Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Hunter jumped into the pool around four thirty with a big splash that delighted Olivia and sprayed Emmalyn with cool water that she laughingly wiped out of her eyes as he came to the surface.
"Nice," she said dryly.
"Sorry. I needed to let off some steam."
"I'll bet. Long day but a good ending."
"A very good ending," he agreed.
She was happy to see the sparkle of happy relief in his dark-brown eyes. He swam over to Olivia and Henry and picked each one up and tossed them across the pool as they screamed with delight.
"Hunter is actually astonishingly good with children," Paige said. "Considering how he used to be before Olivia arrived, I would never have guessed."
"He looks so much lighter now," she said.
"He's finally healthy again, not just physically but emotionally," Paige commented.
"I'm so glad to see it."
"You're getting invested in him."
"More than I want to be," she admitted, pausing as Ben got into the pool. "Hi, Ben."
"Ladies," he said, then dunked his head under the water. "I needed that. Hot day today."
"Were you working?" Paige asked.
"Yes, since about four o'clock this morning."
"That's a long shift," she said.
"We finally broke open a long-running investigation, so it was worth it. Who's interested in a game of pool volleyball?" he asked.
"I'd go for that," Paige said.
"Emmalyn?"
"You two should play."
"Let's get a fourth," Ben said. "Hunter, we need another player."
"I'm there," Hunter said as Henry and Olivia moved into the shallow end and grabbed their boats from the edge of the pool. Hunter gave her a smile. "Are we partners, Em?"
"I'm probably the worst one. Paige played volleyball in high school."
"Well, I would still pick you first," he said with a laugh.
Ben drew a net across the deeper end of the pool, and the game was on.
She and Hunter clashed a few times as they went after the same ball, and one time, she nearly slipped underwater when their arms collided. His hand shot out to steady her, gripping her waist, the heat of his palm searing on her bare stomach. Her breath caught as she looked up, finding his dark eyes locked on hers.
"You okay?" he asked, his voice low enough that only she could hear it.
"Fine," she managed, very aware of his fingers still at her waist, of how close they were standing. "Just clumsy."
"I've got you." Something in his expression made her believe he was talking about more than just keeping her from falling.
"Hey, Hunter!" Ben called from across the net. "Ball's coming your way!"
Hunter released her instantly, both of them turning to see the beach ball arcing toward their side of the net. Hunter lunged, sending it back with far more force than necessary, straight at Ben's face, but Ben made a quick move, avoiding contact with the ball.
"Competitive much?" Ben laughed.
"Sorry," Hunter replied with a wolfish grin that made something flutter in Emmalyn's stomach.
She'd never seen Hunter like this—playful, relaxed, yet with that underlying intensity that seemed hardwired into him. Even in a casual pool game, he approached each volley as if it were a tactical mission, positioning himself strategically, calculating angles, driving them toward victory with a single-minded focus that was both amusing and oddly attractive.
But what struck her most was also how he'd seamlessly integrated Olivia into his life. Between volleys, he'd check on her, making sure she was still happily playing with Henry. No hovering, no constant questions about whether she was okay—just a watchful eye and the occasional encouraging nod when she asked a question or told him something.
"Your serve, Em," Hunter called, tossing her the ball. She caught it, her fingers slipping slightly on the wet surface. "Better make it good," he added with a wink. "We're only up by two."
She took a breath, focusing on Ben's position across the net, and served. The ball sailed over the net in a perfect arc. Ben lunged for it but missed, and the ball hit the water with a satisfying splash.
"Yes!" Hunter's hand shot up for a high five, and she met it, laughing at his enthusiasm. His fingers lingered against hers for a heartbeat longer than necessary, and the same electric awareness she'd felt earlier sparked between them.
"You two are lethal together," Paige observed from across the net, her expression speculative.
"Hunter doesn't know how to lose," Emmalyn said, attempting to deflect attention from whatever was happening between them.
"Is that a problem?" Hunter asked, his gaze suddenly intense on her face.
"No," she replied honestly. "It's actually kind of—" She stopped herself before saying sexy .
"Kind of what?" he pressed, moving slightly closer.
"Impressive," she finished, feeling heat rise to her cheeks that had nothing to do with the warm evening air. "But we haven't won yet." She turned her attention back to Ben, who served the next ball.
The game continued, but something had shifted between them. She found herself hyperaware of Hunter's movements, of the water droplets trailing down his tanned shoulders, of the way his muscles flexed when he reached for the ball. Several times, their eyes met across the small distance, and she had to force herself to remember they were in the middle of a game, with friends watching.
They'd agreed to end the game with the first to fifteen and finally they were up fourteen to thirteen. "Let's finish this," Hunter said as he served the ball.
The next volley battle that followed was fierce. Ben and Paige were just as competitive as Hunter was. She was probably the one who cared the least about winning, but she got caught up in Hunter's excitement and found herself playing with an intensity she had never experienced before.
As the ball lofted over the net, Hunter called, "I got it," but she was going for it, too, and couldn't stop herself. They collided and the force of their collision sent them both underwater.
She came up sputtering, finding herself practically in Hunter's arms. His hands were at her waist again, steadying her, his face inches from hers. For a suspended moment, the rest of the world faded away—the sounds of splashing, of Olivia and Henry playing, of Ben and Paige laughing… All she could focus on was Hunter's dark eyes and the sensation of his hands on her body.
"Did it go over?" she asked breathlessly.
He smiled. "I don't know."
"It went over," Ben said with a grumpy scowl as he and Paige came under the net to congratulate them. "I still don't know who actually hit it, though."
"Doesn't matter. We won," Hunter said.
Paige laughed. "You are cutthroat, Hunter. And Emmalyn, you are no better. I didn't think you were that into beach ball volleyball."
"I didn't think I was, either," she admitted. "I got carried away."
"Yeah, I could see that," Paige said with a knowing smile as she moved toward the kids.
Ben jumped out of the pool and checked his phone. "Looks like our Chinese food delivery is almost here. I'll meet the driver." He threw a towel around his shoulders and walked toward the parking lot.
"Time to get out," Paige told Henry and Olivia. "We need to dry off so we can eat."
"Can we have five more minutes?" Henry begged.
"Two minutes," Paige negotiated as she got out of the pool.
"Same for you, Liv," Hunter said as he moved toward the steps.
Emmalyn swam to the ladder and got out. She reached for her towel on a nearby chair, and as she turned to wrap it around her, she ran into Hunter again, this time with no water to buffer the contact. His chest pressed against hers for a brief moment, both of them still wet, her towel caught between them.
"We have to stop meeting like this," he said, his voice a low rumble that she could feel as much as hear, his sexy smile sending a tingle down her spine.
She gave a nervous laugh, taking a step back. "Sorry, I didn't see you."
"I'm not complaining." He reached out to tuck a strand of wet hair behind her ear. "You look fantastic in that bikini by the way."
She blushed. "Uh, thanks."
"Hunter! Look what I can do!" Olivia called, having climbed out of the pool. She was attempting to wrap her towel around herself like a cape.
The moment shattered, and Hunter stepped away. But the look he gave Emmalyn before turning to help Olivia conveyed everything unsaid between them—the attraction, the tension, the possibility… Whatever they had going on, it was no longer just friendship. She just didn't know what it was.