by Aubrey Rose
Robbie had the most chiseled male form she had ever seen. His arms, legs, and torso were all strong and muscled, no doubt the result of his physical work, with just the right amount of body hair. What would it feel like to run her fingers along his bare chest, threading them through the patch of dark hair that trailed down his flat belly to his large, thick—
With a huge splash, he landed in the middle of the pool, his tucked position creating the biggest, wettest entry possible. She squealed when he brushed against her legs and used the side of the pool to push off so she could swim away.
“Say ‘uncle’!” he called out, and the chase was on.
When they were kids, Robbie had always been stronger and faster than Claire – in the water and out – even though they had both pretended otherwise. She knew that she was only able to outrun him because he let her, just like he was letting her now.
Under the moonlight, they played a water version game of Catch Me if You Can. Robbie chased Claire around the pool, allowing her to evade his grasp until she was out of breath and giggling like a schoolgirl.
Gripping the side of the pool, Claire held up her hand to signal defeat. “Uncle!” Robbie slowed down his pursuit but didn’t stop. Instead, he continued moving stealthily toward Claire, like a shark moving toward his prey.
“I said uncle,” she said, her voice trembling as he placed his hands on pool edge on either side of her.
He pulled himself toward her, pressing her back against the tiles. Her floating legs tangled with his underneath the water, the sensations sparking goose bumps on her limbs. When her nipples brushed against his hard chest, the friction caused them to harden. A soft, surprised sigh escaped her lips when she felt something else harden against her belly.
Like that one day in the park long, long ago, Robbie’s face moved slowly toward hers and it dawned on her that he was going to kiss her again. He was so close that she could feel his hot breath on her wet skin. When their eyes locked, she saw heat and desire in his deep blue depths. In that moment, she could see that he wanted her just as much as she wanted him.
How could that be?
“Claire,” he whispered, and she heard hesitation in his voice. “I—”
“PUT YOUR HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM!”
The booming voice coming from the area of the French doors shattered the electric moment between Claire and Robbie. With lightning-fast speed, he spun around in the pool, using his body as a shield to protect her. If she wasn’t so freaked out by the sight of two armed guards pointing guns at them, she would have been thoroughly touched by the gesture.
“Who says chivalry is dead?” she muttered, mostly to herself, while clutching Robbie’s bare, wet shoulders to keep her buoyant body from floating away.
“Out of the pool. NOW! And don’t try anything funny,” the guard who originally spoke commanded.
Robbie held onto the side of the pool with one hand and put the other one up. “Easy, now. We’re happy to get out of the pool and talk things out. But the lady here needs a towel. We’re going to make our way over to the steps in the shallow end of the pool. Could one of you fine gentlemen grab her towel, that one over there, and drop it where we can reach it?” With his arm still raised, he did his best to point to Claire’s towel.
The guard who spoke was obviously the one in charge. He nodded slightly and motioned for the other one to get Claire’s towel and place it where Robbie requested.
“Hang on,” Robbie whispered as he moved away from the deep end of the pool and swam toward the shallow end. Claire wrapped her arms around his neck and let him carry her through the water, hiding her nakedness from the guards.
When they reached the shallow end, Robbie emerged from the water and picked up Claire’s towel. He held the towel up, using it as a privacy curtain until Claire rose from the water and wrapped the soft cotton around her curves. Once she was modestly covered, he slowly walked up the pool steps with his arms raised.
Claire was pretty sure that staring at Robbie’s backside was inappropriate, given the circumstances, but she couldn’t help herself! His physique was flawless and so...indecent! He glanced back and caught her staring. She smiled sheepishly and he flashed his signature grin.
“Would you gentlemen mind if I put some clothes on?” Robbie asked.
“Go ahead,” the guard leader said gruffly. Robbie pulled on his boxers and t-shirt while Claire got out of the pool.
“What seems to be the problem, officers?” Claire asked, even though she could see that the guards weren’t policemen.
