Chapter 21
twenty-one
Caroline
"No parties tonight?" I asked, leaning against Reese’s kitchen counter, arms crossed, as he walked around with his usual cocky swagger.
He flashed that roguish grin. "Girl, I am the party."
I rolled my eyes but couldn't stop a hint of a smile. "You're something, alright."
He rested both palms on the countertop, leaning toward me. "Wanna go for a swim?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Right now?"
"Why not?" He held my gaze, and a spark of electricity jolted between us.
I looked away, trying to act cool. "Is this some plan to get me out of my clothes?"
"Is it working?" he joked, his voice dropping lower. Against my better judgment, my pulse quickened.
I scoffed, hoping he couldn't hear the catch in my throat. "Not one bit."
Reese laughed, a rich sound that sent a shiver down my spine. Without another word, he turned and slid open the patio door. I sighed, following him into the backyard.
He strode ahead with easy confidence, the moonlight dancing over his broad shoulders.
When he reached the pool's edge, he stripped off his T-shirt in one smooth motion.
I swallowed hard at the sight of him. His tan skin seemed to glow, the hard planes of his chest interrupted only by the pendant necklace that hung around his neck.
Reese turned, catching me staring. Something dangerous flashed in his eyes. "Get in with your clothes on if you want."
Before I could react, he leapt into the water with a powerful dive. I jumped back as droplets spattered my legs. When he surfaced, he flung his wet hair back and grinned.
"Come on, Chaos. Live a little."
Throwing caution to the wind, I quickly peeled off my top and shorts. The night air raised goosebumps on my bare skin. I caught Reese's gaze lingering on me out of the corner of my eye, almost as if he was devouring every inch of me.
I dove in. The warm water felt amazing, because of course he had a heated pool. When I came up for air, Reese was treading water nearby, his eyes burning into mine. My heart pounded as he drifted closer.
"Knew you couldn't resist taking off your clothes for me," he murmured.
I tossed my hair back defiantly. "Don't flatter yourself.
This is basically a swimsuit." My fingers grazed his arm beneath the water.
Maybe he was right, though. He was alluring, and hard to resist, but I would put up a fight first. With a flick of my wrist, I sent water hurtling towards Reese.
It cut through the air, splattering satisfyingly against his chest.
"Was that really necessary?" he asked, his eyes a stormy green as they met mine.
"Absolutely," I replied, with a small smile.
We splashed back and forth, laughter mixing with him chasing me around the pool. The night was calm, stars were twinkling above. But as I paused, catching my breath, Reese's gaze softened, and he faltered, water dripping from his hair.
"Tell me about that horseshoe tattoo on your hip," Reese said. The low drawl of his voice almost made me nervous. His rough thumb brushed over the inked horseshoe on my hip. A shiver raced across my skin, raising goosebumps. I could feel every single one of them come alive.
"I'd tell you," I began, my lips curving into a smile. "But then, I'd have to kill you."
"That looks good on you," he said, disarmingly earnest.
"What? The tattoo?"
"Yes," he said, his voice husky. “But I was talking about your smile.”
"Why do you always have to ruin the moment?" I countered, trying to deflect, to regain some semblance of control over the erratic pace of my heartbeat.
"Why are you always so bad at taking compliments?" he shot back.
I settled onto the lowest step inside the pool. "Because I never get them," I admitted, staring at the ripples expanding outward from where my hands played in the water. "So when I do, it feels... awkward."
"What do you mean you never get them? You’re fucking stunning."
I glanced at him. "I mean, my family doesn’t compliment me, and the only guys who hit on me are usually drunk. I never even know if they can see straight."
Then, Reese moved closer, his dimple flashed—that perfect indentation that could tilt the world off its axis. "Maybe guys are scared of you because you walk around with all those weapons," he teased.
“Can never be too safe.”
“Guess that’s true,” he replied with a small shrug.
I splashed a bit of water his way, grinning. “So tell me something about you.”
He tilted his head, a curious spark in his eyes. “What about me?”
I held his gaze, refusing to back down. "You’re not really just a cocky jerk, are you?"
He gave a charming smile. "Oh, I am definitely a cocky jerk. You forgot arrogant and a little possessive, too."
