by Carew, Opal
“We can figure out something,” Quinn said. He walked to the bed and picked up a simple black bra and panties. “Here, wear these.”
She frowned. “You want me to swim in my underwear?”
He examined the bra. “Why not? You can’t see through it. It covers all the necessities. In fact, it covers more than the bathing suits you owned, from what I saw.”
She gazed at him doubtfully.
“Come on, April,” Quinn said. “Don’t spite yourself. I know you’d love to go in that pool. We’re all adults here. What does it matter if you’re wearing black panties and a bra instead of a black bathing suit?”
She tugged the bra and panties from his hand. “Okay.”
“Good.” Quinn turned and joined Austin at the door.
“We’ll see you out there,” Quinn said, then closed the door.
* * *
April stripped off her dress, then her lacy coral bra and panty set trimmed with black ribbon. She picked up the black panties and pulled them on, then the bra. Once she had it fastened, she looked at herself in the mirror.
The lingerie wasn’t very revealing. The panties had a low-rise waistline and flattering high-cut legs. The bra had smooth cups and only showed a slight swell of her breasts. Both were a simple black satin finish with no lace. What she wore could easily pass as a modest two-piece bathing suit.
But the thought of walking out there in front of the men in this … her underwear … made her uncomfortable.
She stared at the rest of her clothes still spread out on the bed. She’d been trying to sort it into piles, but there were only a couple of T-shirts, a pair of jeans, and a sweater. She scooped up everything but the cardigan and dropped it in the drawer of the dresser. She frowned. There was plenty of room to spare. Everything she had left fit in the one drawer.
She pulled the cardigan on and glanced in the mirror. She looked ridiculous wearing a wool sweater over what was supposed to be a bathing suit. She tossed it in the drawer and grabbed a red T-shirt and pulled that on instead. Then she turned and left the room.
As she walked across the living room, she saw Austin through the glass wall surrounding the indoor portion of the pool. He was sitting on the side, his legs hanging in the water.
The sight of his half-naked body sent heat shimmering through her. Good heavens, the man was godlike. He clearly worked out regularly with weights. His chest was broad and sculpted, his arms bulging with muscles, and his waist trim.
As she opened the glass door, he glanced her way.
“Hey, there. The water’s great.” Austin pushed himself to his feet. “Why don’t we go outside?”
He picked up a stack of three towels from a shelf, and April followed him through another glass door. The dazzling sunshine warmed her arms and legs as they walked across the large patio to a couple of lounge chairs at the far end of the curved pool.
As Austin tossed the towels on the chair, April glanced at the view below. She spotted the replica of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Las Vegas right away, then her gaze drifted to the Bellagio fountains. Sunlight glittered on the dancing water, and she knew it would be an absolutely stunning sight after dark.
She turned to the pool again and walked to the lounge chair. Austin dove into the water, and she couldn’t help admiring the smooth line of his body as he broke the water’s surface.
His head popped back up, and he shook it, then sent her a brilliant smile.
“Are you coming in?”
“Yes, of course,” she said hesitantly.
The glittering blue water called to her. She reached for the hem of her T-shirt and pulled it over her head. As soon as she tossed it aside and saw Austin’s heated gaze on her body, she remembered she wore only a bra and panties.
Damn, wearing the T-shirt for modesty had been a really bad idea. It was one thing walking out here in the black bra and panties, because she could have convinced herself it was the same as a bathing suit, but taking off her shirt to reveal her lingerie made her feel like she was stripping in front of him.
Austin pushed himself up on the side of the pool as she walked to the diving board. His muscular torso glistening with droplets of water was a sight to behold.
She dove in and glided through the water. She loved the feel of it sluicing along her body. When her head broke the surface, she saw Austin watching her with a smile.
She swam from one end of the free-form pool to the other several times, wanting to get some exercise. The longest path took her inside the penthouse. When she finally popped her head up, she realized Austin had gone inside and was sitting on the pool’s edge by the stone waterfall.
“You want something to drink?” he asked.
There was a bar near the waterfall.
“Sure, a lemonade would be nice.” She swam to the steps and walked up to the terra-cotta-tiled floor.
“Be careful, it’s—”
Before Austin could finish his sentence, April’s foot slipped out from under her. Austin lurched forward and caught her before she fell face-first onto the hard tile floor. She found herself firmly in his arms, her body pressed tightly to his.
She sucked in a breath and gazed into his dark teal eyes.
“Slippery,” he finished.
She couldn’t think straight with her breasts crushed tightly to his strong, hard chest, his muscular arms around her. And that amazing smile of his, so full of warmth that it took her breath away.
“What?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“I was saying it’s slippery.” His words came out low and husky.
The moment seemed to hang between them as though they were suspended in time. She was intensely aware of their bare skin touching, his hot and hard. Her heart pounded in her chest, and a powerful longing to feel his lips on hers, to sink into his embrace and give herself to him completely, surged through her. The need threatened to overwhelm her.
And worse, she could see the same need reflected in his glowing eyes.
