Chapter Five
Elizabeth
When I woke up, I was laying in bed covered in blankets looking up into the most exquisite aquamarine blue eyes I’d ever seen. I could get lost in those eyes and did. For several seconds anyway. The only thing sexier was that grin plastered across his face. “If you wanted that swimming lesson all you had to do was ask,” Damon said, his eyes full of concern.
“Where…? Oh! Oh my head. I am never drinking again, but why are you…? Wait…” I swallowed hard, my face beet red, feeling vulnerable and shocked that Damon Donovan was right beside me and I was…. Naked! I shot upright in the bed, careful to keep the blanket clutched to my chin. “Where are my clothes?” I shrieked. Following those beautiful blue eyes over his shoulder, I saw wet spots on the carpet. The bathroom door ajar, a light shining from within.
“They’re hanging in the shower,” said Damon, tipping his head toward the bathroom door.
“Oh.”
My body tightened, my nipples erect. “Then you…?”
“No. Your brother undressed you, not me, and then we both tucked you into bed. I wanted to make sure you were okay and then I just…fell asleep in that chair over there. ”
“Oh. Oh god, I’m so sorry you had to do that. I am such an idiot.”
Damon chuckled and his deep masculine tones filled the room, relaxing and exciting me all at once.
“You’re not an idiot and certainly not the first to get a little tipsy and fall into the pool.”
“In an evening gown?”
“That may be a first,” he said grinning.
“I uh…I don’t usually drink that much without eating first. I guess I got a little carried away.” The thought of Damon carrying me in his arms, rippling biceps flexing against my skin, the thunder of his heart against my cheek, the smell of his skin—made my face warm.
“It’s okay. Really. We all do something crazy at least once, although I was a little concerned when you fell into the pool since you told me you don’t swim.” He reached for a glass of ginger ale and put the straw to my lips. “Drink this. The ginger will settle your stomach a bit.”
Being so close to him and naked ignited all my nerve endings and I wondered if he could read my mind, especially when the rich scent of his skin was so strong it made me salivate and lick my lips. I had an inkling that he could, when a playful grin crimped his eyes.
“Very clever of you, by the way, to fall into the kiddy section of the pool. I didn’t need to do CPR or nothing.” He winked playfully.
A surprised chuckle burst out of me. “Oh god! I’m so embarrassed. Not that I would have wanted to drown or anything but …well, I’m just embarrassed is all.”
“Nothing to be embarrassed about,” he said patting my arm through the bedcovers. “I think you should reconsider letting me teach you to swim though. If you ever fall in the water again… ”
I placed a hand on his arm and a shot of adrenaline ran through me. “Believe me, I’m never drinking for the rest of my life!”
He laughed. “No complaints from me about that,” he said. “But seriously… Elizabeth you could drown some day if you don’t know how to swim.” His face contorted then, a look of deep concern carved his chiseled features. He really was worried about me. When was the last time any man besides Jason, cared one fig about what I did or didn’t do? The thought surprised me more than anything else about Damon. That and the fact that he sat by my bed all night. What else didn’t I know about Damon Donovan? A warm feeling went through me followed by a deep longing to know more about this man. Much more. Certainly Damon was the kind of man who cared about…women of the Club? Was that all this was? He probably did this all the time, I told myself.
“I know I should learn to swim,” I agreed.
A wider smile caressed his lovely lips. “You do. And we’ll do something about that. Later today I think.”
Oh god.
Three hours later
I was shivering and not just because the pool hadn’t heated up completely this early in the morning, but for other reasons.
The piano glowed in the early morning light at the opposite end of the pool, as if taunting my actions of the previous evening. I wondered how many people saw me make a fool of myself, how many accusing stares I would have to walk through before the end of my two weeks at the Delaney Club. I didn’t care though. Let them talk.
I couldn’t deny I was attracted to Damon, even if I didn’t want to be. If I was being honest with myself, the moment I set eyes on him, I’d felt a connection.
The cool water kept me from thinking too much before my teeth started chattering.
“Move your legs and arms around. It will warm you up,” Damon said.
I was glad I’d opted to wear a scarlet one-piece suit instead of my usual skimpy bikini because I didn’t want anything slipping down or god forbid—off—during my swimming lesson. Flapping my arms like a chicken, I realized he was right, and my teeth stopped chattering.
Damon moved his arms around in the water. Graceful. Making huge rings around the both of us. “Just get used to it for now. When you’re ready we’ll try a few strokes, okay?”
I nodded, still shivering and slightly terrified.
