Chapter Twenty-Two
The sky was a vibrant cornflower blue and absolutely cloudless as Kayla lounged underneath an umbrella on the secluded pool deck.
She wavered between pretending to read her book and sipping her excellent cocktail as the sun warmed her skin and her soul.
She tried to remember the last time she’d lounged beside a pool without thinking about the dogs or the company or the thousand mundane things that filled everyday life.
Why had she given Mack such a hard time about not relaxing when she rarely did herself?
She should make more of an effort in the future.
As she pondered where she would take her next vacation and whether she could convince Mack to join her wherever it was, Skye pushed up from her lounger and trotted over to the pool.
Amy glanced up at her but then went quickly back to her book.
It was another sapphic romance, this one with a palm tree wrapped in Christmas lights on the cover.
She knew the author well and enjoyed her work, though she hadn’t read this particular title.
She should pick it up when she got back.
Or maybe Amy would finish this one, too, and she could snag it for the flight back.
Of course, since she was planning on flying home with Amy’s fiancée, it might be an awkward hand-off.
Too bad, she clearly had excellent taste in reading material.
Beside her, Mack made a little grunt in her sleep.
She had nodded off almost an hour ago. Her borrowed romance novel was open across her very distracting chest, and her straw fedora had tilted down to cover her eyes.
Her mouth was just slightly ajar, allowing for the little sleepy sighs and grunts.
It was absolutely adorable, and Kayla would gladly have sat there all afternoon and watched her nap, but the slight splash as Skye slid into the water was like a siren’s call.
With Mack asleep and Amy engrossed, it was now or never.
She had to step up the Plan of Seduction.
Kayla slipped out of her wrap and padded across the pool deck as silently as possible.
She had chosen an extremely skimpy bikini today, and it would be a shame to waste the way it barely covered her breasts and sat low on her hips.
Skye’s head would spin with a single glance, but she’d have to wait to get into the water to show it off.
If Skye ogled her and caught a glimpse of Amy over her shoulder, she would crawl back into her shell as she had at breakfast.
The stairs into the pool were the wide, shallow type that allowed for a long, sensual strut into the water.
She made her way across to them and leaned for a moment on the railing until Skye looked over.
She purposefully looked away, keeping her eyes on the tops of the plumeria trees visible at the far end of the pool, and took her time walking into the water.
Skye watched her every move. Kayla could feel her eyes like a heated brand on her skin.
A shiver of anticipation rippled through her.
She knew what she was doing. She knew how to grab Skye’s attention and hold it.
Nine years together taught her what her assets were and how to use them to get what she wanted.
The way Skye’s gaze followed her, she was sure Skye wanted the same thing she did.
Her skin thrummed in anticipation. It was time for a big swing.
She descended the final step into the shallow side of the pool.
The water didn’t quite come up to her waist, so it still showed off the perfect cut of her bikini.
To her right was the edge of the pool, a low retaining wall that dropped off to pristine lawn and then beach two stories below.
As she made her way to the wall, she noted that the higher ring of tiled wall lifting out of the center of the pool would block Amy’s view of her.
She waded over to the wall, putting an extra sway in her hips, and leaned against it, staring out across the open ocean.
“One…two…three,” Kayla mumbled, only loud enough so she could hear.
As soon as she got to ‘three,’ she heard the gentle splash of Skye making her way over.
She turned her face to the sun to hide her wide smile.
How well she knew this woman. Skye always loved the chase, and Kayla was her favorite prey.
If this wasn’t proof that they were meant to be, she didn’t know what was.
“It’s a beautiful view, isn’t it?” Skye asked as she settled against the wall next to Kayla.
“Perfect. That’s why we picked this place after all.”
Kayla slid down into the water, the chill of it raising goosebumps on her skin.
She let her legs float out behind her, resting her arms on the wall.
After a beat, Skye slid down, too, though she knelt rather than floated.
By getting lower in the water, they were even better hidden from any potential watchers.
Kayla couldn’t help noticing that Skye pitched her voice low, just like she had.