The only time she’d ever felt anything like this before was with Quinn.
“What the hell are you two doing?”
At the sound of Quinn’s voice, she tried to jerk back, but Austin’s arm around her waist held her firmly, though she did lose her footing on the slippery tile and dropped against him again.
“If you don’t watch it, you’ll wind up flat on your back,” Austin said.
“Really?” Quinn said in an even voice. “Are you propositioning her?”
“Not at all,” Austin replied.
He turned April until she was pressed against his side, his arm around her, and guided her to a teak table, then eased her into one of the chairs around it.
“April slipped on the wet tiles when she stepped out of the pool. I caught her before she fell.” He turned to April. “Did you hurt your ankle?”
“No, I’m fine.” She couldn’t bring herself to look at Quinn, not wanting to see the disapproval in his eyes. Knowing he thought she was making a move on his friend.
Austin crouched down and wrapped his hand around her left ankle. His touch was so gentle she forgot to protest.
“It doesn’t feel swollen,” Austin said. “Let me see the other one.”
Before she could move, his big hand was wrapped around her right ankle. His touch continued to make her quiver inside.
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Quinn said through gritted teeth.
Austin released her ankle. “I’ll get some ice.”
She rested her hand on his forearm. “Really, Austin. I didn’t hurt anything.”
He nodded and smiled. “Okay. That’s good.”
He walked to the bar and grabbed a can of lemonade from the small fridge, then poured it into a glass and gave it to her.
“I thought we were going to spend some time in the water,” Quinn said.
“I’m game to go back in.” Austin glanced at April. “How about you?”
“Sure,” she said and started to stand up, but Austin rushed to her side
and slid his arm around her.
“I don’t want you to fall again,” Austin said.
Water was still dripping from her hair, leaving the tiles around her wet.
“How about I give her a hand?” Quinn said as he stepped to her other side.
“Of course.” Austin waited while Quinn slid his arm around her, then relinquished his hold and eased away.
April felt more than a little overwhelmed by the whole thing.
As Quinn guided her toward the door to the patio, she started to feel dizzy. Being pressed against Quinn’s warm, masculine body made her senses go haywire. It was wonderfully familiar and welcome. She wanted so much to lean against him. To accept the support he was offering.
But she knew better. He didn’t want her. He would never be hers to rely on.
To love.
When they got outside and onto the hot stone patio, Quinn loosened his arm.
“You okay on your own now?” he asked.
“Yes, thank you.”
She slid away from his warm body and walked to the wide steps ascending from the long curve of the pool. She sat on one of the lower steps so she was immersed in the warm water to her waist.
She glanced at Quinn for the first time, and her breath caught at the sight of his ripped, broad-shouldered body. He walked toward the end of the pool, and she watched his leg muscles ripple as he stepped up on the diving board. Then he dove into the pool, his body breaking the water’s surface in a graceful, streamlined arc.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure Quinn understands what happened,” Austin said.
She glanced around, not realizing he’d followed her down the steps and now sat beside her.
“Good. I don’t want to cause any problems between you. You seem very close.”
“We are. We met two years ago at a mutual friend’s birthday party. We got to talking, and I could see the man was brilliant. And driven. Then he told me his innovative idea for a new cryptocurrency, and I knew it was going to be wildly successful.”
Austin smiled as Quinn swam past them, doing laps just like she had done.
“I have an instinct about people and about good ideas,” Austin said. “And I’m rarely wrong. Since I was sure his idea would make us both a ton of money, I backed him. Even learned enough about blockchain programming to roll up my sleeves and get involved. I believe for a good partnership to work, you both need to get your hands dirty.”
“And you did?”
“You mean get dirty?” he asked, a teasing gleam in his dark, periwinkle-blue eyes.
“No, make all the money you’d hoped for.”
He smiled in satisfaction. “And then some.”
He stood and walked up the steps, then returned with a bright blue floatable lounge chair. He put it in the water and scooped her up, then set her on it. She laughed, exhilarated by being swept up in his arms.
“Let’s enjoy the water and this gorgeous sunshine,” he said, then set her adrift.
As the chair floated toward the center of the pool, she noticed that Quinn had stopped swimming and was hanging on one side of the pool, watching her with a frown on his face.
* * *
Quinn walked into the living room with Austin. Their time in the pool had been cut short when Austin had received a text from an old friend who wanted to meet for a drink to discuss some business. He was passing through Vegas on a business trip, so he only had a few hours.
“The idea is sound, and I’m sure it’ll be quite successful,” Quinn said, “but I still prefer not to take on a new project right now. After working so many hours for such a long time—”
“Don’t worry about it,” Austin said. “I already told you, I feel the same way.”
Relief washed through Quinn. They’d discussed this when Austin’s friend had first approached them a few weeks ago about partnering up to start another cryptocurrency, but Quinn wasn’t sure if Austin had reconsidered.
“Since he’s a good friend of yours,” Quinn said, “I’d be happy to give him technical advice along the way.”