“We’re with Mr. Blake’s private security firm. The silent alarm was tripped and we came to investigate.”
“It’s a good thing we did,” the second guard finally spoke. “Caught you two red-handed!”
Claire laughed nervously. “Um, Robbie, did you turn off the front door alarm when you came in to grab your tools?” she hissed through clenched teeth.
Robbie’s face looked chagrined. “I, uh, think I forgot.”
Claire smiled at the guards. “This is all a big understanding, gentlemen. I’m house sitting for the Blakes, you see, and Robbie here is the contractor working on their kitchen remodel. He stopped by to grab some of his tools and forgot to disable the alarm system. I promise, it won’t happen again. Will it, Robbie?”
“Definitely not,” he agreed with a dramatic shake of his head.
“We’ll need to verify your identities,” the main guard stated. “Billy, take their pictures and text them to Mr. Blake.”
“That’s not really necessary,” Claire argued, horrified that Abby and Stephen would find out that she was skinny dipping with Robbie Halliday. “Oh!” she yelped as the iPhone camera flash temporarily blinded her.
After snapping her undoubtedly unflattering picture, the guard did the same with Robbie, only he looked model handsome with his wet hair and five o’clock shadow. She jabbed him in the ribs when he had the audacity to pose and smile for the camera.
“Ouch! What was that for?” Robbie asked.
Claire glared at him. “For enjoying this a little too much.”
“Let’s all go inside and wait for Mr. Blake’s response. Don’t even think about trying anything funny,” the head guard said, motioning the swimmers through the open French doors. Claire led the small party into the formal living room and took a seat on the edge of the sofa, clutching the towel with a white-knuckled grip. Robbie sat beside her and the two guards remained standing.
“I really wish you wouldn’t bother Stephen on his honeymoon. He married my sister yesterday and they’re probably sleeping now...” Claire rambled nervously.
“Standard procedure, miss,” the head guard stated.
The second guard’s phone beeped and he read the response to his text message. “Mr. Blake says they’re both who they say they are,” he said. His phone beeped a second time and he chuckled after reading the message.
“What’s so funny?” Claire asked, unamused.
“Mrs. Blake thinks we should leave a pair of cuffs behind in case you two want to get...freaky.”
Robbie laughed and Claire jabbed in him the ribs again. “That won’t be necessary,” she responded with as much dignity as she could muster. “Mr. Halliday was about to get his tools and leave.”
“We’ll be on our way, then,” the main guard said, never breaking into a smile. “Try and remember the alarm next time.”
“Yes, sir,” Robbie said while rubbing his side.
When the security guards were gone, Claire slumped against the sofa. “That was humiliating. I can’t believe you forgot about the alarm!”
“I just stopped by to grab a few tools,” Robbie responded. “If you hadn’t distracted me, I would have been in and out before the alarm needed to be turned off. Should we pick up where we left off?”
Claire glared at him. “Not a chance, and don’t even try to pin this on me. I think we should call it a night.”
Robbie leaned over and pressed his lips against her ear. �
��Your loss.” His hot breath and low voice made Claire tingle all over. Then he got up and headed out to the patio to retrieve his clothes.
~~~
When Robbie was gone, Claire took a cold shower, partly to wash the chlorine from her hair and skin and partly to cool the fire that was burning inside of her.
Ever since Robbie had showed up, her emotions had been in turmoil. How was it possible to be so excited and so scared at the same time? There was no mistaking Robbie’s arousal in the pool. Was it some sort of automatic guy thing, a normal reaction to swimming naked? Or was it possible that he was actually attracted to her?
She was just as confused by her own reactions to their encounter. Her body wanted him, that much was clear. She had all but swooned when her breasts had brushed against his chest...and again when she had pressed herself against his back to hide her nakedness. At the same time, her mind resisted the possibility that something real existed between them because her heart was deathly afraid that Robbie was simply playing some sort of childish game. A game that she was surely destined to lose.
