Chapter 26
twenty-six
. . .
Grant
I lean against my office doorframe, still processing the evening. When I put Hazel to bed just now, she couldn't stop talking about how Sophia helped her with her audition piece. The way Sophia is patiently working with Hazel for her audition, you'd think she belonged here.
The memory of our moment at the back door makes my pulse quicken.
Sophia looking up at me with those ice-blue eyes, my fingers tracing up her body, her hand on my waist, both of us breathing harder just from standing close.
If Hazel hadn't called out… I shake the thought from my mind and head to my desk.
There's still work to do, even if my mind keeps drifting to the way Sophia's lips parted when I leaned in.
Movement outside catches my eye. Through the wall of windows in my home office, I spot a flash of blue disappearing beneath the surface of the pool. Sophia. My pulse races as I watch her glide underwater with graceful strokes, her dark hair streaming behind her like silk ribbons in the moonlight.
She breaks the surface and pushes her hair back from her face.
Water droplets cascade down her shoulders, gleaming silver in the pool lights.
The tiny blue bikini she's wearing leaves nothing to the imagination.
The top barely contains her small round breasts, and her hard nipples poke against the material.
The bottoms ride high on her hips, showing off the curve of her ass as she stands up out of the water.
Wet fabric clings to every curve like a second skin, and my mouth goes dry at the sight of water trailing down between her breasts.
The sight of her like this is a threat to my self-control.
I should look away. Get back to work.
This is exactly what I was afraid of when I offered her the guest house.
The temptation. I told myself it was a practical solution.
She needed a place to stay while her house underwent repairs and the guest house was sitting empty.
But now, watching her through the window like some pervert, I'm forced to admit that maybe I had other motivations.
After reading the same email three times without absorbing a word, I admit defeat.
Maybe a swim would clear my head. I close my laptop with more force than necessary and head to my bedroom, trying to ignore the way my heart is already racing at the thought of joining her.
I change quickly into board shorts, my dick already growing hard at the thought of her wet body against mine.
The warm night air hits my skin as I step outside.
Sophia's doing lazy backstroke laps, but she stops when she hears the door close behind me.
Water streams down her face as she rights herself, and I can't help but stare at the way her practically transparent bikini clings to her tits, with the outline of her nipples visible in the pool lights.
"Hey." Her face lights up with that smile that never fails to make my stomach flip. She moves to the edge of the pool and rests her arms on the concrete. "Your pool was calling my name. I couldn't resist."
"It does have that effect on people." I hesitate at the pool's edge, suddenly self-conscious. This feels too intimate. Maybe I didn't think this through.
She must sense my hesitation because she pushes away from the wall, giving me space. "Water's perfect. Join me?" Her voice carries a hint of challenge that makes my pulse jump.
What the hell? I dive in, and the cool water is a shock to my system. When I surface, I don't hesitate before reaching for her and pulling her close—close enough I can see the water droplets on her collarbone and the glare off the water reflecting in her blue eyes.
"You lied. This water is not warm."
Her breath catches as our bodies align, and her soft curves press against my chest.
"I said it was perfect, not warm."
The water makes her skin silky smooth against mine, and I have to bite back a groan when I feel her thighs wrap around my waist and she presses her center against my now steel-hard cock.
"Grant," she whispers, and it's full of want. Her hands slide up my chest to my shoulders, leaving trails of fire despite the cool water.
My grip tightens around her waist, and my fingers tangle in her hair, pulling her lips to mine.
Her lips are cool from the water but quickly warm under mine, and when she parts them with a soft moan, I'm lost. She tastes like chlorine and something sweet.
Her fingers thread through my wet hair, pulling me closer as the kiss deepens.
I let my hands roam down her back, feeling every inch of exposed skin.
Her legs grip me harder, drawing her impossibly close as she moves her hips. I bring my hands down underneath her beautiful round ass and guide her thrusts so we're both grinding against each other. If we keep going, I'm going to come right here in this pool, in my swim trunks.
The splash of water from the pool filter startles our lips apart, and we both freeze, listening for any sound from the house.
Reality crashes back in when we realize we're outside where anyone can see—where Hazel could look out her window at any moment.
Sophia's flushed cheeks and swollen lips test every bit of willpower I possess not to pull her back to me.
"We should probably…" She gestures toward our respective houses. The want in her voice is clear, but so is the understanding that we can't—not here and not now, not with Hazel upstairs.
Her legs drop, and the warmth instantly disappears as she pulls away from my embrace. I can't help but notice it's a good metaphor for how I feel every time she's not around me.
"Yeah," I agree, though everything in me rebels against the idea.
We climb out of the pool, and as I hand her a towel, our fingers brush—deliberately this time. The tension between us is a living thing now, impossible to ignore.
"Good night again, Grant," she says, wrapping the towel around herself. The way she says my name makes me want to forget all the reasons this is complicated.
"Good night, Sophia." I watch her walk to the guest house, with water still dripping down her legs, before forcing myself to turn away.
Back in my house, I head upstairs and check on Hazel out of habit. Her quiet snores reassure me that she's still sound asleep, completely unaware of the way her father's world is tilting on its axis.
In my bathroom, I turn the shower on hot, hoping it will clear my head.
All I can think about is Sophia. The feel of her skin under my hands, the way she tasted when I kissed her, and the way she looked at me like she wanted more.
There's no way I'll sleep until I release some pressure. I'm still hard from that kiss.
I run through the entire list of reasons why allowing myself to be with Sophia is a bad idea.
She works for me.
I have Hazel to think about.
Office relationships never end well.
The potential fallout could be catastrophic.
Then I stomp over to the shower and slam the stream of water off.
"Motherfucker."
I walk out of the bathroom and across my room to the hall, checking once more that Hazel is still asleep. Before I can talk myself out of it, I walk through the kitchen and out the back door and march across the pool deck patio to the guest house.
Her door isn't locked, like she was waiting for me. I find Sophia curled up in bed, watching TV in a thin tank top and shorts that might actually just be panties.
"Grant?" Her voice is breathy and uncertain, but her eyes are filled with want.
"Take off your clothes, Sophia." My voice is rough. "Tonight is my turn."
The way she scrambles to comply makes my dick turn to steel.
"Good girl," I tell her, and her responding shiver tells me everything I need to know about where this night is headed.