Chapter Eight #2
Lottie nodded, still unsure of what all of that information meant or how it would impact her, but she appreciated the woman’s insight nonetheless. “Thank you, Cora. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Cora nodded and the two women went about the class, jumping in the water when instructed and doing scissor kicks against the side of the pool, laughing when Mr. Frinkle got his swim trunks caught in the nearby ladder.
They were just starting the cool down portion of the session when Lottie ended up floating backwards right into the pool wall, startling when she realized the wall had arms that were holding onto her and helping her stand upright in the water.
When she turned around, her eyes drank in the sight before her.
Nate’s bare chest dripped with water, and Lottie tracked the path of each droplet like a disk traveling down a peg board.
She hadn’t seen this much of his body since high school, and she couldn’t help but notice the changes.
Back then he’d been athletic, but his body now reflected time in a gym and all the running she knew he did around town.
A smattering of dark hair was unable to hide the firm muscles of his chest and torso, and his thick biceps and sturdy forearms looked more than capable of holding her up as he pounded her against the wall of her living room.
Shaking the lustful thought from her head, Lottie looked up at him, trying not to roll her eyes at the smirk on his face.
Apparently her admiration of his physique hadn’t gone unnoticed.
“What are you doing here?” she demanded haughtily. “I have never seen you at one of these classes before.” That was something she wouldn’t have forgotten and in fact would have marked her calendar as the day her spank back was forever filled with images of him.
Nate shrugged and stepped closer to her, the water rippling around them as his chest nearly bumped into hers.
“I would have been here sooner, but Kirk Beecham called to complain about his neighbor’s Christmas light display and I got a little caught up.
I thought coming here would be a good way to interact with the community.
” He reached up and brushed a wet piece of hair off her cheek. “Isn’t that what you told me to do?”
Lottie frowned. During their downtown excursion, she had mentioned that it would be good for him to do things around town in an unofficial capacity, but she hadn’t thought he would infiltrate her safe spaces with his presence.
She was already off kilter from talking about him with his mother.
Now he was there looking like a half-naked, wet lumberjack and all Lottie could think about was how badly she wanted to use his body as a slip and slide.
“I say a lot of things, but usually you don’t listen to them.
” Lottie started to swim toward the side, seeing that while the class was now over, everyone in the pool had stuck around and had their eyes glued to the two of them.
Two of those eyes belonged to Nate’s mom, but instead of assessing them like everyone else was, she looked downright tickled at them interacting with one another.
Nate caught Lottie’s hand and dragged her back in the water toward him, spinning her around and drawing her into a hold that reminded her of a waltz before he proceeded to dance them around the pool. “I told you I would follow your lead.”
Lottie scoffed and gestured to their joined hands. “This seems like you leading me around again, quite literally in fact.” She’d always had a difficult time taking a backseat to anyone, though it was nice to let go and just be for once.
Nate’s smile was blinding even through the hair of his neatly trimmed beard.
“I can’t let you be in charge of everything.
” He leaned down to her ear, his breath fanning across her wet skin and causing her to break out into goosebumps.
“I told you I like to be bossy.” Lottie shivered and tried to dislodge herself from his grip lest she get caught up in him all over again, but he tightened it and brought her closer. “Don’t go. Not yet.”
Lottie gazed up at him and saw a look so affectionate she thought she might cry. No one had ever looked at her with such care, not even her own parents. “I won’t.”
Despite her earlier misgivings about him, the promise came automatically. Lottie had one weakness in her life, and it was and likely always would be Nate. Then again, anyone would find it impossible not to respond that way when feeling as cherished as she did in that moment.
Nate smiled again, squeezing her hand. “Thank you, Charlotte.” He continued to spin them around the pool, her name spoken in his soft voice echoing in her mind.
Lottie nodded, taking the way he said her name into her heart.
No one had ever called her Charlotte except for Mrs. G, and while Lottie loved her nickname, hearing her full name spoke to that lonely little girl inside of her that no one seemed to see.
Mrs. G had seen her and taken it upon herself to show Lottie that not everyone was indifferent to her and that some people actually cared.
She had always thought Nate used her full name to keep her at a distance, but maybe he saw that same part of her that had needed love for so long, and that was his way of showing it to her.
Letting herself revel in the feel of his body against her, Lottie sighed happily and let him dance them around the pool for a while longer.
When another class came in to use the pool, Nate steered them towards the ladder, his expression regretful. “Time to get out I guess.” Lottie sighed again, disappointment laced throughout, also wishing for a little more time for their dance.
Nate allowed her to go first, something she was grateful for as it gave her the opportunity to watch him emerge from the water like a sexy, bearded merman.
Water sluiced off his body, Lottie smiling at his no-nonsense black swim trunks that clung to his thick thighs.
This was definitely a man that did not skip leg day.
Lottie followed him out of the pool, her wet feet padding over to her things as she began to towel off.
When she saw Nate looking around for one of his own and found none, she couldn’t help but smirk.
“Where are the towels?” His body started to tremble despite the air being more than warm enough.
Lottie finished wiping the water from her body and passed her towel over to him.
“This is a BYOT situation. You have to bring your own towel, but I’m happy to share mine.
” She would share a lot more than a towel with him, and from the appreciation in Nate’s gaze as he took in her retro bikini with the sweetheart neckline that showed a good amount of cleavage, he was willing to do the same.
“Thanks,” he rasped. Coughing into his fist, Nate wrapped her pink towel around his waist as she slipped on her cover-up and they started the walk toward the locker rooms. “I have a meeting with the downtown business association today. I was wondering if you would like to join me.”
A smirk continued to adorn Lottie’s face as she rang some water out of her hair.
“Not normally my idea of a first date, but I suppose I can make an exception.” At Nate’s sputtering, Lottie placed a hand on his forearm, loving the feel of strong muscle twisting underneath her fingertips.
“I was only teasing, Nathan. I’d be happy to go if it’s of help to you. ”
Nate smiled softly and lifted her hand from his arm and kissed the back of it. “Thank you. I’ll meet you back out here in a few.” After a nod to his mother who was standing nearby, Nate strode into the men’s locker room, looking ridiculously hot in her tiny pink towel.
“Remember what I told you, Lottie.” Cora said next to her. Lottie inclined her head toward the woman but refused to take her eyes off the spot where her son had just disappeared. “Just don’t let his barking and biting scare you off. He’ll come around to things eventually. He always does.”
Lottie finally moved her gaze over to Cora, even more confused by her words than before but not wanting to disappoint the woman by asking more questions. “I won’t.”
Cora smiled and headed towards the woman’s locker room, Lottie following slowly behind.
So much information from his mom and subsequent actions in the pool from Nate had her head swimming in confusion, and as she showered and got dressed for another day with the mayor, Lottie decided to try her best to ignore it and lean into whatever her time with Nate brought to her.