“Keep moving, Elizabeth. It will keep your body warm. I’m sorry it’s so cold. It’s not supposed to be but…” His lips tightened and he turned his head toward the bar, as if he expected someone to come and turn some magic dial on the thermostat. When no one arrived, he looked back at me and smiled tightly.
“The heater should be kicking in by now. I’ll have to check on that later, but as long as we’re already in the water… That’s it, that’s it. Move your arms and legs up and down. Getting warmer?”
“Uh huh.”
I’d never been more nervous in my life and I couldn’t keep my hands from shaking although Damon had assured me I’d be swimming from one end of the pool to the other in record time.
We were standing in the shallow end, but every time Damon coaxed me forward, I moved back again instinctively. The only thing that kept me from whimpering like a frightened child was for the real child with a kiddy float around his waist who had just walked into the pool area with his mother. He looked about four year, standing on the edge, a terrified expression on his cherubic face, tiny fists shaking in the air, pleading. “Me can’t, Mam. Me can’t.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll catch you, Timmy. You trust Mama don’t you?”
The little boy took one step forward, tiny fingers clutched at the float and shaking his head. “Me scared, Mama. Me scared.”
“I know you’re scared Timmy but you can do it. I know you can. Remember you’re Spider Man. Spider Man can do anything.”
“He don’t fwim,” said Timmy. “Spidey don’t fwim.”
“He could if he wanted to, right?”
Timmy appeared to ponder this for a moment and took another step.
“Come on. A few more steps. You’re almost there.”
Damon shouted beside me. “You can do it, Spider Man!”
And that’s all it took. With a single small hop, Timmy was in the pool, laughing and shrieking like little boys do. Now, I felt foolish. I was a grown woman for god’s sake.
“All right. All warmed up now?” Damon asked with that killer smile. I tried to relax as he took my hand leading me toward the deep end. At one point, I froze. He let me have my moment and waited until I got up my courage again.
“I’m okay,” I said taking baby steps. “Just not over my head. All right?”
“Trust me. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I felt safe with Damon. How was that possible with someone I barely knew? I didn’t know the answer, but I liked the feeling. A lot.
I let him lead me deeper and congratulated myself when the water reached my neck. I wasn’t freaking out! Not even a little.
His arms wrapped around me.“We’re going to try floating now.”
I smelled chlorine and something earthy on Damon’s skin as he lifted me by my arms until my feet couldn’t touch. I can do this. I can do this.
“Now, I won’t let go until I’m sure you can handle it. Lay back. That’s it. That’s it. Now let your arms go out at your sides. And tuck in your bottom. Yup, right like that. Great. You’re doing great, Elizabeth.”
With nothing but Damon’s arm beneath my back, all my muscles went limp and soon I was actually floating. It felt free and nice. Especially the view I had looking up. I couldn’t stop smiling. Nor could he.
“Perfect. Just perfect,” he crooned. There was something about that velvety voice of his that made me relax.
“I’m doing it! I’m actually floating.”
“You’re doing great. Okay put your head up.”
I lifted my head, letting my body go from horizontal to vertical. I sunk up to my nose before Damon prevented me from going under. “Whoops, sorry about that. I forgot. You’re over your head. Here…” As he picked me up below the arms, I reached for his shoulders . I was excited and grateful, and somewhere along the way I’d become aroused. His smell. The way he spoke with such tenderness, ignited something I thought was dead inside me. I felt like we were the only two people in the pool and for the moment, we were. Well, except for the mom and her little boy.
My arms circled his neck so that we were standing, or in my case floating, eye to eye. My breath caught as his eyes captivated mine, blinking a few times before he took a breath as if the closeness of my limbs—my arms—my mouth, were simply too much for him as well. A low growl shattered the air. “We shouldn’t… ”
His actions told me something else. I could tell he was as turned on as I was. His eyes searched mine as if looking for confirmation. Does he want to kiss me too? I saw his face redden slightly and I didn’t know what to do until he took a few steps forward rather briskly. He put me down where I could touch. “Okay then. There you go, young lady.” I saw his jaw tighten.
I let go of his neck, disappointed and confused. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No.” A hand swept over the back of his head and he took several steps back from me. “I should check on that heating core situation before anyone else complains.”
Complain? I didn’t complain. “Sure. Sure, you do that,” I said, wondering briefly why it was a mere Exercise Trainer’s job to check on such a thing. He made his way toward the side of the pool, climbed the ladder, and lifted that gorgeous ass up without another word. While I loved the view, I wondered, about the state of his dick. Was there a reason he wasn’t turning around to say goodbye to me? “Damon…?”
After grabbing a towel off a nearby chair and wrapping it around his middle, he muttered something about finding me a proper coach for the next lesson. What the fuck!