Chapter 17
GRADY
T he indoor pool echoed with the gentle splash of water and the hiss of pressurized air from tanks being tested.
I didn’t believe Cece and Lina were friends, but they seemed to work well together.
Scuba diving required teamwork. Buddy system and all that.
They had no choice but to get close. Real close.
Cece adjusted the straps like she had done it a thousand times.
I watched as she helped Lina, who was a little less familiar with the gear.
My tongue was practically stuck to the roof of my mouth.
She could’ve been a model for a dive gear catalog—if the catalog also wanted to feature the sexiest damn woman alive in a skintight wet suit.
The neoprene clung to her body and left nothing to the imagination. I’d had my hands on those curves and I had to walk away. It was the worst kind of torture to see that luscious body on display and know I could never have it.
If I didn’t move, my body was going to start telling on me.
My cock was already semi-erect. I needed relief.
The blue balls I’d been sporting for the last several weeks couldn’t be healthy.
Yeah, I’d jacked off in the shower a few times, but it wasn’t the same as being buried inside a willing woman.
That wasn’t right. It wasn’t just a willing woman I needed. I needed just one in particular.
“Professor Stone,” Dean Carver said.
And just like that, my cock deflated and ran for cover. I turned to find her standing a little too close, arms crossed, watching the girls with narrowed eyes and a pinched smile.
I gave a polite nod, trying not to flinch when her shoulder brushed mine. Why in the hell was she standing so damn close? It was freaking me out.
The woman was a half-second from licking her chops.
I didn’t want to insult her, but shit, it was a little much.
I felt naked. I thought about pulling on my shirt but it was sitting about ten feet away.
If I moved away from her, she would notice.
I didn’t want to insult her, either. The dean was not an enemy I wanted to make.
Although I thought she might see me as an enemy already.
Dean Carver clicked her tongue. “Lina’s mother is very important to the university. Very.” Her smile stayed fixed, but the warning in her tone was unmistakable. “She’s been a generous donor for years. Helped fund this entire program, actually.”
I nodded. “I’m aware.”
She leaned closer, her perfume nearly choking me. Flowers and chlorine did not go well together. “So you’ll understand how seriously I take Lina’s safety.”
“Of course.”
“And her happiness.” A pause. “You understand?”
Lina had finished adjusting her gear. She waved at us before she gave me a look that hovered somewhere between smug and predatory.
“I do,” I said tightly.
The Dean patted my arm. “I’m glad. She’s precious to all of us. Just make sure she comes back from this trip glowing. Lina is not someone who appreciates being told no. What she says goes. Pissing her off, offending her or hurting her feelings would certainly be the end of your career.”
It took everything I had not to raise a brow.
I sidestepped her next touch with all the subtlety of a man ducking a sniper bullet.
“I’m here for the research. I don’t intend to hurt her feelings but I can’t guarantee I won’t piss her off.
I’m a professor and there will be moments when I’m sure to irritate her. ”
Dean Carver’s smile turned razor sharp. “Oh, I think you’ll find ways to keep her happy. You’re very... creative in your teaching methods, aren’t you?”
“My teaching methods are professional and appropriate,” I said firmly.
“Of course they are.” She stepped even closer, close enough that I could see the fine lines around her eyes beneath all that makeup.
“But sometimes students need extra attention. Private tutoring. One-on-one guidance.” Her voice dropped to what I assumed she thought was seductive.
“I’m sure a man with your experience knows exactly how to give a girl what she needs. ”
What the actual fuck was happening right now? Was she seriously suggesting what I thought she was suggesting? And was she hitting on me while doing it?
I took a deliberate step back. “Dean Carver, I think there’s been a misunderstanding?—”
“Has there?” Her eyes raked over my bare chest again, lingering in a way that made me want to dive into the pool just to get away from her. Her phone beeped, breaking the tense standoff. “I have to go. Just remember what I said. Lina is important.”
I rolled my eyes and shook my head as she walked away. The woman was telling me to fuck Lina to keep her happy and warning me against touching her all while openly hitting on me. It was enough to make my head spin.
With her gone, the air seemed a little easier to breathe—even with the thick humidity of the pool deck. I watched Cece adjust her mask strap. Even submerged to her hips, she moved like the water was where she belonged. I hadn’t expected that. Hell, I’d worried she’d be awkward in the pool. But now?
Now she was gliding across the surface like a damn otter.
Lina, meanwhile, struggled with her harness. I walked over and crouched beside her, keeping my voice low. “Strap’s twisted.”
“Oh,” she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Guess I need help.”
I straightened it out, careful not to touch anything unnecessary. She was already flushed. Not from the heat.
“Thanks,” she said, fluttering her lashes like a weirdo. “Where did Dean Carver go?”