When she was dry and dressed, she reached into the nightstand drawer and pulled out a bag of Dove dark chocolates. She plucked one from the bag, unwrapped it, and popped it in her mouth, savoring the smooth, rich, bittersweet taste.
Chocolate was her crutch, her comfort blanket, her cure-all. These little Dove chocolates also happened to be her go-to source for advice about life. She flattened out the foil wrapper and read the words inscribed inside.
Enjoy the small things in life.
Ha! There was nothing small about Robbie, especially not the biceps that bulged along his shoulders or the substantial bulge further down his anatomy that pressed against her belly, hard and thick and... She popped another chocolate in her mouth, rationalizing the need for another message to send her thoughts in a different direction.
Love every moment.
She was certainly trying! From the moment that morning when she decided to quit feeling sorry for herself, her day had been filled with joy. The marathon session with Lois Carlyle, the scrumptious meal she enjoyed in the guesthouse, the first splash of water against her skin, the brief but electric contact with Robbie. Truth be told, she had loved every moment.
One more chocolate went into her mouth.
Feed your sense of anticipation.
Oh my... She didn’t need the chocolate to feed her sense of anticipation. Robbie had done a good job of that when he had almost kissed her in the pool earlier. The moment was, at once, agonizing and wonderful. It stole her breath and made her heart skip. More than that, it fed her longing to love...and be loved.
Claire hastily shoved the bag of chocolates back in the drawer, knowing that whatever messages the candy had to offer, they would all lead back to Robbie Halliday. She needed a distraction. After climbing into bed and getting comfortable, she grabbed the remote and turned on the T.V.
~~~
On his drive home, Rob replayed the night’s events in his mind, savoring the small things, like the sexy way Claire’s wet hair caressed her shoulders and the way she clung to him when the guards burst onto the patio. If he hadn’t forgotten about the damn security system, he would probably be in making hot, wet love to her right now!
While he hadn’t planned on seducing her in the pool, when the opportunity presented itself, he seized the moment. After all, he was a hot-blooded man and Claire was a voluptuous, desirable woman. How could he resist those curves, especially when they were right in front of him like that, ripe for his picking?
While the night hadn’t ended the way he had hoped, he couldn’t help but think that he was one step closer to winning Claire over. In the pool, pressed against her softness, he wanted her and she knew it; he could see the realization that dawned in her eyes. She didn’t say anything...but she didn’t push him away, either. After her breasts had brushed against his chest, her nipples had responded to the incidental contact, which told him more than her unspoken words ever could.
He was just about to kiss her when he opened his mouth to whisper words of longing, only to stumble on her name as it rolled off his tongue, which was thick with desire. He gave up on talking and moved toward her plump lips, which had parted in anticipation.
Then, the security guards screwed things up.
After they finally left, Claire’s demeanor had cooled toward him. He thought about trying to stoke the heat that smoldered between them but decided against it. For now, it was enough to know that she wanted him, just like he wanted her.
Chapter 4
On Tuesday morning, Claire woke up at 7:00 AM, roused by the rather loud arrival and setup of Robbie and his construction crew. Her night had been restless. Fragmented dreams of her and Robbie, past and present, had invaded her sleep, causing her to toss and turn until the wee hours.
At one point, she dreamt that she was a young girl again. Only Robbie was all grown up and she was lusting after him in a way that her teenage self couldn’t possibly understand. Then their roles were reversed. She was 29-year-old Claire and Robbie was a high school senior walking down the hallway with Betsy, a teeny tiny and bubbly cheerleader, draped over his shoulder. It was a blast-from-the-past reminder that she would never be the kind of girl that Robbie dated.
At one point, they were back in Stephen and Abby’s pool. Except they hadn’t been interrupted by security guards and Robbie had actually kissed her, his hungry lips possessing her mouth in a way that she had never experienced in real life and had only seen in the movies.
