think I've ever seen you
without your suit," she murmured weakly.
He
looked up, his gaze level. "I intend to cool off. Do you want to join
me?"
Cool
off! Tye felt as if the heat of the day had caught up with her and pooled in
her stomach. Didn’t he know his jeans were unsnapped and just kind of
hanging open? She sure as heck did. She wished she wasn’t quite so
conscious of it.
In
response to his invitation she shook her head. One look at his perfectly
proportioned body and there was no way she’d strip down and let him see
the stub that was her leg.
Tye’s
mood suddenly went sour. A dry sob nearly choked her. Damn the wasted years!
She cleared her throat and reached down to pick up her book. "Thanks, but
I think I'll go inside. I've got some things to take care of."
Biting
her lips hard, Tye maneuvered her way around the pool, cursing her awkward
steps. She had to escape into her apartment. The door was located right behind
Jake. She moved too fast and the leather sole of one boot slipped off the pool
edge. Tye fell toward the water. A startled yelp left her lips, then she
quickly shut her mouth as water closed over her head. Automatically, she
flailed her arms and pulled herself upward.
As Tye
broke the surface she felt herself being hauled against a hard chest, with arms
banding around her back. She sputtered and cursed, her hair over her eyes and
in her mouth.
"Tye,
are you okay?" Jake asked with concern.
Pushing
back the clinging strands of hair back, she met him eye-to-eye. "What a
stupid thing to do," she hissed in disgust. "My foot slipped."
He shook
his head, a smile curving the lips so close to hers. "Glad you decided to
join me, after all," he said softly, his eyes full of some cryptic
emotion. Meeting his gaze Tye felt her insides twist. Slowly, so slowly that
she could have pulled back, Jake’s mouth moved to touch hers. His tongue
flicked out and traced her upper lip, then her lower lip. He lifted his head,
his gaze locking with hers. Frozen, Tye stared at him. Confusion held her
speechless. Desire made her wish he would do that again.
"You
taste like chlorine," he murmured.
Tye felt
herself softening under the influence of that masculine smile, the genuine
enjoyment she read there. Her insides were all aflutter and felt like mush. The
years melted away. She moved her legs to tread water and then frowned. Ten
years.
"This
isn’t a good idea. I have to get out." She pushed away from him.
Jake
moved with her to the side of the pool. Before Tye could protest, he put his
hands on her hips and lifted her as if she weighed nothing. He climbed easily
from the pool and pulled a chaise longue toward her. Tye sat on it, her wet
clothes weighing her down. She began to shiver, trying not to dwell on the
kiss, but it consumed her thoughts. The heat, the fire inside should have
warmed her, but she shivered again.
Tye
pulled a towel around her shoulders and huddled into its dry warmth. She looked
down, alarm clutching at her. "My leg," she said quickly. "I
don't know what affect water will have on it. For what it cost, I can't afford
to have it ruined."
Jake
seemed to hesitate. "Take it off," he finally said, as if it were the
most natural thing in the world.
Outraged
Tye jerked her head up to meet his eyes. "What?"
Jake’s
expression bordered on exasperation. "It's not like I asked you to strip
naked and dance."
Tye felt
heat flood into her face. A smart retort leaped to her lips, but she bit it
back.
"Wise
girl," Jake said easily. "Don’t argue. Take it off so we can dry
it out. Maybe the water won't hurt it."
Calming
herself, Tye realized he was suggesting the smartest thing to do at that
moment. Yet she knew she couldn’t remove the prosthesis with him standing
there. She couldn’t bear for anyone to see the ugliness of her scarred
stump. She felt paralyzed by her own indecision.
"I-I…"
"Relax,"
he said, moving closer. "Let me take a look."
Tye drew
a deep, shaky breath.
without your suit," she murmured weakly.
He
looked up, his gaze level. "I intend to cool off. Do you want to join
me?"
Cool
off! Tye felt as if the heat of the day had caught up with her and pooled in
her stomach. Didn’t he know his jeans were unsnapped and just kind of
hanging open? She sure as heck did. She wished she wasn’t quite so
conscious of it.
In
response to his invitation she shook her head. One look at his perfectly
proportioned body and there was no way she’d strip down and let him see
the stub that was her leg.
Tye’s
mood suddenly went sour. A dry sob nearly choked her. Damn the wasted years!
She cleared her throat and reached down to pick up her book. "Thanks, but
I think I'll go inside. I've got some things to take care of."
Biting
her lips hard, Tye maneuvered her way around the pool, cursing her awkward
steps. She had to escape into her apartment. The door was located right behind
Jake. She moved too fast and the leather sole of one boot slipped off the pool
edge. Tye fell toward the water. A startled yelp left her lips, then she
quickly shut her mouth as water closed over her head. Automatically, she
flailed her arms and pulled herself upward.
As Tye
broke the surface she felt herself being hauled against a hard chest, with arms
banding around her back. She sputtered and cursed, her hair over her eyes and
in her mouth.
"Tye,
are you okay?" Jake asked with concern.
Pushing
back the clinging strands of hair back, she met him eye-to-eye. "What a
stupid thing to do," she hissed in disgust. "My foot slipped."
He shook
his head, a smile curving the lips so close to hers. "Glad you decided to
join me, after all," he said softly, his eyes full of some cryptic
emotion. Meeting his gaze Tye felt her insides twist. Slowly, so slowly that
she could have pulled back, Jake’s mouth moved to touch hers. His tongue
flicked out and traced her upper lip, then her lower lip. He lifted his head,
his gaze locking with hers. Frozen, Tye stared at him. Confusion held her
speechless. Desire made her wish he would do that again.
"You
taste like chlorine," he murmured.
Tye felt
herself softening under the influence of that masculine smile, the genuine
enjoyment she read there. Her insides were all aflutter and felt like mush. The
years melted away. She moved her legs to tread water and then frowned. Ten
years.
"This
isn’t a good idea. I have to get out." She pushed away from him.
Jake
moved with her to the side of the pool. Before Tye could protest, he put his
hands on her hips and lifted her as if she weighed nothing. He climbed easily
from the pool and pulled a chaise longue toward her. Tye sat on it, her wet
clothes weighing her down. She began to shiver, trying not to dwell on the
kiss, but it consumed her thoughts. The heat, the fire inside should have
warmed her, but she shivered again.
Tye
pulled a towel around her shoulders and huddled into its dry warmth. She looked
down, alarm clutching at her. "My leg," she said quickly. "I
don't know what affect water will have on it. For what it cost, I can't afford
to have it ruined."
Jake
seemed to hesitate. "Take it off," he finally said, as if it were the
most natural thing in the world.
Outraged
Tye jerked her head up to meet his eyes. "What?"
Jake’s
expression bordered on exasperation. "It's not like I asked you to strip
naked and dance."
Tye felt
heat flood into her face. A smart retort leaped to her lips, but she bit it
back.
"Wise
girl," Jake said easily. "Don’t argue. Take it off so we can dry
it out. Maybe the water won't hurt it."
Calming
herself, Tye realized he was suggesting the smartest thing to do at that
moment. Yet she knew she couldn’t remove the prosthesis with him standing
there. She couldn’t bear for anyone to see the ugliness of her scarred
stump. She felt paralyzed by her own indecision.
"I-I…"
"Relax,"
he said, moving closer. "Let me take a look."
Tye drew
a deep, shaky breath.
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