Quinn knew Austin would do the same with offering information about the organizational details he’d be facing.
Austin smiled and patted Quinn on the back. “I know I can always count on you, buddy.”
Austin headed to his bedroom to change, and Quinn walked to the bar and poured a drink. His gaze flickered to the window and April floating on the pool lounge chair. The sight of her curved, sexy body, sunlight glistening on the water droplets on her skin, had his groin tightening.
But anger simmered through him. Austin counted on him, but he was letting down his friend where April was concerned. He could plainly see that Austin was being pulled into her coquettish spell, and he’d be damned if he’d let her take advantage of Austin.
Austin, dressed in a suit, walked back into the room.
“How about I text you when I’m done, and we can get on with the evening we’d planned?” he asked.
Austin had been looking forward to a couple of hours in the casino followed by a very exclusive poker game that had been arranged for a handful of the more prestigious guests of the hotel.
“Sure thing.”
Austin walked out the door, and Quinn turned back to the window. April was out of the pool now and drying herself off. Patting the fluffy towel over her breasts, then her taut stomach, and finally down the long expanse of her legs. His cock ached at the sight of her nearly naked body as she draped the towel over her arm and headed to the door.
Fuck, no wonder Austin was falling for her. She had the body of a goddess. On top of that, she had a way of bringing out a man’s protective instincts. It was a killer combination.
She proceeded through the glassed-in area around the pool, then into the living room.
“You certainly were making a play for Austin out there,” Quinn said.
April’s head spun toward him. “I’m not after Austin.”
“Then why were you all over him when I walked in here?”
“He told you. It was all innocent. I slipped.”
“Right into his arms. How convenient.”
* * *
April ached inside. She had done this to Quinn. Made him this angry, untrusting man. At least, untrusting of her.
“Look, Quinn, I want to apologize. I know what I did in college hurt you and caused this mistrust between us, and I’m so sorry for that.”
His eyes flared, then his expression turned to one of indifference.
“I got over it. Once I realized what kind of woman you are—that all you really care about is money—I realized that nothing between us had been real. You couldn’t really love me. Or anyone, for that matter.”
He swirled his drink, the ice cubes tinkling against the glass.
“Tell me,” he said. “Why did you go out with me at all?”
She sucked in a breath, trying not to wilt under his withering glare.
“I really liked you, Quinn.” Her heart ached at the words. “Being with you. Spending time with you.”
“You liked me?” He shook his head. “But you knew I was falling for you.”
Anger blazed in his eyes, but she could also see flickers of pain.
Then he set his drink down and stepped closer, a dark aura emanating from him. Her heart thundered in her chest as she took a step back.
He stepped forward again. When she tried to step back, she bumped against the wall.
He grasped her arms. “Well, baby, I’m immune to you now. But watch yourself around Austin. He sees the best in people, and I won’t have him hurt by someone like you.”
“Let go of me, please,” she murmured. “I want to get dressed.”
At her words, his gaze dropped to her bra, reminding both of them that she was standing there in only her bra and panties. Goose bumps danced across her entire body as heat flared in his eyes.
“Really? That sounds like a good idea. Why don’t I help you?”
He curled his arms around her body, and s
he felt his fingers playing over the back of her bra. She placed her hand flat on his chest and pressed against the solid wall of muscle.
“No, I can manage, thanks,” she said in as even a voice as she could muster, but it still came out a squeak.
The hooks on her bra released.
He looked like he was under a spell as he dropped first one bra strap from her shoulder, then the other. He eased back, his gaze dropping to her breasts. She clung to the front of her bra, holding it in place.
He slid his fingers along her shoulders, then down her sides, his thumbs dragging along her ribs.
“I’ve wanted you for so long.” The heat in his words seared her.
Then he pulled her against him and captured her mouth. His tongue pushed inside and explored thoroughly.
Her heart was pounding, and she could hardly breathe. Oh, God, she longed to be with him.
But right now, his intensity overwhelmed her.
Then everything changed. His lips moved more gently, and his tongue glided on hers in sweet, teasing strokes. Her insides melted, and she slid her arms around him.
This was how he used to kiss her. Her heart ached as the love she’d buried so deep inside swelled to the surface.
He suckled her tongue, drawing it into his mouth. His lips moved tenderly on hers, awakening needs inside her she couldn’t restrain.
Oh, God, she wanted this so badly. She wanted to give herself to him.
Heat rippled through her and turned to blazing desire. Her breasts swelled, and she could feel the melting heat between her legs. She could feel his cock growing hard against her, and she wanted to reach down and stroke it. Then to feel it glide inside her.
Her arms curled around his neck, and she clung to him.
Then his mouth tore away from her.
“Fuck, this is a spectacularly bad idea,” he muttered.
As he pulled back, the bra started to slip away. He grabbed the straps and pushed them back in place, then fastened it again.
“You said you were going to get dressed.” He stepped back, then turned and strode away.
4
April closed the door to the guest bedroom and leaned against it, catching her breath.
