Down Too Deep

by J. Daniels

  Again, preparation could’ve gone a long way here in terms of how I was going to react to this moment. It also could’ve done jack shit for me, because I wasn’t sure my imagination had any idea what it was up against—the real thing I was currently staring at.

  Davis was right; Jenna was a bombshell. And that was fully clothed. In a bathing suit, she was sin personified. Soft curves and strong, shapely thighs. A tiny waist. Plump breasts.

  She was a goddess straight out of my filthiest daydreams.

  I watched her with rapt focus as she rubbed sunscreen on her shoulders and wiggled her hands beneath the strings to apply it to her neck and chest. When her fingers disappeared into her cleavage, I stifled a moan and pinched my eyes shut.

  “God bless America.” Davis slapped my shoulder blade. I glared ahead. A hearty chuckle left him. “What a country, am I right?”

  I stepped over and forced his hand to drop. I tried to look away from her—I couldn’t. I kept my eyes on Jenna, on her hands as they moved down her stomach and curled around her hips to her back.

  Goddamn, her body.

  “Where’s that admission at?” Davis asked. “Tip of your tongue? Or are you still hesitating…?”

  I exhaled through my nose, ignoring him. Who the fuck said I had to admit to anything? Acknowledging to myself was a big enough step, and here I was, acknowledging.

  I knew exactly who I wanted.

  “How about I give you a little nudge?”

  I blinked at his question. “What?” Dragging my gaze off the most alluring sunscreen application I’d ever witnessed, I watched Davis step out from underneath the patio and walk around the pool. “What are you doing!” I hollered.

  He grinned at me over his shoulder. “No feelings, right? I’m not crossing any lines here.”

  My gaze hardened as his meaning and motives became clear. I took a step, then another, trailing him. “Davis,” I growled. My pace quickened.

  “Unless you wanna tell me to back off, I don’t see why I can’t—”

  I gripped his shoulder and shoved him into the water.

  Chapter Eleven

  JENNA

  Commotion had me lifting my head. I looked from Nathan to his friend as he pushed out of the water and sat on the edge of the pool. He was laughing and fully clothed.

  “Message received!” Davis hollered, stripping off his soaking-wet shirt and wringing it out.

  “Did he fall in?” I asked Nathan when he stopped in front of me.

  “Huh? Oh…yeah.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Actually, no, I pushed him in.” Nathan shrugged, a smile teasing his lips. He began to stare at me, chest heaving.

  Is he looking at my swimsuit? With those glasses on, I couldn’t tell.

  “Hey,” he said.

  “Hey yourself.” I laughed, dropping my glasses down so I no longer needed to squint in the sun. “You’re not going to push me in, are you?”

  “Now, why would I do that?”

  “I don’t know. Why did you push your friend in?”

  “Because he was coming over here to hit on you.”

  I swallowed. Whoa…what? Was he saying what I thought he was saying?

  “Oh, yeah?” I asked, needing confirmation more than I needed to know exactly where Nathan was looking right now.

  “Yeah,” he answered.

  “And that’s not something he should be doing because he’s…married?”

  Wow. I was seriously reaching. But I wasn’t sure Nathan would elaborate unless I pried for more. And I needed so much more than what he’d already given me. What was he saying here?

  Nathan didn’t answer my question. Instead he slid off his hat and both pairs of glasses, dropping them onto the chair beside Marley. Then he reached over his shoulder and pulled off his shirt.

  My eyes lowered and locked on.

  He was half naked. Holy God, he was half naked. I’d never seen him without a shirt on before.

  Was he speaking now? Was he giving me the answer I wanted? I had no idea.

  Nathan’s body…He was such a liar. He’d told Oliver it had been six years since he’d played football, yet he was built like he’d never given it up.

  His muscles were defined, thick in his shoulders and biceps but not bulky. He had a lean, long, sculpted torso, abs without flexing, and narrow hips. I followed the dusting of hair below his navel to his swim shorts. They hung low, at least two, three inches below his waist.

  I squinted, studying.

  No, three inches for sure. Thank God for these glasses. I could openly stare without anyone knowing. Nathan had no idea.

