myself I was reading too much into the situation.
After spending the night in bed with him, and there was no attempt to even move closer to me, I tried my best to shut those thoughts off completely.
The man has gone from buying me thong underwear to grabbing lingerie from my house to a solid one-piece suit, and the change is too dramatic not to notice.
He doesn't want the other men here to see me in something he'd consider sexy.
Instead of rummaging through his drawers for something to wear, I grab the suit, return to the bathroom, and try it on. It fits perfectly, unlike the sweats and t-shirt he got for me at the hotel gift shop that first night.
I pull the towel back around me because what man would think to get some form of coverup for the walk to the pool and back?
I stick my head out of the bedroom, looking in both directions, and wait to make sure no one else is around, before heading down the stairs and toward the walkout basement.
The water in the pool looks inviting, the waterfall making the top dance and ripple against the sides.
I dip my toe into the shallow end, anticipating it being warm from the sun. There's nothing worse than wanting to cool off in a pool only to discover the day has left it heated like a bathtub.
"It fits."
I spin around and face the voice, finding Ellis reclined in the hot tub, like he was born to just lounge around all damn day.
The sun has set, but the landscaping lights reflect off his smile, and I find myself a little lost in his gaze before regaining control of my body.
"Thank you for the bathing suit," I tell him as I approach, wishing the shadows cast around us didn't hide part of his face.
I'm not even going to pretend that I'm not happy to find him out here. I was hoping he didn't just drop the bathing suit and run away. I found myself missing him today. Being alone has never been one of my strong suits, hence the reason I always volunteer for the extra shifts at work.
I'm not exactly co-dependent on the company of others, but I've just never found myself comfortable when I'm alone.
"It looks good on you," he says, and I don't miss the gruff edge to his tone.
Cold chills coat my arms despite the warmth of the water as I step into the hot tub.
I give him an easy if not shy smile and cast my eyes out over the rest of the yard.
"How do you get used to a place like this?"
I look back at him when he doesn't answer. He's looking out over the backyard, as if he never even considered it being as luxurious as I see it.
"You grew up rich, didn't you?"
When his eyes meet mine, there isn't a hint of ego in them.
"I was born into a family that never had to struggle financially," he says, and I sort of understood as much from what we spoke about last night.
"This water feels amazing," I say, running my hands over the top of the water. "I find it surprising, considering how warm today was. I didn't think the hot tub would be enjoyable."
"But you joined me anyway," he counters.
I give him all my attention. My first instinct is to ask him why he's calling me out like he is, but I get distracted by the way the tip of his finger is swirling on the concrete decking surrounding the hot tub.
I force myself to look away and do my best not to let the action of his finger affect me in any way, but catching the sight of him still doing it from the corner of my eye leaves my body running much hotter than the water we're sitting in.
"Could you maybe not do that?" I ask, my tone a hint more aggressive than I had planned.
"What's that?" he asks, but the smile that expands across his face tells me he knows exactly what he's doing.
"That!" I snap, pointing to his hand, but the man doubles down.
Instead of stopping, he changes direction, rubbing the tip of his finger around and around. I swear I feel it all in my most intimate parts, half tickle and the other half creating this desperate need deep inside of me. I know the man won't be happy until he drives me completely insane, but I'll never tell him that he's already so very close to making it happen.
"It's not even making any noise," he argues. "Why does it bother you so much?"
I shake my head and open my mouth but no words come out. All I can manage is a swallow. At this point, I can't even pull my eyes away.
"You're infuriating," I mutter, eyes still locked on his hand and the tip of that one finger.
"Does it make you ache?"
Instinct tells me to nod, to tell him the truth, but thankfully, I still have some of my faculties.
"No," I say, forcing myself to look away. He chuckles when he catches the full-body tremor I have no hope of hiding from him.
"I can ease that for you, Kaylee," he promises. Just by the way he says it, I have no doubt the man is more than capable of taking care of me in that way.
A slight movement on his part is all it takes to draw my attention back to his hand, and I swear the man is getting so much pleasure from driving me mad. Instead of one finger, he now has two swirling around on the concrete. I'll be damned if it isn't the same two fingers I use when I'm alone in bed some nights.
He's infiltrated my psyche, and it takes all I have not to crawl into his lap and beg him to move that hand to my body.
Ache doesn't even begin to describe how it's making me feel. It's more like a burning need, a frenzied recklessness that's bubbling up inside of me.
All I can think about is his hands on me, his mouth ghosting over my skin.
I want to run away, but the need to beat him at his own game wins out.
Like a lazy cat needing attention but trying not to appear as such, I move in the water, my eyes locked on his face, and I fight the smile that threatens when in my periphery, I see his fingers pause.
"Kaylee," he whispers, as I press my hands to his knees on my way up his body.
I settle on him, taking back a little of my power when I feel his thickness press against the center of me.
"Ellis," I whisper back, a tease of my own.
I lean closer, the warmth of his breath skating across my lips.
At first, it's a tease, a promise of nothing with a hint of retribution for the way he's made me feel.
But I misjudged just how wound up he's made me, and resisting his lips becomes impossible.
I last about a second and a half before my hovering lips are pressed against his, but he doesn't waste even a second. It feels like electricity runs up my spine the second his tongue brushes against mine.
The groan that rumbles from deep in his chest proves he's not as immune to me as he'd like me to think.
I whimper with need, but the light chuckle he emits brings me right back down to earth.
I don't miss the way he reaches for me, his wet fingers gliding over my hips, as I stand and climb out of the hot tub.
I'm praying as he watches me walk away that he can't see just how weak my knees are.