She didn’t want to be overheard any more than Kayla did. Interesting.
Skye said, “I don’t know how much choice I had in the matter. You did all the planning.”
“You proposed by buying this honeymoon package at that fundraiser. I’m pretty sure it was all your idea.”
“Very little was ever my idea.”
Skye laughed, but the memory of that grand gesture—proposing in front of old friends and strangers at a black-tie event—still made Kayla’s stomach churn.
She’d had to tell all those people a few months later that Skye had broken her heart.
Now looking back, that night was the skidding tires that preceded the impact of the car accident that was her life.
Kayla forced herself out of the thought, slipping easily back into the seductive tones she had perfected. “Next time you propose to me, I’ll let you make all the plans.”
The smile melted off Skye’s face, and she stood up. “What are you doing?”
Kayla turned her face up to look at Skye but otherwise stayed in her position.
It was tantalizingly close to kneeling in front of her, and the implications were delicious.
Skye seemed to notice it and took a step back, but Kayla wasn’t letting her get away.
She stood and took a long stride, putting herself back into Skye’s space until their bodies were almost touching.
Kayla said, “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do. Why are you here?”
“To get married.”
Skye sighed and rubbed her temple. She was so adorably flustered it was hard for Kayla to keep a straight face.
Skye said, “No, I mean, why are you here like this? Why did you follow me into the pool?”
“Skye, you followed me. I was just over here at the wall, looking out at the ocean, and you came to me.”
She could see the moment Skye realized that was true. Her eyebrows crinkled together, and a blush crept up her cheeks. Finally, she said, “Okay, but you’ve been acting strange all week.”
This was just too easy. “How have I been acting strangely, Skye?”
“I don’t know. It just…it feels like you’re flirting with me, right in front of Mack. You wouldn’t do that, would you?”
“Me flirt with you? Weren’t you the one flirting with me earlier today?”
“That was an accident.”
Kayla laughed but kept it as quiet as she could. “How does one accidentally flirt?”
“I…that’s not what I meant exactly. I just…but you were flirting with me just now. You were at the massage, too.”
Kayla reached up and touched Skye’s shoulder, running her fingertips along the sweep of her bicep. “It’s odd that you would think I’m flirting with you when I haven’t been. Is that what you want? Do you want me to flirt with you, Skye?”
“What? No. Of course not. Of course I don’t want to flirt with you.”
Kayla ran her fingertips back up Skye’s arm, watching a line of goosepimples spring up in her wake. “Then why are you flirting with me?”
Skye’s body tensed, but she didn’t step away. She was practically trembling. Kayla’s heart pounded with anticipation. It had always been like this on the soccer field, too. She could feel goals coming like a sixth sense.
Skye said, “I’m not. I mean, I don’t mean to.”
“So, it’s just natural to flirt with me? Maybe it’s because you’re drawn to me? Maybe you should think about that.”
Skye stared into her eyes. Just like Mack, her eyes were green, but they were a completely different shade. Darker and less expressive. Kayla had learned to read them, though. She was close. She could see the struggle in those emerald depths. She could feel the way Skye’s breath held.
Mack’s voice floated across the surface of the pool. “Kayla? Where did you go?”
Instead of flooding with annoyance, Kayla’s body relaxed at the sound of Mack’s voice.
There had been so much tension in this moment with Skye.
They were standing on the edge of something, and the tipping point would come soon, but Kayla was strangely hesitant to fall over the edge.
It was what she’d been working for. What she wanted.
But when Mack interrupted, she was relieved.
Her body was already leaning away from Skye, Mack drawing her in like a magnet.
Kayla gave Skye a slow smile and a wink before she turned and waded through the water.
She could feel Skye watching her walk away but forgot all about her when she rounded the hot tub.
Mack was sitting on the edge of the pool, yawning wide with her feet dangling in the water.
She looked more relaxed than Kayla had possibly ever seen her after waking from her nap.
Kayla’s heart soared and she dove into the water to swim over to Mack’s side as quickly as she could.
She would examine why she was so excited to leave Skye later. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to relax poolside with her fake fiancée.