I own several bathing suits, none of which are nearly as skimpy as this one. But from the look on James’s face, it’s doing its job. I wanted him to look at me the way I looked at him—as absolutely delicious.

I stretch out on the chair, arching my back. It feels great after being hunched over working on the flowers. Plus, I know that James is watching me. It may be incredibly stupid, but I’m hoping my hitting on James gets back to my dad. It’s the perfect opportunity to piss him off. I’m old enough to know better, but the truth is, I want nothing more than to make my father angry. Maybe then he’ll feel the way I’ve been feeling for months.

I hear James clear his throat and move over to the pool. I watch him set the skimmer aside and kneel down with the plastic case that tests the chemicals.

“I’ll let you test that first so I know it’s safe for me to swim.”

He smiles just a little. “I’m sure it’s fine.”

“All the same,” I say, “I wouldn’t want to get soaking wet only to find out I was being poisoned.”

I put my hair back in a clip so I can keep it dry when I get in and lean back on my elbows, very aware that this position makes my body look damn good. The sun is reflecting off the pool and shining on James’s face and I think I could look at him all day. He takes a sample of the water and puts it in the tester, shaking the container gently.

“You said you were new,” I say. “When did you start?”

He glances up at me. “Today.”

“Lucky me,” I say under my breath. Louder, I ask, “Liking it so far?”

His gaze rises across the pool and drags up my legs and chest before landing on my face. His eyes on me feel like a physical thing, sending tingles over my skin. “You could say I’m enjoying myself.” Is it my imagination or is his voice a little rough? He checks the tester. “Good news. You won’t be poisoned.”

“Excellent,” I say, standing. I walk into the pool from the shallow end, the water a perfect cool temperature.

James is standing now, skimmer at the ready. “How’s the water?”

“Perfect,” I say. “It’s too bad you can’t swim with me. We could get you out of that terrible polo shirt.”

One corner of his mouth tips up into a grin. “It almost sounds like you want to see me shirtless.”

“More like I want to see the death of the polo, but the end result is the same.” I dip into the water, letting it rise to my shoulders. “How much trouble would you get in for swimming with me?”

“Probably a lot.”

“Really?”

“Well, maybe not the swimming. It’s what would likely happen while I swim that would get me into trouble.”

My breath catches, and I laugh it off, stroking my way back to the shallow end. “You have some weird thing you do while you swim?”

James doesn’t say anything. Did I say something wrong? I look up, to find him staring at me. Heat flushes through my body at the unfiltered want I see there. I realize now that he’s seeing me dripping in a bikini that hides the essentials only. His jeans are bulging, and I can only imagine what that looks like.

I raise an eyebrow at him, wandering closer to where he’s standing at the edge of the pool. “Having some trouble with control?”

“Yes.” His voice sounds deeper, and he looks away. He dips his skimmer into the pool—not that it needs it.

“And why is that?”

He reaches the skimmer across the pool, crouching down to reach further. He’s close to me now, and I can hear him speak soft and clear. “Because I can’t stop looking at you, and I’ve already imagined dozens of ways of fucking you—from burying myself in you on top of those flowers to letting you ride me in the deep end. Seeing you practically naked and floating in a pool like some kind of walking fantasy isn’t helping, and it makes me want to touch you and taste you and make you scream my name.” He stands back up. “Does that about answer your question?”

The images he just described roll through my mind, and I’m seeing splaying limbs and straying fingers and feeling his mouth on parts of me that haven’t been touched in far too long. I’m suddenly very glad that I’m in the pool, because my entire body is flushed and I’m now soaking wet in more ways than one.

James is still looking at me, though not at my face.

I glance down. My nipples are hard, and my bathing suit does nothing to disguise the fact. I swallow, trying to get my voice back. “I don’t know what to say.” This time it’s my voice that’s rough.

“Well, it’s not words that I’m looking for.”

Wow. I let the possibility of this spin out in my mind. I’m not a virgin, but I haven’t been with anyone since I graduated—unless you count my vibrator. I look at James out of the corner of my eye. Let’s be honest, there’s not a lot I wouldn’t do just to have the chance to see him naked. Getting caught would be bad. Very bad. But is it worth the risk?

I sink back down into the water, and James cleans the pool. We don’t say anything, instead taking turns looking at each other, occasionally locking eyes. It doesn’t take long for James to finish skimming, and shortly after that, he puts in the little robot that roves the bottom of the pool sucking up gunk. He grabs the test box and the skimmer and goes into the pool shed. I glance at the house to make sure my mother isn’t peeking through the windows, and realize I’ve made my decision.