  “So, nothing to say to that?”

  My head jerked up. “Huh? Nothing to say to what? Did you say something?”

  “I answered your question…”

  Oh shit. What good were these glasses if I couldn’t properly maintain conversation? I’d totally been had. Time to guess.

  “Um, right. So, he’s married, then?”

  “No. I said he’s not married.”

  “Oh.” My voice came out breathy. “Well, you know…it’s hard to hear you. With the music…” And your body. What a distraction.

  Wait. Waitwaitwait.

  Okay, so Davis wasn’t married. He was coming over here to hit on me. And knowing that, Nathan pushed him into the pool?

  My heartbeat accelerated.

  I stared into Nathan’s eyes, waiting for him to answer the unspoken question that hung in the air between us, but he didn’t. He wouldn’t say a word. He simply looked at me.

  When Rihanna cut off mid-song and “A Groovy Kind of Love” began playing, a laugh pushed past my lips.

  What the…?

  Nathan frowned, his dark brows pinching together. Both of us turned to look over at the DJ booth.

  Davis stood behind it, arms drawn across his bare chest and hair sticking up wildly from the pool. He smiled directly at us.

  “Jesus,” Nathan muttered, putting his back to his friend. He shook his head.

  “Kind of an odd song to play right now.” I giggled. “Is he a big Phil Collins fan or something?”

  “Don’t pay attention to him. He’s taken a lot of blows to the head.”

  Bold laughter cut through the air. “Nudge!” Davis yelled.

  Nathan cursed under his breath, then bent down and swapped the bottle of sunscreen Marley was holding for a pool toy, keeping her occupied. “Let’s get in the pool,” he said, moving urgently. He squirted lotion onto his palm and smeared it over his chest and shoulders. When his hand grazed his abs, I gulped in a breath and bit my tongue.

  Lord, yes, get him under the water.

  Nathan dropped the bottle onto a beach towel and scooped up Marley while I gathered my hair off my neck and secured it into a messy bun. Imagine Dragons was playing now. Some of the crowd sang along. Others cheered, grateful for the song change. We walked side by side to the pool, silent, neither of us bringing up the previous conversation.

  I couldn’t forget it though. It ate away at my mind.

  I waved at Oliver and Olivia as they waited behind a row of kids for the slide. My two couldn’t stop smiling.

  “They’re having so much fun,” I said.

  “Yeah.” Nathan’s face was tense when I peered over at him. When he halted at the stairs, I did the same. “Jenna, I need you to ask me.”

  “Ask you what?”

  “Why it matters if Davis isn’t married.” He turned his head, eyes boring into mine.

  I was still wearing my glasses, but Nathan wasn’t. And even though his pledge to keep them on was one of the sweetest gestures anyone had ever done for Olivia, I was grateful for the break. I would’ve missed how carefully he was staring at me right now if he’d been wearing them.

  “Um…” My hand tensed around the metal rail. “Okay, why does it matter?”

  “Because I don’t want him hitting on you,” Nathan said. “And if anyone else tries something, they’re getting shoved in the pool too. I don’t care who it is.�
��

  I smiled immediately. It was purely reactional—I couldn’t help it. Nathan was telling me what I’d been hoping to hear. The reason I would’ve begged for. He didn’t want his friend hitting on me because…Well, we weren’t there yet. Okay. But we were getting somewhere.

  This was a good thing. I wanted Nathan smiling now too. But even after that admission, he still looked so serious and unsure.

  “What if they’re already in the pool?” I teased, entering the water one step at a time. I watched him over my shoulder.

  Nathan’s mouth twitched. He waded in until the water reached his waist. “Then I guess I’m tossing them out of it.” We circled each other with Marley between us, smacking at the water and giggling at herself.

  “Nathan.”

  He stared at me over the top of her head. “Jenna.”

  My cheeks were on fire. I could feel it. “I don’t have much upper-body strength, but I’ll try to do the same if Davis hits on you.”

  His mouth stretched into a grin.

  There it is, I thought. God, this man should always be smiling.

