He stood up, too. “Great idea. How about we go for a swim?”
She glanced out the window.
“It’s getting dark. I don’t want to go swimming in the lake at night.”
“It’s a good thing we have a pool then.”
The “we” disturbed her. Insinuating this was her house, too. And her pool. Which, since they were still legally married, was true.
“I didn’t bring a swimsuit.”
“I’d suggest we go skinny dipping, but I know you’re not going to go for that. But no worries. I have a bathing suit here in your size.”
A pang of jealousy shot through her at the thought he might have had other women here. But that was ridiculous. Liam should be seeing other women. He should be moving on.
She wrapped her hands around herself, goose bumps quivering across her arms. She loved going in the water, but it hadn’t been the warmest of days.
“Now that the sun’s gone down, it’s probably too cool for me.”
“It’s seventy-four degrees and the pool’s heated, so you’ll be fine. And there’s a hot tub if you do get cold.” He smiled. “Of course, if you’d rather cuddle up with me and watch a movie together, I’m sure I can keep you warm.”
The thought made her tremble. The heat of his gaze alone would do the trick. But the thought of being snuggled up beside him, his strong arm around her, holding her tight to his muscular body, made her knees weak.
“No, a swim will be fine.”
“Good.”
He pressed his hand to her lower back and guided her toward a hallway, then turned at a double doorway and she realized he was taking her into the master bedroom.
Her suitcase sat on a luggage rack by the window.
The room was open and airy, just like the rest of the house, with the high, sloped ceiling, windows on three sides of the room, and French doors leading out to the patio. The walls were painted a lovely soft aqua and there was a love seat and two armchairs in the same neutral tones as the rest of the furniture in the house, and a stone fireplace.
He opened a drawer in the dresser and pulled out a bathing suit in a floral fabric in vibrant pink tones and black, as well as a pair of trunks. He dropped them on the bed. The big, comfortable-looking, inviting bed.
Then he started unbuttoning his shirt.
“I’m not going to change in here with you.”
He shrugged. “Suit yourself. You can wait until I’m finished.”
He shed his shirt and she found herself mesmerized by his rippling muscles as he unbuckled his belt and pulled it from the loops. Then she realized he was unzipping his pants.
She spun around, her heart pounding, only to meet his reflection in the mirror as he dropped his boxers to the floor. Oh, God, the sight of his heavy cock hanging between his legs made her ache inside. To feel it in her hand. To stroke it and feel it rise up.
Before she could turn her head away, he pulled up his trunks, then walked to the French doors leading outside.
“I’ll take towels out with me. Don’t take too long, or I’ll come back in for you.”
Once he closed the doors, she picked up the bathing suit. It was actually a two-piece, and it was pretty tiny.
She walked to the en suite bathroom. When she stepped inside, she paused. It was huge, with a sleek freestanding tub and a large open shower. The floor and walls were done with tiny tiles, but a long area carpet defined a path from the doorway she stood in to yet another set of French doors leading outside. There was even a large oval ottoman that looked luxuriously comfortable near the bathtub. She could imagine sitting in the tub, bubbles all around her, while Liam sat on that ottoman and read to her.
Of course, it would be much more likely he’d climb into the tub with her and wash her back, then other parts of her body, his large hands gliding over her wet skin.
She sucked in a breath, pushing the thought from her head, and dropped the bathing suit on the ottoman, then stripped off her clothes. She pulled on the bikini bottoms, then the tiny top. It cupped her breasts and lifted them high. When she glanced in the mirror and saw how little the bathing suit covered, she shivered at the thought of going out like this.
It wasn’t like Liam hadn’t seen her in less, but she was trying to keep him at a distance.
She wasn’t going to back out of the swim, though. When she walked to the bedroom again and spotted the button-down shirt Liam had been wearing, she picked it up and pulled it on. It draped over her, covering her to mid-thigh.
Now she didn’t feel quite so naked.
When she breathed in, she could smell his musky male scent. She wrapped her arms around herself, imagining being enveloped in his arms.
Maybe she didn’t feel naked, but she did feel vulnerable. And needy. She wished she could just surrender to her desire for him. Let herself sink into his embrace and give herself to him.
She shook away those thoughts and walked to the French doors Liam had exited through and stepped out into the night. She walked past the cushioned patio furniture, following the stone patio around the corner of the house.
Liam sat by a swimming pool with a lovely curved shape. There was a small waterfall on one side, the trickling water glowing under a soft light. In fact, the whole pool was aglow.
Liam stood up as she approached. The sight of his broad, muscular chest and his tight, sculpted abs took her breath away.
“Here, let me help you with that,” he said as he rested his hands on her shoulders, then drew the shirt down her arms.
Her first urge was to protest, but he slipped it all the way off and tossed it on a nearby lounge chair, leaving