In the dream, she was confident and bold rather than shy and awkward. Above the water line, she wrapped her arms around Robbie’s neck to draw him closer, threading her fingers through his hair to deepen their kiss. Underneath the water, she let her legs become entwined with his, a playful invitation for him to take the next step. But before that could happen, she woke with a start, drenched in sweat, her arms wrapped around a pillow, her legs knotted in the bed sheets.
This sort of sexy dream was a new experience for Claire, who usually dreamt of more mundane things, like winning the lottery or becoming a judge on Cupcake Wars. In her dream-state, being with Robbie in the pool had felt so real. Maybe because her subconscious fantasy was partly based on reality and her mind only had to rewrite the ending.
Claire was a little disappointed that her dream had ended before getting to the good stuff. Did she wake up because, even in her wildest dreams, she couldn’t imagine having sex with the hunk from high school? She thought about texting Abby to get her opinion but couldn’t remember what time zone the honeymooners were in. It would be pretty rude of her to interrupt their sleep, especially after the security breach the night before.
“Get a grip, Claire,” she scolded herself. “Stop overthinking what happened in the pool last night. You had a moment with Robbie and then you dreamed about it. Don’t make it out to be anything more than just that.”
After putting on one of her new dresses and pulling her long hair into a makeshift bun, she slipped quietly out of her bedroom. She had to leave in about an hour for her full day of pampering at Salon Henri and planned to have breakfast in the guesthouse before heading out.
As she walked down the stairs, through the main living area, and into the kitchen, Robbie was nowhere to be seen. Based on the sounds coming from the area of the master bedroom suite, she assumed he was working in there. Was she relieved or disappointed? Perhaps a little of both...
She exited through the French doors and walked around the pool to reach the guesthouse, her skin burning at the crystal blue reminder of the previous night’s interlude. It was going to be one very long month.
~~~
When Claire checked in at the front desk of Salon Henri, she was surprised by the posh and expensive look of the place. She gave the receptionist her name, and a few moments later the very handsome and flamboyantly gay Henri appeared. He took her hands and brought them to his lips.
“Darling Claire, welcome to Salon Henri. We’re so exci
ted to finally meet the wonderful sister that Abby Blake loves so much,” the salon’s namesake gushed. “Have you ever been to a luxury, full-service salon before?”
“Not that I recall,” Claire responded nervously. She was embarrassed to admit that it had been quite some time since she had been to any kind of salon at all. She had never had her hair colored before and usually trimmed her own hair over the bathroom sink.
“Then you’re going to have a fabulous day, darling, the ultimate pampering experience,” Henri responded, looping his arm through hers and whisking her away toward the VIP section of the salon.
Her eyes were wide as saucers as he rattled off her schedule for the day. “First, I’m going to send you into the ladies’ lounge to store your things and get changed into a robe. The attendant’s name is Jennifer, and she will see to your every comfort and need. After that, we have you scheduled for a full body massage, followed by a facial. Then, we’ll have you take a quick shower before enjoying a light lunch in the lounge.”
“That sounds wonderful, Henri,” Claire sighed. Just thinking about those luxuries made her feel more relaxed!
“After lunch, it will be time for your spa manicure and pedicure. Your last stop of the day will be my station for your hair color, cut, and style. Then, before we send you on your way, a makeup application will complete your look. Do you have any questions, darling?”
“I don’t think so. I’m sure I’m going to love every minute of my day!” Claire exclaimed.
They stopped at the entrance to the ladies’ lounge. “Then I will bid you adieu for now.” Henri blew Claire a kiss. “Be sure and let Jennifer know if you need anything. I will see you this afternoon.”
“Thank you,” Claire replied. Henri gave her backside a gentle push toward the lounge entrance before rushing off, presumably to tend to his other clients.
Claire approached the ladies’ lounge check-in desk, and a striking young woman dressed in an all-black uniform smiled a greeting. “Hello there, I’m Jennifer. How can I help you today?”