  “I never thought I’d say this,” Nathan began. “But now I’m actually hoping that happens. I’d love to see that.”

  “Right? Me too.”

  We laughed together.

  Oliver and Olivia joined us after their turn on the slide and begged Nathan to play with them. After passing Marley off to me, he tossed Olivia across the pool and then guided Oliver into a backflip when it was his turn. Nathan could lift my kids above his head, no problem. Damn, he is strong. They sailed through the air. Olivia climbed on his shoulders and pumped her arms to the music, which stayed fast-paced. I hummed “A Groovy Kind of Love” while I guided Marley around the perimeter. I couldn’t get that song out of my head.

  We swam until the kids complained about being starved for food. Then we dried off and made our plates.

  We chose a table in the shade and ate hot dogs and chicken wings, macaroni salad for Nathan and myself, and chips for the kids. Marley sawed on an ear of corn. Nathan said it was her first time having that. She loved it. Halfway into our meal, I watched Oliver stuff his mouth, his eyes on the game of catch that had begun on the beach between Davis and two other men.

  “Oliver, you have plenty of time to play with them.” I reached across the table and touched his wrist, grabbing his attention. “Slow down please. Take smaller bites.”

  “Sorry, Mom.” His words were muffled. Bits of hot dog bun shot out of his mouth, making his sister giggle. “Oops,” he mumbled, scooping up the mess. He glanced across the table at Nathan, who sat beside me. Marley was in his lap.

  “We’ll go out there as soon as we’re done,” Nathan said, forking macaroni noodles. “They’ll still be playing. Trust me.”

  “Cool.” Oliver resumed watching the game, appearing more at ease. His next bite was half the size of his previous one.

  I knew my son was worried he’d miss this unbelievable opportunity—throwing around with a professional football player. I was surprised Oliver hadn’t faked being full and fled the table already. I knew how anxious he was to get out there. But I hadn’t expected Nathan to read Oliver the way I had. Maybe I should’ve? He’d eaten with us before. He knew Oliver needed the occasional slow down reminder, even without a pending activity hurrying him along.

  A thought bloomed inside my head. Nathan was becoming familiar with my kids. I hid my smile behind a napkin.

  While the boys played catch, Marley, Olivia, and I got ready for the fireworks show.

  I pulled on my tank and shorts, and then I took the girls inside and got them changed in the bathroom. I hadn’t packed clothes for myself, but I was dry enough. I hadn’t gone completely under the water. My top had barely gotten wet.

  When we made it back outside, I laid out their swimsuits to dry, along with our towels, then grabbed one of the picnic blankets Davis had provided from the basket labeled TAKE ONE.

  Once we stepped off the tiled patio, Olivia and Marley ran ahead, kicking up sand and waving at the boys. I wasn’t sure where the fireworks were going to be set off. I’d simply been told the beach. Well, Davis seemed to own a massive stretch of it. I couldn’t see another house for miles.

  I glanced around. It was beautiful here. Colored lanterns were strung up between posts. Tiki torches were lit. There was even a bonfire going.

  I spread the blanket out near a group of others already set up and smiled at the families. Everyone was eating Popsicles.

  “Help yourselves!” a woman said, pointing to her cooler.

  “Awesome. Thank you!” I grabbed five, returned to our blanket, and sank to my knees just as the girls rushed over, holding hands.

  “I think the fireworks are gonna start soon,” Olivia said, her eyes lighting up when I held out a Popsicle. She dropped to her butt and tore the wrapper off. Her nose wrinkled. “Gross, green. Marley, do you like lime?”

  Marley collapsed next to Olivia on the blanket and leaned over, licking the Popsicle my daughter held out. She hummed in delight.

  Olivia giggled. “Guess that’s a yes!”

  “Here, Olivia. I think this is cherry.” I passed her another one.

  After confirming the flavor, Olivia put her back to me and scooted to the edge of the blanket, digging her feet in the sand. Marley did the same. I opened another cherry and was halfway finished with it when the boys wrapped up their game. Oliver rushed over to us while Nathan jogged to the house.