“I’m not so sure. I'm starting to wonder if there's more to you than that," I managed unevenly. "Maybe you're not who you pretend to be."
His eyes searched mine, his expression unreadable. For a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of vulnerability, but he tossed it aside when he flashed that infuriating dimple. "And who do I pretend to be?"
"The big man on campus. The cocky jock who has it all together." I was acutely aware of his stare and his dangerously close proximity. “Maybe that’s just what you want everyone to think.”
Something dangerous flashed in Reese's eyes. He moved closer, his hips nearly grazing mine. I inhaled sharply, my skin prickling as I watched his every move.
"Maybe… or, maybe you’re wrong, and that is who I am," he whispered, his breath hot against my cheek.
My heart hammered as he trailed a finger down my arm. I knew I should move away, but something held me in place. I arched an eyebrow, trying to ignore the way my pulse quickened at his touch. "I'm never wrong."
Reese's eyes darkened. He slowly licked his lips, sending a shiver down my spine. "Why do I get the feeling that even if you are wrong, you'd never admit it?"
I inhaled his scent—that woodsy, uniquely him smell as he used one knee to spread my legs slightly and moved into the space between them.
His hard body pressed against me. The heat radiating from him was intoxicating.
The proximity should have been a warning, but instead of pushing him away, my hands found the firm muscles of his chest, exploring the dips and ridges.
"What are you doing?" I managed to say, even as my fingers continued their exploration, faltering just above the waistband of his shorts.
“Nothing," Reese's voice was a husky rasp. He dipped his head until his lips nearly grazed my ear. "Ball is in your court, remember?”
I tried, God knew I'd tried. I’d held him back, brick by stupid brick.
Each encounter with him lately had been a battle of trying to keep him at bay.
But here we were again, and my defenses were crumbling.
It wasn't humanly possible to resist him any longer.
Every instance of resistance, every moment I had fought against this—against us—flickered through my mind like a montage of defeat.
"Okay." The word emerged from my lips, almost a sigh. "But if we do this, it's only until the wedding, and then—" My voice trembled, worried about what I was getting myself into. "Then we go back to hating each other. Which means you cannot Reese and Release me until after the wedding."
His gaze dropped to my lips, and his jaw tightened. “What did you just say?”
Oops. Did he not know about that?
"You know," I said, awkwardly, "the thing women say about you? That you sleep with them, then release them and ruin them for anyone else because you're ‘so amazing in bed’… or whatever. Could just be speculation though."
Reese's face cracked with that infuriating grin, one corner of his mouth higher than the other in pure, unadulterated mischief. “That rumor may be the best one I've heard yet. Remind me to tell Bailey about that one."
I raised an eyebrow playfully. "Care to confirm or deny?"
"Are you asking if I’m good in bed, Care Bear?”
“No. Asking for a friend, actually.”
“Oh yeah? Who?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.
“You don’t know her,” I said, tilting up my chin.
His gaze held mine before he finally replied. “Well you can tell your friend that I live up to all the hype," he said, simply. “But the ‘released’ part? I’m not so sure. If she’s the one for me, there’s no way I’m letting her go."
This man was his own brand of arrogance.
For some reason, his admission didn't make me feel any better, but I was past the point of caring.
The boundaries of where we stood had already been defined.
I could almost hear the countdown, each second ticking away to my sister's wedding—the termination of whatever “this” was.
And I would have to accept it for what it was: temporary, evanescent—like a sunset, the beauty only lasting a few moments before the darkness takes over once more.
"Guess that works out perfectly then," I ventured, the words spilling out with a bravery I didn't feel. "I'm granting you the privilege to release me after my sister's wedding."
"If that’s what you want, I’ll let you go then. But right now?" His hands grabbed my hips, eagerly pulling me closer. "I’m not letting you go anywhere."
The way he drew out those last words sent a spike of heat straight to my core.
His confidence and closeness swept away the last of my resistance.
He bit down on his lip, and that look of his crushed every ounce of my self-control.
Reese's green eyes locked onto mine, searching for my reaction, and I felt the air between us thicken with unspoken desire.
Despite my better judgment, I couldn't look away.
I wanted whatever he was about to do, and he knew it.