I don’t bother with a towel, instead going straight into the pool shed, closing the door behind me. James turns from where he was putting away the equipment. “You followed me,” he says.

“Yes,” I murmur, taking a step toward him.

“This is not a good idea,” he warns, taking a step toward me.

“No, it’s not.” Now we’re face to face, inches apart.

“Thankfully I’m not known for my good decisions,” he says, and then he kisses me.

Oh god. The kiss slams through my body and it’s all consuming. It feels like my entire body has been asleep and suddenly decided to wake up. James’s hand runs down my back and the sensation sinks into my spine. His tongue plunges into my mouth and I gasp, sending mine right back. He’s not close enough to me. I wrap my arms around his neck, pressing my body against his and feeling his erection hard and ready.

I weave my hands into his hair and feel him groan more than I hear it, the vibrations skimming through my mouth. I feel his fingers at my neck working at the knot of my halter, and I freeze. “Wait.”

Catching my breath, I pull away from him. I don’t like stopping, but I need to be sure. “If we get caught, you’re definitely going to get fired. You’ll actually be lucky if you get fired. My father will kill you.”

“Then I guess we shouldn’t get caught,” he says, with a smile as dirty as the devil on his lips.

“I just want you to be sure.”

With one fluid motion, he takes his shirt off. My heart skips a beat as I see the dips and planes of a body that is cut. Gardening has been good to him. “Believe me, I’m sure.”

“Well then.” I clear my throat. “I guess I won’t be needing this.” I reach up and untie my halter, letting the fabric fall away from my breasts. I hear James suck in a breath as I untie the back and toss the top aside. The way he’s looking at me now, I don’t know if I’ve ever felt sexier or more powerful. “Show me some of those things you imagined.”

James reaches out, skimming around my breasts and taking them in his hands. Goosebumps rise on my skin as he touches me, and I want more. My body is still damp from the pool and because I’m cold his hands feel like sweet, sweet fire. He takes my nipples between his fingers, rolling them and squeezing. The sensation makes me gasp, lines of heat running straight to my pussy, which is soaking through my bathing suit. He pinches harder, the small bite of pain waking up all my nerves, and then he pulls. He draws me forward by my breasts until there’s no more space between us.

He’s taking his time and playing, still pinching and squeezing, now leaning his head down and putting his mouth on me. His tongue rasps over my nipple, teasing me before he sucks my breast deep into his mouth. I let my head fall back, groaning as I imagine that he’s sucking on other parts of me. He releases me, leaning forward to lick the skin between my breasts. “Your nipples are darker than I thought they would be,” he says.

“Oh?” I can’t manage more than the single syllable.

“And just as sensitive as I hoped.” He takes my other nipple in his mouth and as I moan again, I realize that I’ve never felt like this. We’re not even to the sex yet and it’s the best sex I’ve ever had.

I explore his chest and abs with my hands. His skin is firm and warm and I would love to take the time to trace every line of his body, but I’m not going to be able to wait that long. I drop to my knees and I’m working on his belt before I’m even on the ground. I pull down his jeans and his cock is straining against his underwear. Even masked by the fabric I can tell that he’s huge, and I’m sure that what I’m about to see will match his body in its perfection. I press my mouth against his length, licking him through the cloth, and from above I hear James curse.

Slowly, I pull his underwear down and allow his cock to spring free. I want to touch and taste every part of him, and so I do. My hand is barely able to wrap around him, but I still try as I trace my fingers along his length, grinning as the muscles in his stomach tense with anticipation, and jump at every unexpected touch. Sealing my lips around him, I swirl my tongue over his head and tease him at the tip.

“Fuck,” he says, and I look up to see him watching me. His expression is a perfect mixture of awe and lust, and so far it’s the best one I’ve seen on his face. I lift him up, running my tongue along the length of him and stroking him with my hand. I love this feeling, having him literally and figuratively in the palm of my hand. It’s a heady feeling, knowing you can make someone else feel this kind of pleasure.

I take his balls into my mouth, and roll them across my tongue. The sound that comes from James is raw. It’s pure lust, and I feel my body warming in response. Sucking gently, I look up at him. We lock eyes, and I watch his go dark at the sight of me like this. Letting him go, I lick my lips. “Is this what you imagined?” I ask.