“She had to take care of something,” I answered.
“Are you going to get in with us?” she asked.
She reached up and unzipped the wet suit. My eyes flicked to the zipper before I looked away. Thankfully, she didn’t drop it as low as it had been when she first walked out.
Cece was pretending to be busy, but I had a feeling she was listening.
She had her full mask on, flippers on her feet, checking her gauges like she was born with a regulator in her mouth.
I could’ve watched her all damn day. That’s what it was.
Confidence. Cece was confident in everything she did.
She didn’t have to try hard. She just did her thing and didn’t care what anyone thought. It was sexy as hell.
She looked over and caught me watching her. “Everything good?” I asked.
She popped her mask off her forehead. “Perfect.” Her grin was full of challenge. “You coming in, or you just gonna stand there flexing?”
I smirked. “Thought I’d supervise from the edge. Make sure no one drowns.”
“Aw. I thought you were gonna show off your dive form.” She leaned back, arms on the surface like she was basking in sunshine.
My mouth dried instantly. I forced a glance toward Lina. Not because I wanted to, but Lina drowning would not be good for my career. Plus, she wasn’t all bad. I had zero interest in her beyond her role as my teaching assistant, but I didn’t hate her just because she had a crush on me.
“Professor Stone,” Lina pouted. “I can’t get this.”
“Better go help her,” Cece murmured. “I’ll just be over here floating and waiting.”
I walked over to Lina, who was fumbling with her weight belt like it was rocket science. She’d managed to get it tangled around her tank somehow, which should have been physically impossible.
“How did you even—” I started, then stopped myself. “Never mind. Here.”
I reached around to untangle the mess, trying to keep my hands strictly professional. Lina, however, had other ideas. She leaned into me, pressing her chest against my arm.
“I’m so clumsy.” She giggled. “Good thing I have such a strong teacher to help me.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Cece roll her eyes so hard I was surprised they didn’t fall out of her head. She dove under the water, probably to keep from saying something that would get us all in trouble.
“There,” I said, stepping back quickly. “All set.”
Lina pouted. “Don’t you need to check my equipment? Make sure everything’s secure?”
“Your equipment looks fine, Lina. And that’s what your dive buddy is for.”
Cece surfaced near the deep end, pulling off her mask. “Are we actually going to dive or what?”
I shot Cece a grateful look. She was giving me an out, and I was going to take it.
“Right. Let’s get started.” I walked to the edge of the pool. “I want to see your basic skills first. Mask clearing, regulator recovery, that sort of thing.”
Lina jumped into the water with all the grace of a falling rock, splashing half the pool deck in the process. Cece, meanwhile, looked like she was born in the ocean—smooth, controlled, barely disturbing the surface as she moved.
“Okay, ladies. Descend to about eight feet and show me your neutral buoyancy.”
They both submerged. I crouched at the pool’s edge to observe.
Cece hung motionless in the water like she was weightless, every movement deliberate and efficient.
Lina, on the other hand, was ping-ponging between the bottom and surface like a yo-yo, her arms flailing as she tried to control her depth.
When they surfaced, Lina immediately swam over to where I was kneeling.
“How was that?” she asked, treading water directly in front of me.
The zipper on her wet suit had somehow fallen down a couple more inches.
And I knew there was no way it had just happened.
She had managed to unzip the damn thing while doing whatever it was she was doing in the pool.
Water droplets sat on top of her boobs that were pushed up and forming perfect globes.
The eyelashes she wore, because I knew those things weren’t real, had more water clinging to them.
Any other man would be hard as a rock looking at her.
“Focus, Professor,” Cece teased, and then dipped under with a flick of her fins.
She’d caught me looking at Lina. Now, I felt like an asshole. I didn’t want her thinking I was actually interested in whatever Lina was offering.
“Do it again,” I said in a gruff tone before stepping away from the edge of the pool.
I turned and pretended to fiddle with the dive logs, anything to distract from the fact that I was surrounded by two women I should not be looking at. The echo of the dean’s warning still echoed in my head.
Do not get fired, Stone. Not for this.
But hell—if it had to be for someone, Cece made a damn compelling case.
Lina flopped around with a splash and resurfaced coughing. Cece was already cruising the shallow end like she had gills. She ducked under, came back up, checked her gauge. I watched her adjust Lina’s tank again, and she mouthed something with a small nod, like breathe, you’re fine.
Professional. Patient. Competent. Hot.
So. Goddamn. Hot.
After a few laps, I had them surface and go through basic safety checks. Mask removal and clearing, buddy breathing, controlled ascents—all stuff they probably hadn’t done since certification.
Cece nailed each one. Lina… well, she survived.