  “Mom, you know what Davis said?” my son asked, his cheeks flushed and a light sheen of sweat on his forehead. “He said he’ll get us tickets to a game! And we can go on the field and stuff. He actually said that!”

  “Cool!” Olivia squealed.

  “Wow. I hope you thanked him for offering that.”

  “I did. I thanked him a bunch of times. You can ask Nate.” Oliver collapsed onto his knees and caught his breath. “Oh, Popsicles.” He licked his lips.

  “Do you want to get changed?” I asked.

  “No. I’m dry.” He pulled the wrapper off a lemon-flavored one and bit the end.

  Nathan returned to the blanket with a set of noise-canceling headphones for Marley. He must’ve gotten them out of the truck, because I didn’t remember seeing them in the diaper bag. He’d also changed out of his swim trunks and was wearing his T-shirt again and a pair of gray basketball shorts. His hat was back on. I grinned when he slid the aviators into place. Olivia giggled at him and held up her thumbs.

  “The sun isn’t really out anymore,” I whispered when Nathan sank down onto the blanket beside me. “Can you even see through those things?”

  “I can see you,” he said, voice serious.

  I pressed back onto my heels. Despite the chill of the Popsicle, my chest and stomach warmed, delicious heat spreading through me.

  God, is there a better feeling than this?

  I smiled, knowing he could see it, and passed Nathan his Popsicle.

  The kids spun around, and the five of us chatted until Davis announced a two-minute warning until showtime. Then he took off running down the beach.

  Oliver and Olivia jumped to their feet and chanted their excitement, along with a few other kids around us. Marley crawled between Nathan’s legs and scrambled into his lap. She yawned and rubbed at her eyes, her little body slumped sideways against him.

  “Your mommy loved fireworks,” Nathan told her before sliding the headphones over her ears. He kissed her head.

  I smiled warmly at them and asked, “Has she seen them before?”

  “No. And the last ones I saw were before she was born.”

  I reached out and rubbed Marley’s leg, just below where Nathan held her. “I bet she’s going to love them. My kids did at this age.”

  “Yeah?” His hand slid lower and bumped mine. Then his thumb rubbed over my knuckles.

  My breath caught. I slowly lifted my head and stared at Nathan, at those sunglasses with the ridiculous tint I couldn’t see through. But it wouldn
’t have mattered.

  Tint or no tint, I knew he was looking right at me.

  His thumb moved slowly, back and forth, back and forth, then grazed between my knuckles and circled in a pattern.

  I forced myself to breathe. God, my heart was pounding. This touch was nothing, nothing in the grand scheme of touches or compared to the embrace we’d shared the other night, but his thumb…my skin…it was unparalleled. I couldn’t remember ever feeling anything like this before.

  How was that possible?

  Just when I thought I felt a little push, a force to turn my hand and bring us palm to palm, the sky lit up and a loud boom shook the earth.

  I wrenched my hand back when Marley’s legs kicked out in surprise. She tipped her head up, eyes round as her fists clenched and her arms locked and trembled.

  Sensing her fear, Nathan shifted her on his thigh and leaned forward, peering into her face.

  “Is she okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah. She likes it!” I held Marley’s fist and wiggled it open so she could grip my finger. Another firework bloomed overhead. “Look, baby!” I pointed at the sky, and Marley grinned and giggled, falling back against Nathan. Her squeals poured into the night. Nathan wrapped his arms around her.

  The twins cheered and chanted for more, eventually joining us on the blanket and sprawling out on their backs. Marley stayed in Nathan’s lap. They were both smiling so big. I watched them more than the fireworks.

  This would be an amazing memory for them. For all of us, I thought. My two would never forget it.

  We left shortly after the fireworks ended.

  Davis high-fived my kids and wrapped his arms around me, finding it hilarious when Nathan rushed him through the embrace. Marley was asleep on Nathan’s shoulder before we made it to the truck, and she stayed asleep the entire drive home despite the constant conversation bouncing between Oliver and Olivia. Two hours of reliving every second of our evening didn’t seem to bother her. It didn’t seem to bother Nathan either.

  He answered every “Remember when we did this, Nate?” and played along like he needed reminders.