Chapter 18 #2
Melinda’s eyes rounded. Lust banked low in them. I was sure they mirrored mine.
This was my chance. I was done standing on the sidelines. I wanted her. To hell with everything else.
The rest of the world faded around us. This was it. The moment I’d been waiting for. It had been a long time coming. Five years to be exact.
Before I could claim her mouth and my hands could roam over her body, she looked away and moved aside, lifting herself out of the pool.
I didn’t have time to understand what had just happened when she walked toward the end of the pool in nothing but her black one-piece swimsuit.
My body still vibrated with desire. Melinda Shepard was playing with every one of my restraints, and I didn’t even think she was doing it to screw with me.
No one had ever kept me up on my toes like her.
I was so out of my actual game when it involved her.
It was both exciting and excruciating, as if my heart had been left raw and exposed, but she couldn’t see it.
She hurried to the row of blocks, and I took in every inch of her dripping with chlorine water and the way her bathing suit molded to her curves.
When I looked at her, minus the lust, I recognized the lean and powerful muscles of an athlete.
The defined lines of her back peeked through the keyhole opening of her swimsuit.
The cut showcased her long and muscular legs that I craved to have wrapped around me.
A new wave of tension stretched the crotch of my swim trunks.
With one hand, I covered the hard part of me, feeling more exposed than I’d ever had before. I had never really dated dated anybody. Sure, I’d hooked up with my share of girls, but I’d never actually liked one enough to commit to something more—to crave something real, a relationship.
My heart pounded faster against my ribs.
A relationship. I wondered if it was something I’d be any good at.
Melinda positioned herself at one end of the pool, stepping onto the starting block, and adjusted her goggles. “Ready?”
I gave her my full attention, happy to evade my own crippling thoughts, and nodded. “When you are.” I used my most official voice. “Swimmers…huh…swimmer, take your mark.”
She bent her knees and leaned forward, then plunged into the pool when I said “Go.” I got entranced by her agility as she glided forward, her arms slicing through the water in rhythmic strokes.
She spun around just before reaching the other end of the pool, pushing off the white tiled wall with the strength of her legs.
She propelled her body ahead, gaining momentum until her hands connected with the opposite wall.
I glanced at my phone, noting the time. She repeated the same course of action three times before joining me.
I showed her the numbers, and she grinned as if she’d won the Olympics. “I’m killing it today.”
“Yes, you are.” I lifted a hand, and her palm connected with mine. “Good job, Shepard.”
“Thanks.”
“Training with Coach Pierce can do that to you. Excel in everything.” I winked, and she burst out laughing. “What?” I asked, pretending to be clueless.
“You. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed as much as when you’re being silly.”
“Thanks. I’ll accept the praises.”
“I didn’t expect anything else from you. The real question today is, Mase, are you ready for your initiation?”
I put my phone aside on a folded towel. Stretching my arms over my head, I cracked my neck and rolled my shoulders back trying to project confidence.
“Yep. Give it to me.” I had never swum laps other than when I’d hurt my left elbow last year, and it had been part of my physical therapy routine.
And that one time as kids when we had raced as a dare.
After I put on a swim cap and adjusted my goggles, Melinda pulled me into the water. “You look very…huh…swimmy,” she said with a snicker.
“Swimmy?”
“Yeah. Swimmy. New word. It fits you.”
“It sounds bad. I hate it.”
“You better get used to it. I usually only see you parade around on a field in tights and a helmet. Let’s just say, goggles and a swim cap may not be your best look.”
Before she could add another word, I had her in my arms, my palms molded to her hips.
Her breathing hitched—and so did mine. Even soaked in water, heat spread through me, and I was at risk of combusting.
Lifting Melinda above my head, I tossed her into the deep end of the pool.
The contagious sound of her laughter filled the empty swimming area. And my heart.
She swam toward me, using a hand to splash water at my face. “You cheated.”
“Sorry, I couldn’t resist. You were there, and it was just too tempting.” She shook her head in a half-resigned, half-amused expression, and I broke into a chuckle. “You should see your face.”
“What’s wrong with my face?”
“Nothing. It’s cute.”
She raised a brow and scrunched up her nose. “Cute?”
My laughter increased. “Yep. Cute. I stand behind my word. Anyway, it’s better than swimmy.”