He nods, “And there’s so much more.” He steps away from me and out of his jeans. “Tell me what you want.”

I don’t get the chance to answer. He spins me so my back is against his chest, his cock pressing up against my ass. He’s untying the bottom of my bikini, and then his fingers are on me and in me and I think I might come right now. His thumb slides across my clit and I see sparks as my whole body tightens in anticipation. “Tell me what you want,” he repeats in my ear.

“Fuck me,” I say breathlessly. “Please. Fuck me.”

His hands leave me for a moment and I hear him tear open the wrapper of a condom. He guides me forward, my hands landing on the sill of the small window that overlooks the patio. The window. Shit. “Not here,” I say.

“Yes. Here,” he commands, sliding into me. I groan. His cock sliding into me is pure bliss. It’s been a long time since I had anyone inside me and I’m tight. He’s stretching me and the friction is divine. James slides out, and then all the way back in. God, yes. He starts a rhythm that’s steady and sweetly punishing as it ramps up, pleasure building deep inside me. He shoves a knee between my legs, spreading them farther apart. This new angle is deeper and James is thrusting faster and soon every stroke is causing my pussy to spasm in pleasure. I’m off balance and my breasts are pressed against the window and my breath is fogging the glass and—

Shit, I can see my mother sitting on her balcony reading a book.

One look in this direction and she’ll see me getting thoroughly fucked against this glass. The thought sends adrenaline roaring through my body and I’m so close and every breath out is a yes, yes, yes.

James threads a hand into my hair, pulling my head back so I’m arched between the window and his body. I feel his teeth on my neck and then he’s sucking on my ear and I hear his voice growl, “I said I wanted to make you scream, and I will. But right now I’m going to make you come, and you can’t make any sound. If you scream they’ll all come running.”

They’ll all come running, or my mother will look, or both. Oh god, I can’t think while he’s driving into me like this. His hand curls around my stomach, sliding down to my clit. I can’t see anything anymore. Everything is white light and firecracker sensations. He rubs circles on my clit, pressing and pinching and I bite my lip because I am on the edge of screaming. I shut my eyes tight and let myself feel it all and oh…

Everything shatters outward as my body spasms on his cock. Pleasure sizzles through me and this is what people mean when they say fireworks. He hasn’t stopped fucking me, and it’s too much. It’s all too much. I let out a whimper and he slows, bringing me back to him with soft strokes. His fingers are still on my clit, pinching and flicking and stroking and keeping me on edge.

My body is warm and pliant and aroused. I arch my back further, pushing my ass against him. “Take me,” I say. “Give me more.”

James doesn’t hesitate, slamming in deep. My pussy clenches in response, and I hear him swear. He’s gripping my hips, pounding into me, and I love the rush of pleasure I get at having him inside me.

“I’m close,” he says, and I can feel the desperation in his pace. His body tenses, and he moves. He pulls out of me, spinning me to face him. He rips off the condom and his hand is stroking his cock as he comes. It spills across my breasts and stomach, and I arch toward him. His face is dazed with pleasure and his muscles are taught as he continues to come. When he’s finished, he opens his eyes, taking me in.

He opens his mouth, closes it. Instead of speaking, he reaches out to me. He draws his fingers up my body, collecting his semen in his fingers. He says, “Open your mouth.” And I do. His fingers glide across my tongue and I suck them clean. He tastes like salt and cream and man, and I swallow him down. That same hand curls around my neck and pulls me toward him and then he’s kissing me again, and I can still taste him on my tongue as his explores my mouth.

“I was wrong,” he says. “This was a very good idea.”

“Mmm.”

His hand is on my ass and he pushes my hips against his. “I’m here for one week.”

I smile, “And?”

“And there are many, many things I would like to do to you.” His voice drops to a whisper as he adds, “Preferably some place where I can keep the promise of making you scream my name and beg for more.”

“I didn’t think begging was part of the promise.”

“I added it just now.” He lets me go, taking a towel from the shelf and handing it to me before taking one for himself. “If I stay much longer, it will seem strange that I’m still here.”

I nod, still in a haze of pleasure and not really processing. He pulls on his clothes, and it feels like a sin to watch that body disappear. He pulls me in for a last kiss, and if he wanted to stay in this pool house forever and fuck I would say yes.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Vera.” The way he looks at me, I know he means more than see me.

I smile. “I’ll see you.”

He gives me a long slow look as he leaves the pool house, and then he’s gone.

One thing is for sure—that vibrator is never going to cut it anymore.