She reached me, and we faced each other. My hands returned to her hips, and I kept her at a safe distance.
The last remnants of her smile died on her face.
My humor decreased, and my pulse skyrocketed.
My gaze roamed over every one of her features as if to memorize them.
Melinda’s lips parted, and I wondered if she, too, was thinking about kissing me this time.
A fat drop of water slid into her eye, and she blinked, breaking the spell.
Clearly, some invisible force had decided today was not a good day to kiss my neighbor.
My voice sounded rough when I regained its usage. “Okay, what do I do now?”
She leaned back and stared at me with an expression I’d never seen before. “Five…huh…you know…um…laps?” She coughed and cleared her throat. Guess I wasn’t the only one bothered right now. “We’ll start in the water. Best time wins. I’ll give you a five-second head start.”
I whacked my chest with my fist. “Nah. If we compete against each other, we’re doing it fair and square. No privilege, no head start. I’m not scared of a little competition.”
“Fine. Last time we did this, I won.”
“Sure you did. I never saw it coming. You never disclosed that one piece of information, you know, the one where you should have told me you were a trained swimmer.”
“Oops. In my defense, you had beaten me at basketball all day. I didn’t wanna lose again. A girl has her pride.”
“If I win this time, what’s the prize?” I asked, waggling my eyebrows. We hadn’t changed that much over the years. Our competition was still destined to end with some sort of bet.
“Prize?”
“Oh girl, you’re adorable. You’re as competitive as I am. Don’t tell me you’re not silently dreaming of beating my ass once again.”
She giggled, the sound addictive. “Mase, you know I’ll beat your ass. Don’t assume otherwise. I’m the pool nerd between the two of us.”
“So, what’s the prize? For the winner...” I pretended to think. “A kiss?”
Melinda’s eyes rounded in surprise. “Huh…Mase… No… Is that what you want?”
I shrugged, trying to look unaffected. “I was joking…but if it’s what you want, I’m sure we could work it out.” I’m not joking. I’ve been dreaming of kissing you for years. Please, put a guy out of his misery. Subtlety isn’t my strongest suit.
“It sounds like we’re back to being kids. When things were amazing and then became awkward between us within a few days.”
“About that—” I said, not knowing how to broach the subject of the game of basketball that had changed everything for me.
“Let’s not go there. It was a long time ago.”
“I’m sorry. I was clueless back then. I shouldn’t have been that upfront and then said those things at school the next Monday.
It was wrong to claim you and put you on the hot spot and tell everyone not to talk to you because you were my friend only and that I would kick their asses if they even dared to look at you.
” I rubbed the back of my neck with my fingers, at a loss for words.
“I wish I could go back in time and fix it. I hated it when I saw you crying, sitting all by yourself, because no one would talk to you, and you wouldn’t talk to me.
I’m glad you stepped up and made it right the next day.
Even if it meant you pushed me away while doing so.
Anyway, I should have said that I was sorry a long time ago. ”
“It’s okay… We were kids. And for the record, I thought you were adorable back then.
I shouldn’t have run away that night after I won the race.
It was wrong. I wanted to be your friend so bad, but I also didn’t want all the attention on me.
It was kinda too much, and it freaked me out.
I had just moved into town, and everyone knew who I was before I had even stepped foot at school.
For a long time, I wished things were different between us.
I’m sorry too.” She averted her eyes, and I sensed the air tensing around us.
Mentally, I slapped myself for making things uncomfortable between us. Here, I had a chance to make things right, and stupid me had offered a kiss as a prize. I needed to think fast—and fix the moment so we could go back to the camaraderie we’d been experiencing all day.
“What about a horror movie marathon? I’m not talking about one or two movies, I’m talking about an entire night. Three movies of my choice. I’ll provide the snacks and the arms to hide when you scream in terror.”
Melinda’s attention darted back to me, the trip down memory lane seemingly forgotten for now. “You like getting spooked, or you want me to be?”
I smirked. “I hate horror movies. They always run upstairs when the bad guy is after them. Nobody likes jumping out of their skin when he catches them. I know I hate it. Also, the special effects are so bad most of the time.”
Her eyes rounded, and she frowned. “Why would you subject yourself to a marathon then?”